Agriculture Overview Quiz

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Questions and Answers

Which agricultural practice involves cultivating two or more crops simultaneously on the same land?

Extensive farming

Double-cropping

Monoculture

Intercropping (correct)

What is the primary characteristic of a 'suitcase farm'?

It involves the seasonal migration of livestock.

It uses intensive farming methods.

It is managed by someone who lives elsewhere. (correct)

It specializes in dairy production.

The seasonal movement of livestock between mountain and lowland pasture areas is known as:

Agribusiness

Transhumance (correct)

Market gardening

Monoculture

Which term best describes a government payment designed to bolster a specific industry or market?

Subsidy Signup and view all the answers

Which of these options best describes the concept of a 'milk shed'?

The region where a dairy farm can sell its products before spoilage. Signup and view all the answers

Planting a single crop year after year, such as corn or soy, is best referred to as:

Monoculture Signup and view all the answers

What is the main characteristic of a 'metes and bounds' system of land division?

Irregular parcels marked by natural features. Signup and view all the answers

Which settlement pattern involves houses grouped closely together, forming small clusters or hamlets?

Clustered settlement Signup and view all the answers

What does 'extensive farming' primarily involve?

Small amounts of capital and labor on large areas of land. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these options is considered a 'luxury crop'?

Coffee Signup and view all the answers

According to the von Thunen model, what type of agricultural activity would most likely be located closest to the market?

Dairy farming Signup and view all the answers

Which of these best defines 'agribusiness'?

Highly mechanized, large-scale farming often under corporate ownership. Signup and view all the answers

What does the term 'bid rent theory' primarily explain?

The relationship between rent and distance from the market Signup and view all the answers

What is the definition of 'comparative advantage' in the context of agricultural production?

The ability to produce a good at a lower opportunity cost than another producer. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the 'Blue Revolution'?

The expansion of modern aquaculture and fish production. Signup and view all the answers

What is a key result of 'overgrazing' in an agricultural context?

The depletion of vegetation. Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following best describes the primary purpose of commercial agriculture?

To generate agricultural products primarily for sale. Signup and view all the answers

What is the main difference between plant and animal domestication?

Plant domestication is the process of modifying plants for human use, while animal domestication is the process of modifying animals for human use. Signup and view all the answers

Which of these is a key characteristic of the First Agricultural Revolution?

The earliest domestication of plants and animals. Signup and view all the answers

What is a substantial environmental impact of slash-and-burn agriculture?

Deforestation and potential loss of existing ecosystems Signup and view all the answers

How does the Enclosure Act relate to agriculture?

It restricted access to common lands by small farmers, leading to larger, more industrialized farms. Signup and view all the answers

The Green Revolution is primarily associated with which of the following agricultural advancements?

The widespread adoption of high-yield seeds and fertilizers. Signup and view all the answers

What is the primary focus of pastoral nomadism?

Herding domesticated animals in a migratory pattern. Signup and view all the answers

What is the relationship between desertification and agricultural practices?

Desertification, in part, comes from unsustainable agricultural practices like overgrazing. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Agriculture

Agriculture: The purposeful tending of crops and livestock to produce food and fiber.
Commercial Agriculture: Farming primarily to sell products off the farm.
Subsistence Agriculture: Farming enough food to feed one's family.
Plant Domestication: Altering plants' behaviors, size, and genetics to benefit humans.
Animal Domestication: Altering animals' behaviors, size, and genetics to benefit humans.
First Agricultural Revolution: Around 10,000 years ago, humans began domesticating crops and animals.
Terrace Farming: Creating "steps" into mountainsides to increase farmable land.
Irrigation: Supplying dry land with water (ditches, pipes, streams).
Carrying Capacity: The maximum population an environment can sustain.
Slash-and-Burn: Clearing land by cutting and burning trees; fertilizing the soil.
Swidden: Land prepared for agriculture using the slash-and-burn method.
Deforestation: Loss of forests, often for farming or logging.
Desertification: Loss of land productivity due to overfarming, overgrazing, drought, and climate change.
Second Agricultural Revolution: Introduction of technology in agriculture, increasing yields.
Enclosure Act: Laws closing off common lands for small farmers.
Barbed Wire: Used for fencing to keep livestock from trampling crops.
Third Agricultural Revolution (Green Revolution): 20th century agricultural technology (tractors, monoculture, irrigation, petroleum, GMOs, Agro-Biotechnology).
GMOs: Genetically modified organisms; crops with new traits inserted through genetic engineering.
Pastoral Nomadism: Subsistence farming based on herding domesticated animals.
Ranching: Extensive commercial agriculture, allowing livestock to graze over large areas.
Shifting Cultivation: Rotating fields to maintain soil fertility.
Plantation: Estate farming of cash crops (especially in tropical areas).
Market Gardening/Truck Farming: Commercial gardening and fruit farming.
Milk Shed: Area around a dairy farm where milk products can be sold without spoiling.
Winter Wheat: Planted in the fall, sprouting roots to survive winter.
Spring Wheat: Planted in the spring, harvested later.
Transhumance: Seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowlands.
Mediterranean Agriculture: Specialized farming for dry-summer climates.
Dairy Farming: Relating to milk and milk products.
Extensive Farming: Farming with small capital and labor investment per area of land.
Intensive Farming: Farming requiring large amounts of labor.
Double-Cropping/Intercropping: Planting and harvesting on the same land twice or more per year.
Feedlots: Areas where cattle are raised to gain weight.
Agribusiness: Mechanized, large-scale farming, often corporate-owned.
Supply Chain: Sequence of activities in delivering a product.
Commodity Chain: Stages an item passes through, from producer to consumer.
Monoculture: Farming Strategy of planting one high-yield crop each year.
Suitcase Farm: Crops-only farm where owner may not live on or near the farm.
Cool Chains: Refrigeration and transport methods for perishables.
Luxury Crops: Non-subsistence plants like tea, cacao, coffee, tobacco.
Neocolonialism: Continued exploitation of former colonies without direct political control.
Fair Trade: Fair prices for producers in developing countries.
Subsidy: Government payment to businesses or markets.
Infrastructure: Basic facilities for society (roads, buildings, power, railroads).
Clustered Settlement: Houses grouped together.
Dispersed Settlement: Isolated farms.
Metes and Bounds System: Using natural features to mark property lines.
Township and Range System: Grid-patterned property lines.
French Long-Lot System: Linear settlements along a river or road.
Von Thunen Model: Agricultural model based on rent and transportation costs from the market
Horticulture: Gardening, cultivation of crops with simple tools to subsistence level.
Bid Rent Theory: Land price and demand change toward a central market area.
Comparative Advantage: Ability to produce something at a lower opportunity cost.
Organic Food: Food produced without pesticides, bioengineering, or high-energy radiation.
Aquaculture: Raising marine and freshwater fish.
Blue Revolution: Modern aquaculture that produces fish, shellfish, other aquatic products.
Biodiversity: Diversity of plant and animal life in a particular habitat or the world.
Overgrazing: Depletion of vegetation due to excessive animal feeding.
Economies of Scale: Lowering average costs as output increases.
Columbian Exchange: Exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the rest of the world after Columbus.

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Description

Test your knowledge on various aspects of agriculture, including types of farming, plant and animal domestication, and agricultural techniques. This quiz covers key concepts from the first agricultural revolution to modern methods like irrigation and terrace farming.