Agriculture Flashcards
(86 cards)
Which of the following best explains how the expansion of feedlots for raising cattle has affected environmental sustainability in rural areas?
Runoff from animal waste has increased the pollution in local water supplies.
The two images represent two different methods of raising livestock in the United States. Which of the following statements most accurately compares these two agricultural practices?
Feedlots can minimize costs associated with livestock production because feedlots do not use as much space as cattle ranching.
During the winter months in North America, the primary source of fruits and vegetables found in grocery stores is
Chile
During the first half of the twentieth century, which of the following facilitated the transportation of beef over long distances to global markets?
Refrigerated ships
Dramatic increases in global grain production since 1950 have been made possible by
an increase in the use of energy and technology
A set of economic and political relationships that organizes food production from the development of seed to marketing the products is known as
agribusiness
According to Carl Sauer, which of the following is true about plant domestication?
It first occurred in diversified habitats with a variety of species.
According to the theory of environmental deter-minism, which of the following areas would have the most productive settlements?
Temperate regions
Which of the following agricultural practices has the most significant long-term environmental impact in tropical regions?
Burning extensive areas of forested land to create pasture, which decreases biodiversity
Which of the following best explains the potential impact of rising global temperatures on agricultural regions?
Polar regions will dry out, making cultivation impossible.
Which of the following best explains the importance of climate to agricultural practices?
Midlatitude climates tend to support similar agricultural crops and practices, such as wheat farming in the United States and China.
Agriculture practiced in California differs from forms practiced in other Mediterranean agricultural regions because in California
Farms use more irrigation
All of the following statements about the geography of meat production in the United States and Canada are true EXCEPT
Consumer demand for organic foods has significantly decreased the amount of meat produced by most agribusiness firms .
Based on the different types of land use shown in the image, which of the following best explains why soil salinization is a concern in the arid landscape shown?
Irrigation increases the salt content of the soil, which disrupts the growth of crops and degrades soil fertility.
Compared to North American ranchers, commercial ranchers in the Pampas of Argentina, Uruguay, and southern Brazil are more likely to
raise livestock primarily for export
Palm oil, an edible vegetable oil used in processing packaged food products, is obtained from the fruit of the oil palm tree, grown only in the tropics. Which of the following explains how global demand for palm oil has proved beneficial and detrimental for countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia?
Palm oil exports provided substantial corporate profits, but the growth in the industry resulted in heavy deforestation in both countries.
Which of the following best explains the economic advantage of the type of farm-produced goods shown in the images?
Compared to plain milk or fresh fruit, these value-added agricultural goods significantly increase the price of the farm products sold and increase earnings for farmers.
Corn (maize) was first domesticated in
Central Mexico
Which of the following explains why multiple early hearths of domestication and diffusion of plants and animals arose across the world in Central America, the Fertile Crescent, the Indus River valley, and Southeast Asia?
Domestication of plants and animals evolved in each hearth independently of one another as societies in each area learned and applied the process to local plants and animals.
Genetic engineering of agricultural crops has primarily increased the productivity of modern farming by
increasing plants’ drought resistance and resistance to pests
Which of the following explains an impact of globalized agricultural commodity chains on consumers as compared to producers?
Drought and depletion of groundwater sources in developing countries cause a rise in global grain prices and associated higher costs for food.
In less developed countries, pesticides are typically applied by hand, whereas pesticides are typically applied by tractors or aircraft in more developed countries. Which of the following best explains the risks associated with pesticide applications?
Farmers’ health is at risk in less developed countries, whereas environmental pollution is a risk in more developed countries.
Between 1950 and 1990, wheat production in India in average pounds per acre more than tripled, which allowed India to meet its population’s need for food. Which of the following best explains this change?
The use of improved plant hybrids and agricultural chemicals
During the Green Revolution, agricultural practices from more developed countries diffused to less developed countries in Asia and Africa. Which of the following best explains the Green Revolution’s highly variable level of success in increasing agricultural yields?
Small-scale farmers in Asia often lacked the resources necessary to acquire the hybrid seeds and the chemical inputs to grow them, leaving large gaps in the success of the Green Revolution outside of urban cores.
