Agriculture

Question 1

What are the two physical elements that shape agriculture?

Answer 1

Physical geography and climate.

Question 2

How does physical geography influence agriculture?

Answer 2

It affects water availability, nutrient levels in soil, and landforms.

Question 3

What type of soil is needed for cotton cultivation?

Answer 3

Nutrient-rich soil.

Question 4

Which type of soil can sorghum grow in?

Answer 4

Nutrient-poor soils.

Question 5

What agricultural technique involves altering the physical environment to increase production?

Answer 5

Techniques such as irrigation, terrace farming, deforestation, desertification, and drainage of wetlands.

Question 6

What is the primary goal of subsistence agriculture?

Answer 6

To grow enough food to meet the immediate needs of the farmer and family.

Question 7

In what regions is subsistence agriculture most commonly found?

Answer 7

Less-developed regions of the world.

Question 8

What is the primary goal of commercial agriculture?

Answer 8

To grow crops or raise livestock to sell for profit.

Question 9

Which countries are examples of semiperiphery countries where commercial agriculture is common?

Answer 9

China, Mexico, and Brazil.

Question 10

What are the two types of farming practices based on resource use?

Answer 10

Intensive and extensive farming practices.

Question 11

What defines intensive commercial agriculture?

Answer 11

Heavy investments in labor and capital resulting in high yields.

Question 12

What characterizes extensive subsistence agriculture?

Answer 12

Few inputs are used and it is often practiced in areas with climatic extremes.

Question 13

Fill in the blank: A large commercial farm that specializes in one crop is called a _______.

Answer 13

Plantation.

Question 14

What is shifting cultivation?

Answer 14

Farmers grow crops on a piece of land for a few years before moving to another field.

Question 15

What agricultural practice is often associated with slash-and-burn techniques?

Answer 15

Shifting cultivation.

Question 16

What is the major crop produced in grain farming?

Answer 16

Wheat.

Question 17

What type of farming is referred to as truck farming?

Answer 17

Commercial gardening.

Question 18

What is mixed crop and livestock farming?

Answer 18

An integrated system where crops and animals are interdependent.

Question 19

What is the significance of animal manure in mixed crop and livestock farming?

Answer 19

It is used to fertilize the crops.

Question 20

Which type of wheat is grown in colder regions?

Answer 20

Spring wheat.

Question 21

Which crops are commonly grown in commercial gardening in the U.S.?

Answer 21

Lettuce, broccoli, apples, oranges, and tomatoes.

Question 22

What is a major influence on agricultural production aside from climate?

Answer 22

Economic factors.

Question 23

True or False: Pastoral nomadism is practiced in arid and semi-arid climates.

Answer 23

True.

Question 24

What are two examples of extensive subsistence agriculture?

Answer 24

Nomadic herding and shifting cultivation.

Question 25

What is the role of technology in overcoming climatic obstacles in agriculture?

Answer 25

It allows for crop production in challenging climates, such as greenhouses in cold regions.

Question 26

What is the impact of climate on food preferences and agricultural practices?

Answer 26

Cultural traits influence what animals are raised and crops grown based on climate.

Question 27

List the eleven main agricultural regions identified by Derwent Whittlesey.

Answer 27

* Pastoral Nomadism * Shifting Cultivation * Plantation * Mixed Crop and Livestock * Grain * Commercial Gardening * Dairy * Livestock Ranching * Intensive Subsistence * Mediterranean * Drylands

Question 28

What is the term for the type of intensive farming that involves products traditionally driven to local urban markets?

Answer 28

Truck farming ## Footnote Truck farming allows products to be sold to distant markets due to refrigerated trucks.

Question 29

What is market gardening?

Answer 29

Growing fruits and vegetables near urban markets to sell to local suppliers, stores, and restaurants ## Footnote Market gardening is experiencing a resurgence with buy-local food movements.

Question 30

What are the typical capital investments required for today's market gardening in the United States?

Answer 30

* Greenhouses * Fertilizers

Question 31

How did dairy farming traditionally operate?

Answer 31

Local farms supplied products to customers in a small geographic area ## Footnote This pattern still exists in many less-developed regions.

Question 32

What technological improvements expanded the milk shed during the later 20th century?

Answer 32

* Refrigeration * Transportation

Question 33

What is the consequence of large corporate dairy operations replacing smaller family-owned farms?

Answer 33

Fewer farms but more production

Question 34

Where are most commercial dairy farms located in developed countries?

Answer 34

Near urban centers and transportation corridors

Question 35

In which countries did the demand for dairy products increase faster than the pressure for consolidation?

Answer 35

* Argentina * Brazil

Question 36

What defines Mediterranean agriculture?

Answer 36

Practiced in regions with hot, dry summers and mild winters, often with irrigation ## Footnote Common regions include southern Europe and California.

Question 37

What are some common crops grown in Mediterranean agriculture?

Answer 37

* Figs * Dates * Olives * Grapes

Question 38

What is transhumance?

Answer 38

Seasonal herding of animals from higher elevations in summer to lower elevations in winter

Question 39

What types of livestock are primarily raised in Mediterranean agricultural regions?

Answer 39

* Goats * Sheep

Question 40

What is livestock ranching?

Answer 40

Commercial grazing of animals confined to a specific area ## Footnote Similar to pastoral nomadism.

Question 41

In which areas is livestock ranching commonly found?

Answer 41

* Western United States * Pampas of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay * Parts of Spain and Portugal * China * Central Australia

Question 42

What is the essential question regarding agriculture?

Answer 42

What is the connection between physical geography and agricultural practices?

Question 43

Name two types of agriculture.

Answer 43

* Subsistence agriculture * Commercial agriculture

Question 44

What is intensive agriculture?

Answer 44

Agriculture that requires significant capital investments and yields high outputs per area

Question 45

What is extensive agriculture?

Answer 45

Agriculture that uses larger areas of land with lower input and output per area

Question 46

What is the term for agriculture that combines both crops and livestock?

Answer 46

Mixed crop and livestock farming

Question 47

What is shifting cultivation?

Answer 47

A form of subsistence agriculture where land is cleared and cultivated temporarily

Question 48

What does the term milk shed refer to?

Answer 48

The geographic distance that milk is delivered

Question 49

What is the primary focus of commercial gardening?

Answer 49

Growing fruits and vegetables for sale in local markets