Lecture 11

Question 1

agrarian

Answer 1

describes the way of life that is deeply embedded in the demands of agricultural production
- culture of agricultural communities

Question 2

agriculture

Answer 2

cultivation of crops & the raising of livestock for sustenance & profit

Question 3

Before humans discovered the advantages of agriculture, they procured their food from ……….

Answer 3

hunting (including fishing) & gathering

Question 4

Overtime hunting & gathering activities were replaced by

Answer 4

subsistence farming
- could settle with farms and animals in one place rather than continuously moving in search of food

Question 5

During the 20th century, the dominant agricultural system in core countries became _______ agriculture

Answer 5

commercial

Question 6

three dominant forms of subsistence agriculture

Answer 6

• shifting cultivation
• intensive subsistence agriculture
• pastoralism

Question 7

what is shifting cultivation

Answer 7

agricultural system in which farmers aim to maintain soil fertility by rotating the fields they cultivate

• common in the tropics where climate, rainfall & vegetation combine to produce soils lacking in nutrients

Question 8

slash and burn agriculture

Answer 8

typical method for preparing a new site, where existing plants are cut close to the ground, left to dry for a period & then ignited

• adds valuable nutrients such as potash

Question 9

describe intensive subsistence agriculture

Answer 9

practice involving the effective & efficient use of a small parcel of land to maximize crop yield, usually involving:
- lots of human labour !!
- applying fertilizer

• often supports larger populations
• landscape is distinctive (sides of hills)

Question 10

describe pastoralism

Answer 10

traditional way of life & agricultural practice, involving breeding & herding of animals to satisfy human needs for food, shelter & clothing

*dependence on animals NOT crops for livelihood !!

Question 11

two types of pastoralism

Answer 11

• sedentary
  live in settlements & herd animals in nearby pastures
• nomadic
  travel with herds, not remaining in one place for very long

Question 12

3 stages of the evolution of agricultural practices

Answer 12

• the first, second and third agricultural revolution

Question 13

describe the first agricultural revolution

Answer 13

• been founded on the development of seed agriculture & the use of the plow & draft animals

*seed/subsistence farming
*domestication of plants and animals

Question 14

describe second agricultural revolution

Answer 14

• same time as industrial revolution in europe
• transformation of subsistence agriculture
  ~improved outputs
  ~innovations (replacing ox with horse)
  ~natural fertilizers and drainage systems
• emergence of a commercial market for food from urban industrial workforce

Question 15

describe the third agricultural revolution and 3 phases

Answer 15

• began in 19th century in north america

3 phases:
- mechanization
- chemical farming with synthetic fertilizers
- globally widespread food manufacturing

Question 16

describe third ag revolution (mechanization)

Answer 16

• replacement of farm labour with machines

Question 17

describe third ag revolution (chemical farming)

Answer 17

application of synthetic fertilizers to the soil, & herbicides, fungicides & pesticides to crops to enhance agricultural yields

Question 18

describe third ag revolution (food manufacturing)

Answer 18

adding economic value to agricultural products through a range of treatments; processing, canning, refining, packing & packaging, that occur off the farm

Question 19

globalized agriculture

Answer 19

system of food production increasingly dependent on an economy & a set of regulatory practices

Question 20

describe what globalization of agriculture has led to (3)

Answer 20

~ decline of traditional agricultural practices
~ decline of national agricultural systems (family farms)
~ increase in fast food in semiperiphery and periphery countries !! despite health & enviro risks