Connection Between Physical Geography and Agricultural Practices

PSO-5.A Explain the connection between physical geography and agricultural practices. ESSENTIAL KNOWLEDGE PSO-5.A.1 Agricultural practices are influenced by the physical environment and climatic conditions, such as the Mediterranean climate and tropical climates. PSO-5.A.2 Intensive farming practices include market gardening, plantation agriculture, and mixed crop/livestock systems. PSO-5.A.3 Extensive farming practices include shifting cultivation, nomadic herding, and ranching. Module 33 Define each term below in at least one sentence terms to know agriculture definitions and descriptions The planting and harvesting of domesticated plants and the raising of domesticated animals for food Domesticated plant A plant that is deliberately planted, protected, cared for, and used by humans and is genetically distinct from its wild ancestors Domesticated animal An animal that depends on people for food and shelter and is different from its wild ancestors in looks and behavior as a result of close contact with humans Physical geography An animal that depends on people for food and shelter and is different from its wild ancestors in looks and behavior as a result of close contact with humans nutrients An animal that depends on people for food and shelter and is different from its wild ancestors in looks and behavior as a result of close contact with humans Topography The arrangement of shapes on Earth’s surface climate The average pattern of weather over a 30-year period for a particular region weather The average pattern of weather over a 30-year period for a particular region Tropical wet climate​ ​ (tropical wet and dry climate) A climate located along the equator that experiences rain every day of the year monsoon/ monsoon rains A climate located along the equator that has a dry season with little to no rain, usually in the winter; is often subject to monsoons Arid climate A climate that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually Semiarid (steppe) climate A climate that receives less than 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain annually Moderate climate A climate with an average year-round temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit (24 degrees Celsius); found north and south of the equator on the edges of tropical climates Humid subtropical climate A climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with variable precipitation; found on east coasts of continents Marine west coast climate Mediterranean climate A climate with long, hot summers and short, mild winters with variable precipitation; found on east coasts of continents A climate with winter precipitation, unusually mild winters, and clear skies with abundant sunshine; found along the Mediterranean Sea and a few coastal regions Continental climate A climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation; found in the interior of continents, north of the moderate climate zones Humid continental climate A climate that has a large range of temperatures and moderate precipitation; found in the interior of continents, north of the moderate climate zones Humid cold climate A climate with frigid temperatures nearly year-round; found in northern reaches of the continental climate zone and often described as subarctic Intensive agriculture Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that use high levels of labor and capital relative to the size of the landholding Subsistence agriculture Food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community, rather than principally for sale in the market Commercial agriculture Food production mainly for consumption by the farming family and local community, rather than principally for sale in the market Market gardening A small-scale farming system in which a farmer plants one to a few acres that produce a diverse mixture of vegetables and fruits, mostly for sale in local and regional markets Truck farming A small-scale farming system in which a farmer plants one to a few acres that produce a diverse mixture of vegetables and fruits, mostly for sale in local and regional markets Plantation Large landholding devoted to capital-intensive, specialized production of a single tropical or subtropical crop for the global marketplace mixed/crop/livestoc k agriculture Large landholding devoted to capital-intensive, specialized production of a single tropical or subtropical crop for the global marketplace Cereal grains Large landholding devoted to capital-intensive, specialized production of a single tropical or subtropical crop for the global marketplace Root crops Vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity, such as cassava, potatoes, and yams Cash crop Vegetables that form below ground and must be dug at maturity, such as cassava, potatoes, and yams Paddy rice farming A system of wet rice cultivation on small level fields bordered by impermeable dikes; the fields (paddies) are flooded with 4–6 inches (10–15 centimeters) of water for about three-quarters of the growing season Livestock fattening An intensive system of animal feeding utilizing fenced enclosures to fatten livestock, mostly cattle and hogs, for slaughter and processing for the market feedlot/ dairying An intensive system of animal feeding utilizing fenced enclosures to fatten livestock, mostly cattle and hogs, for slaughter and processing for the market Extensive agriculture Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that require little hired labor or monetary investment to successfully raise crops and animals Shifting agriculture Crop cultivation and livestock rearing systems that require little hired labor or monetary investment to successfully raise crops and animals Slash-and-burn agriculture Agriculture that involves cutting small plots in forests or woodlands, burning the cuttings to clear the round and release nutrients, and planting in the ash of the cleared plot intercropping The farming practice of planting multiple crops together in the same clearing Nomadic herding/ pastoralism Livestock ranching ●​ A system of breeding and rearing herd livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or goats, by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasturelands ●​ A system of breeding and rearing herd livestock, such as cattle, sheep, or goats, by following the seasonal movement of rainfall to areas of open pasturelands Answer these 3 questions 1.​ How do farming practices interact with the physical environment? The three most important elements of physical geography for agriculture are soil, landforms (topography), and climate. 2.​ What is climate, and how does it influence agriculture? What requirements do all plants need to thrive? ●​ ●​ Climate is the average pattern of weather over a long period of time. Climate influences the type of agriculture that a farmer chooses. There are four major climate groups that are important to agriculture: (1) tropical; (2) dry; (3) moderate; and (4) continental. 3.​ What are the different types of agricultural practices?