All Flashcards
Define mechanization in agriculture.
Increased use of machines like tractors and harvesters to boost efficiency.
What is irrigation?
Controlling water supply to crops for consistent yields.
Define genetic modification in agriculture.
Altering crops to have desired traits like pest resistance.
What is the Fertile Crescent?
Region between Tigris & Euphrates Rivers; a hearth of the First Agricultural Revolution.
What is the Columbian Exchange?
Exchange of plants, animals, diseases, and technologies between the Americas and the Eastern Hemisphere.
Define sustainability in agriculture.
Eco-friendly farming practices to conserve resources.
What is an agricultural hearth?
The origin point of agricultural practices and domestication.
What is contagious diffusion?
The spread of an idea or innovation from person to person or place to place in a wave-like manner.
Define the First Agricultural Revolution.
Transition from hunting/gathering to farming through understanding seeds, watering, and animal care.
What is domestication?
The process of adapting wild plants and animals for human use.
What is the significance of the Fertile Crescent?
Hearth of the First Agricultural Revolution; transition from hunting/gathering to farming.
Explain the importance of the Nile River Valley.
Second urban hearth, early agricultural development.
What is the significance of the Indus River Valley?
Third urban hearth; early agricultural development with cities like Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro.
What role did East Asia play in agricultural origins?
Key area for rice and millet domestication, especially in the Yellow and Yangtze River Valleys.
What is the importance of Central America in agricultural origins?
Key area for maize (corn), beans, and cotton domestication.
Explain the role of Southwest Asia in animal domestication.
Hearth with the largest number of domesticated animals: pigs, goats, cattle, sheep, dogs.
What is the importance of Sub-Saharan Africa in agricultural origins?
Key area for sorghum and yams domestication.
What is the role of understanding seeds and watering in the First Agricultural Revolution?
Critical for transitioning from hunting/gathering to farming.
What was the impact of the Columbian Exchange on agriculture?
Introduced new plants and animals to different regions, transforming diets and agricultural practices globally.
What is the impact of agricultural mechanization?
Increased efficiency and productivity in farming operations.
Compare the Fertile Crescent and the Nile River Valley as agricultural hearths.
Both are early agricultural hearths, but the Fertile Crescent is known for bread grains, while the Nile River Valley is known for lentils and flax.
Compare the First Agricultural Revolution and the Columbian Exchange.
The First Agricultural Revolution involved the domestication of plants and animals, while the Columbian Exchange involved the exchange of crops and animals between the Americas and the Eastern Hemisphere.
Compare wheat from the Fertile Crescent and rice from East Asia.
Wheat was a staple crop in the Fertile Crescent, while rice was a staple crop in East Asia; both were critical for early civilizations.
Compare maize from Central America and potatoes from Peru.
Maize originated in Mexico, while potatoes originated in Peru; both were important crops in the Americas and later spread globally.
Compare the impacts of mechanization and irrigation on agricultural productivity.
Mechanization increases efficiency through machines, while irrigation ensures consistent yields through water control.
Compare the roles of contagious diffusion and relocation diffusion in the spread of agriculture.
Contagious diffusion involves the spread of agricultural practices from one place to another through direct contact, while relocation diffusion involves the movement of people and their agricultural practices to new locations.
Compare the environmental impacts of traditional and modern agricultural practices.
Traditional practices often have lower environmental impacts but may have lower yields, while modern practices can have higher yields but also greater environmental impacts such as pollution and soil degradation.
Compare the social impacts of the First Agricultural Revolution and the Industrial Revolution.
The First Agricultural Revolution led to settled agriculture and the rise of civilizations, while the Industrial Revolution led to urbanization and the growth of manufacturing.
Compare the roles of women and men in traditional agricultural societies.
Women often played a key role in planting, harvesting, and processing crops, while men often played a key role in plowing, hunting, and herding animals.
Compare the economic impacts of subsistence and commercial agriculture.
Subsistence agriculture is focused on producing enough food for the farmer and their family, while commercial agriculture is focused on producing crops for sale in the market.