Write your response, then click Show Answer to reveal the key points for full credit. Check each bullet against your answer before moving on. Always be specific and include a causal mechanism when asked to explain.
SAQ Practice · define
Define subsistence agriculture.
Key Points for Full Credit
Subsistence agriculture = farming primarily to feed the household with little or no market surplus
Must include: production for direct consumption AND absence of significant market surplus
Simply saying 'farming for yourself' is too vague
Rubric note: Award 1 point for a complete, accurate definition. Subsistence agriculture is farming in which the agricultural output is consumed almost entirely by the farm household, with little or no surplus produced for sale in markets. Must include: (1) production for direct consumption by the farmer/family, (2) little or no market surplus. Simply saying 'farming for yourself' is too vague without specifying the absence of market surplus.
SAQ Practice · describe
Describe one type of commercial agriculture.
Key Points for Full Credit
Names a specific type of commercial agriculture (plantation, grain farming, mixed crop/livestock, dairy, Mediterranean)
Describes its defining characteristics — not just names it
e.g., Plantation = large tropical estate producing a single export cash crop like coffee or sugar
Rubric note: Award 1 point for naming a specific type of commercial agriculture AND describing its defining characteristics. Accept: plantation agriculture (large tropical/subtropical estates producing a single export cash crop); mixed crop and livestock farming (integrating crop production with animal husbandry for market sale); grain farming (large-scale mechanized production for commodity markets); dairy farming (specialized production for regional markets); Mediterranean agriculture (grapes, olives, citrus in Mediterranean climates). Must describe defining features, not just name the type.
SAQ Practice · explain
Explain how the Green Revolution increased food production.
Key Points for Full Credit
Identifies specific Green Revolution technologies: high-yield variety seeds, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation
Explains HOW at least one mechanism increased yields — e.g., HYV seeds produced far more grain per hectare
Must explain a causal mechanism — not just list Green Revolution components
Rubric note: Award 1 point for explaining specific mechanisms causally. A complete response identifies specific Green Revolution technologies — high-yield variety (HYV) seeds, synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation — and explains HOW they increased yields: HYV seeds produced far more grain per hectare than traditional varieties; fertilizers provided nutrients that allowed plants to reach their genetic potential; pesticides reduced crop losses to insects and disease. Must explain at least one mechanism causally, not just list Green Revolution components.
SAQ Practice · describe
Describe one environmental impact of agriculture.
Key Points for Full Credit
Describes a specific environmental impact: soil degradation, water depletion, water pollution (fertilizer runoff), deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions
Links it to its mechanism: HOW farming causes that impact
Must describe mechanism — not just name an environmental problem
Rubric note: Award 1 point for a specific environmental impact with enough detail. Accept: soil degradation — intensive farming depletes soil nutrients and causes erosion; water depletion — irrigation draws down aquifers faster than they recharge; water pollution — fertilizer and pesticide runoff causes eutrophication in rivers and lakes; deforestation — clearing land destroys forest ecosystems; greenhouse gas emissions from livestock and fertilizer use. Must describe a specific impact with its mechanism.
SAQ Practice · explain
Explain how the Von Thünen model explains agricultural land use.
Key Points for Full Credit
Von Thünen predicts land use based on transportation costs to the central market
Intensive, perishable products locate nearest the market; extensive uses farther out
Must explain the cost-distance logic — not just describe the rings
Rubric note: Award 1 point for explaining the model's logic causally. A complete response explains that Von Thünen's model predicts that land use intensity and crop type are determined by transportation costs to the central market — land closest to the market is used for intensive, perishable products because they must reach the market quickly; farther zones are used for less perishable, bulkier crops (grain) or extensive uses (ranching) because transportation costs make intensive farming of distant land unprofitable. Must explain the cost-distance logic.
SAQ Practice · describe
Describe one challenge to food security.
Key Points for Full Credit
Describes a specific challenge: climate change, water scarcity, soil degradation, economic inequality, population growth, political conflict
Explains how that challenge threatens food security
Must describe a specific mechanism — not just list challenges
Rubric note: Award 1 point for a specific challenge with enough detail. Accept: climate change disrupts rainfall patterns and increases extreme weather, reducing crop yields; water scarcity limits irrigation-dependent agriculture; soil degradation from intensive farming reduces long-term productivity; economic inequality means food exists but poor populations cannot afford it; political conflict disrupts food distribution; population growth outpaces food production increases. Must describe a specific challenge and its mechanism.
SAQ Practice · explain
Explain how technology has changed farming practices.
Key Points for Full Credit
Identifies a specific technology (mechanization, GPS precision agriculture, genetic modification, irrigation)
Explains HOW it changed farming practice — the mechanism of change
e.g., Mechanization replaced human labor with machines, dramatically reducing workforce needed per hectare
Must explain the mechanism — not just list technologies
Rubric note: Award 1 point for explaining a causal mechanism connecting a specific technology to a change in farming practice. Accept: mechanization replaced human and animal labor with machines, dramatically reducing the workforce needed per hectare and enabling much larger farm operations; GPS-guided precision agriculture allows variable-rate application of inputs (seeds, fertilizer, water) reducing waste; genetic modification increases yield per hectare. Must explain the mechanism of change, not just list technologies.
SAQ Practice · describe
Describe one example of agribusiness.
Key Points for Full Credit
Describes agribusiness as corporate control of multiple stages: seeds, chemicals, processing, distribution, retail
Includes a specific example or description of vertical integration
Must describe the scale or integration that makes it agribusiness — not just 'a big farm'
Rubric note: Award 1 point for a specific example with enough description to demonstrate understanding. Agribusiness is the integration of agricultural production with industrial processing, distribution, and retail. Accept: a vertically integrated poultry company owning hatcheries, feed mills, processing plants, and distribution networks (e.g., Tyson Foods); a multinational corporation producing seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides while purchasing and processing crops grown with those inputs (e.g., Cargill, ADM). Must describe the integration or scale that makes it agribusiness, not just 'a big farm.'
SAQ Practice · explain
Explain how agriculture contributes to economic development.
Key Points for Full Credit
Explains a specific causal mechanism connecting agriculture to development
e.g., Agricultural surplus frees labor for manufacturing and services, enabling industrialization
e.g., Cash crop exports earn foreign currency for infrastructure investment
Must explain the mechanism causally — not just say 'agriculture helps development'
Rubric note: Award 1 point for explaining a specific causal mechanism. Accept: agricultural surplus frees labor from food production to work in manufacturing and services, enabling industrialization; cash crop exports earn foreign currency that governments can invest in infrastructure; food security allows populations to invest in education and health rather than survival; agricultural processing creates manufacturing employment. Must explain the mechanism causally.
SAQ Practice · describe
Describe one criticism of industrial agriculture.
Key Points for Full Credit
Describes a specific criticism: environmental damage, animal welfare, rural community decline, food system vulnerability, chemical dependency
Explains the mechanism behind the criticism
e.g., Monoculture increases vulnerability to pests and disease, creating fragile food systems
Must describe a specific criticism with its mechanism
Rubric note: Award 1 point for a specific criticism with enough detail. Accept: environmental damage — industrial agriculture causes soil erosion, water pollution, and biodiversity loss; animal welfare — concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) subject animals to inhumane conditions; rural community decline — industrial consolidation eliminates small farms; food system vulnerability — monoculture and global supply chain dependence makes the food system fragile to disease outbreaks; chemical dependency creates resistant pests and soil health decline. Must describe a specific criticism with its mechanism.