Unit Nine: Global Change

Undernutrition (Undernourishment)

lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough food or not eating enough food containing substances necessary for growth and health.

Overnutrition (Overnourishment)

the intake of nutrients is oversupplied. The amount of nutrients exceeds the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism.

Malnutrition (Malnourishment)

lack of proper nutrition, caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat

Kwashiorkor

a malnutrition disease, chiefly of children, caused by severe protein and vitamin deficiency

Marasmus

malnutrition occurring in infants and young children, caused by insufficient intake of calories or protein

Famine

extreme scarcity of food; a shortage

Soil Fertility

the ability of a soil to sustain agricultural plant growth

Marginal Lands

Arid and generally unhospitable land, usually has little or no potential for profit, and often has poor soil or other undesirable characteristics, land is often located at the edge of deserts or other desolate areas.

Green Revolution

a large increase in crop production in developing countries achieved by the use of fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yield crop varieties

Monoculture

the cultivation of a single crop in a given area

Cash Crop

any crop that is considered easily marketable; a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use by the grower

Subsistence Crop

a crop that people grow to use or eat themselves, rather than to sell

Ruminant

a type of animal that brings up food from its stomach and chews it again; an even-toed ungulate mammal; examples cattle, sheep, antelopes, deer, giraffes, and their relatives

Fisheries

The industry or occupation devoted to the catching, processing, or selling of fish, shellfish, or other aquatic animals

Aquaculture

the cultivation of aquatic animals and plants, especially fish, shellfish, and seaweed, in natural or controlled marine or freshwater environments; underwater agriculture

Fish Farming

a commercial facility for raising aquatic animals for human food

Organic Fertilizer

a plant fertilizer that is derived from organic sources, can range from organic compost to cow manure, but they must be derived from all-organic sources.

Inorganic Fertilizer

manufactured artificially and contains minerals or synthetic chemicals

Leaching

The removal of soluble material from a substance, such as soil or rock, through the percolation of water

Fallow

farmland plowed and harrowed but left unsown for a period in order to restore its fertility as part of a crop rotation or to avoid surplus production

Soil Erosion

the wearing away of topsoil, topsoil is the top layer of soil and is the most fertile because it contains the most organic, nutrient-rich materials

Terracing

make or form sloping land into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps.

Sustainable Agriculture

the production of food, fiber, or other plant or animal products using farming techniques that protect the environment, public health, human communities, and animal welfare

Slash-and-burn Agriculture

a method of agriculture used in the tropics, in which forest vegetation is felled and burned, the land is cropped for a few years, then the forest is allowed to reinvade

Contour Farming (Plowing)

the practice of tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion

No-till Agriculture

A system for planting crops without plowing, using herbicides to control weeds and resulting in reduced soil erosion and the preservation of soil nutrients

Industrialized Agriculture

a form of modern farming that refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops, methods of industrial agriculture are technoscientific, economic, and political.

Agribusiness

an industry engaged in the producing operations of a farm, the manufacture and distribution of farm equipment and supplies, and the processing, storage, and distribution of farm commodities

Traditional Agriculture

farmers that use traditional farming methods to produce their food crops

Plantation Agriculture

a large area of land that is usually privately or government owned and employs resident labor to cultivate a single commercial crop

feedlots

a plot of ground, often near a stockyard, where livestock are gathered to be fattened for market

factory farming

a farm on which large numbers of livestock are raised indoors in conditions intended to maximize production at minimal cost.

shelterbelts

a line of trees or shrubs planted to protect an area, especially a farm field, from strong winds and the erosion they cause.

organic farming

a specific production system which aims to avoid the use of synthetic and harmful pesticides, fertilizers, growth regulators, and livestock feed additives

crop rotation

the practice of growing different crops in succession on the same land chiefly to preserve the productive capacity of the soil

compost

decayed organic material used as a plant fertilizer

desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture

overgrazing

to allow animals to graze an area, such as a pasture to the point of damaging vegetational cover

water logging

the saturation of soil with water; there is too much water in a plant's root zone, which decreases the oxygen available to roots

soil salinization

the salt content in the soil

genetic engineering

the deliberate modification of the characteristics of an organism by manipulating its genetic material.

genetically modified food

are foods produced from organisms that have had changes introduced into their DNA using the methods of genetic engineering as opposed to traditional cross breeding

antibiotics

A substance that is capable of destroying or weakening certain microorganisms, especially bacteria or fungi, that cause infections or infectious diseases

pest

a destructive insect or other animal that attacks crops, food, livestock, etc

biological control

the control of a pest by the introduction of a natural enemy or predator

integrated pest management (IPM)

focuses on long-term prevention of pests or their damage through a combination of techniques such as biological control, habitat manipulation, modification of cultural practices, and use of resistant varieties

pesticide

a substance used for destroying insects or other organisms harmful to cultivated plants or to animals

broad spectrum pesticide

pesticides that are designed to kill or manage a wide variety of organisms

narrow spectrum pesticide

target only a specific type of insect or family of insects

insecticide

a substance used for killing insects

herbicide

a substance that is toxic to plants and is used to destroy unwanted vegetation

fungicide

a substance or preparation, such as a spray or dust, used for destroying fungi

rodenticide

a poison used to kill rodents

natural pesticide

Any non-toxic substance which targets grubs of Japanese beetles) used to control fungi, insects or parasites in agriculture

pesticide treadmill

a situation in which it becomes necessary for a farmer to continue using pesticides regularly because they have become an indispensable part of an agricultural cycle

neurotoxin

a poison that acts on the nervous system

hydroponics

the process of growing plants in sand, gravel, or liquid, with added nutrients but without soil

Silent Spring

Silent Spring is an environmental science book by Rachel Carson, it documented the adverse effects on the environment of the indiscriminate use of pesticides

DDT

a synthetic organic compound used as an insecticide. Like other chlorinated aromatic hydrocarbons, DDT tends to persist in the environment and become concentrated in animals at the head of the food chain; Dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane