APES Unit 5 Farming Vocab

arable

land suitable for growing crops

Green Revolution

a shift in agriculture in the 20th century that resulted in increased food output

Norman Borlaug

scientist that won a Nobel Peace Prize for engineering a strain of wheat that was resistant to pests and produced higher yields, increasing the world's food supply

mechanization

using machinery on a farm to plow, plant, irrigate, weed, harvest, and prepare crops

soil degradation

the loss of some or all of a soil's ability to support plant growth

desertification

degradation of low-precipitation regions towards more desert conditions

drip irrigation

using pipes with small holes to deliver small amounts of water directly to plant roots

flood irrigation

flooding an entire field with water

furrow irrigation

filling furrows in the land to hold water for crops

spray irrigation

using ground water to spray crops with water

genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

developed through artificial selection or genetic engineering to increase yield, pest resistance, or other beneficial traits for global food production and shipping

pesticide resistance

a trait possessed by certain individuals that are exposed to a pesticide and survive

artificial selection

humans choosing specific organisms to interbreed to select for a desired set of traits

organic fertilizer

composed of organic matter like animal manure and crop waste

inorganic fertilizer

highly concentrated fertilizers produced with fossil fuels

tilling

turning soil to prepare for planting of crops, can lead to soil erosion

slash-and-burn farming

vegetation is burned to give the land nutrient-rich ash; only effective for a few growing seasons as it does not return enough nutrients to the soil

monocropping

planting large crops of a single species

concentrated animal feeding operations (feedlots)

large-scale ranching operations that raise cows, pigs, and poultry in a confined environment

free-range grazing

animals raised for the meat or dairy industry are allowed to graze on land

waterlogging

too much water sits in the soil, raising the water table and suffocating plants

soil salinization

salts in groundwater remain when water evaporates - build-up can be toxic to plants

overgrazing

many animals feed on an area for too long, leading to loss of vegetation and eventually soil erosion and desertification

overfishing

extreme scarcity of some fish species lowers biodiversity and hurts the economy

biocontrol

using natural predators to reduce the pest population

intercropping

an agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to help each crop grow more effectively

strip cropping

crops are cultivated in alternating rows to prevent soil erosion

aquaculture

farming fish in controlled environments

crop rotation

crop species in a field are rotated from season to season

contour plowing

plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land

no-till agriculture

farmers do not turn the soil between seasons to reduce topsoil erosion

integrated pest management (IPM)

an agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide use

livestock rotation:

void overgrazing through rotating livestock between different pastures

improve soil fertility

using crop rotation and adding green manure and limestone

pros/cons of aquaculture

pros - efficient, uses small amount of water, needs little fuel; cons - contaminated wastewater, fish that escape breed with or compete with wild fish, density leads to disease that can be transmitted to wild fish

pros/cons of Integrated Pest Management

pros - reduces pesticide pollution that harm other life forms; cons - expensive and complex

pros/cons of free-range grazing:

pros - meat is generally free of antibiotics and other chemicals, waste used as fertilizer; cons - needs large areas of land and more expensive

pros/cons of feedlots

pros - less expensive and more efficient; cons - lead to less healthy animals (grain instead of grass), crowding (disease) and organic waste that contaminates ground and surface water

pros/cons of meat production

pros - cultural reliance on meat industry, economically important; cons - meat production needs 20 times more land to produce the same number of calories as plants; increases CO2, methane, and N2O emissions

pros/cons of genetically engineered crops

pros - resistant to pests; cons - loss of genetic diversity

pros/cons of drip irrigation

pros - only 5% lost to evaporation and runoff; cons - expensive and labor intensive (must move hoses to till)

pros/cons of spray irrigation:

pros - more efficient (¼ or less lost to evaporation and runoff); cons - more expensive and requires energy

pros/cons of flood irrigation

pros - easy; cons - 20% of water lost to evaporation and runoff, leads to waterlogging

pros/cons of furrow irrigation

pros - inexpensive; cons - ⅓ of water is lost to evaporation and runoff

pros/cons of monocropping

pros - increases productivity; cons - causes soil erosion (all crops harvested at once), increase vulnerability to pests

pros/cons of mechanization

pros - increases productivity, profits, efficiency; cons - increases fossil fuel reliance, leads to monocropping

pros/cons of inorganic fertilizer

pros - easy, effective; cons - runoff into water causing nutrient pollution, use lots of energy and fossil fuels