Chapter 9

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by the integration of food production steps under large corporations.

Agricultural revolution

The transition when humans first domesticated plants and animals.

Agriculture

The deliberate cultivation of crops and raising of livestock for food or profit.

Aquaculture

The farming of seafood under controlled conditions.

Cash crop

A crop grown primarily for sale rather than personal use.

Cereal grain

A grass that produces grain used for food.

Columbian Exchange

The transfer of plants, animals, people, culture, and technology between the Americas and Europe.

Commercial agriculture

Farming conducted to produce goods for sale.

Commercial gardening and fruit farming

Small-scale production of fruits, vegetables, and horticulture products.

Conservation tillage

Farming method that reduces soil erosion and runoff.

Crop

A plant grown and harvested during a season.

Crop rotation

The practice of alternating crops to maintain soil fertility.

Dairy farm

A farm specializing in milk and dairy production.

Desertification

Land degradation in dry areas due to human activity.

Dietary energy consumption

The amount of food consumed, measured in calories.

Double cropping

Harvesting two crops from the same field in one year.

Fishing

The capture of wild fish and seafood.

Food security

Access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food at all times.

Genetically modified organism (GMO)

An organism altered using biotechnology.

Grain

The seed of a cereal grass.

Green revolution

The spread of high-yield crops and modern agricultural techniques.

Herbicide

A chemical used to control unwanted plants.

Horticulture

The cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and plants.

Intensive subsistence agriculture

Farming that maximizes yield from small land areas with high labor input.

Milkshed

The area surrounding a city that supplies its milk.

Mixed crop and livestock farming

Farming that combines growing crops and raising animals.

Monocropping

Growing the same crop year after year.

No tillage

Farming method that leaves soil undisturbed.

Organic agriculture

Farming using natural substances and avoiding synthetic chemicals.

Overfishing

Catching fish faster than they can reproduce.

Paddy

A flooded field used for growing rice.

Pastoral nomadism

A form of subsistence agriculture based on herding animals.

Pesticide

A substance used to control pests.

Plantation

A large farm specializing in one or two crops for export.

Ranching

Raising livestock on large areas of land.

Ridge tillage

Planting crops on raised ridges to reduce erosion.

Sawah

A flooded field for growing rice.

Second agricultural revolution

Increased productivity through improved farming methods and breeding.

Shifting cultivation

Farming where land is used temporarily and then abandoned.

Subsistence agriculture

Farming primarily for the farmer’s own consumption.

Transhumance

Seasonal movement of livestock between grazing areas.

Truck farming

Commercial growing of fruits and vegetables for market.

Undernourishment

Insufficient food intake to maintain health.

Wet rice

Rice grown in flooded fields after being transplanted from nurseries.