APES Chapter 11

Undernutrition

The condition in which not enough calories are ingested to maintain health.

Malnourished

Having a diet that lacks the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals.

Food security

A condition in which people have access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Food insecurity

A condition in which people do not have adequate access to food.

Famine

The condition in which food insecurity is so extreme that large numbers of deaths occur in a given area over a relatively short period.

Anemia

A deficiency of iron.

Overnutrition

Ingestion of too many calories and a lack of balance of foods and nutrients.

Meat

Livestock or poultry consumed as food.

Industrial agriculture

Agriculture that applies the techniques of mechanization and standardization to the production of food. (Also known as "agribusiness.")

Agribusiness

See "industrial agriculture."

Energy subsidy

The fossil fuel energy and human energy input per calorie of food produced.

Green Revolution

A shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that included new management techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation, and improved crop varieties, that resulted in increased food output.

Economies of scale

The observation that average costs of production fall as output increases.

Waterlogging

A form of soil degradation that occurs when soil remains under water for prolonged periods.

Salinization

A form of soil degradation that occurs when the small amount of salts in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation.

Organic fertilizer

Fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals.

Synthetic fertilizer

Fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels. (Also known as "inorganic fertilizer.")

Inorganic fertilizer

See "synthetic fertilizer."

Monocropping

An agricultural method that utilizes large plantings of a single species or variety.

Pesticide

A substance, either natural or synthetic, that kills or controls organisms that people consider pests.

Insecticide

A pesticide that targets species of insects and other invertebrates that consume crops.

Herbicide

A pesticide that targets plant species that compete with crops.

Broad-spectrum pesticide

A pesticide that kills many different types of pest.

Selective pesticide

A pesticide that targets a narrow range of organisms. (Also known as "narrow-spectrum pesticide.")

Narrow-spectrum pesticide

See "selective pesticide."

Persistent pesticide

A pesticide that remains in the environment for a long time.

Nonpersistent pesticide

A pesticide that breaks down rapidly, usually in weeks or months.

Pesticide resistance

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

Pesticide treadmill

A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development.

Concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)

A large indoor or outdoor structure designed for maximum output.

Aquaculture

Farming aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and seaweeds.

Fishery

A commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region.

Fishery collapse

The decline of a fish population by 90 percent or more.

Bycatch

The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing.

Shifting agriculture

An agricultural method in which land is cleared and used for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrients.

Soil compaction

A process where repeated trampling by humans, machinery, or animals causes a compaction of soil and a reduction in pore space.

Desertification

The transformation of arable, productive land to desert or unproductive land due to climate change or destructive land use.

Nomadic grazing

The feeding of herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances.

Sustainable agriculture

Agriculture that fulfills the need for food and fiber while enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing economic viability for the farmer.

Intercropping

An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction.

Crop rotation

An agricultural technique in which crop species in a field are rotated from season to season.

Agroforestry

An agricultural technique in which trees and vegetables are intercropped.

Contour plowing

An agricultural technique in which plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land.

Perennial plant

A plant that lives for multiple years.

Annual plant

A plant that lives only one season.

No-till agriculture

An agricultural method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons as a means of reducing topsoil erosion.

Integrated pest management (IPM)

An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs.

Organic agriculture

The production of crops in a way that sustains or improves the soil without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.

Individual transferable quota (ITQ)

A fishery management program in which individual fishers are given a total allowable catch of fish in a season that they can either catch or sell.