AP HUG CHAPTER 14

Land cover change

Refers to the changes that have taken place in natural environments due to a variety of natural and/or human induced causes.

Salinization

Accumulation of salts in soil that can eventually make the soil unable to support plant growth.

Irrigation

Supplying land with water through a network of canals.

Center-pivot irrigation

A type of irrigation that waters crops using sprinkler systems on huge turning wheels.

Wetlands

A lowland area, such as a marsh or swamp, that is saturated with moisture, especially when regarded as the natural habitat of wildlife.

Deforestation

The removal of trees faster than forests can replace themselves.

Slash-and-burn agriculture

Another name for shifting cultivation, so named because fields are cleared by slashing the vegetation and burning the debris.

Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)

Crops that carry new traits that have been inserted through advanced genetic engineering methods.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions.

Overgraze

To allow livestock to strip areas so bare that plants cannot grow back.

Organic food

Food produced without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or growth hormones.

Value-added farming

Occurs when farmers process their crops into high-value products (e.g., turning grapes into wine).

Local-food movement

Collaborative effort to build more locally based, self-reliant food economies.

Community gardens

Spaces where groups of people grow fruits, vegetables, or ornamental plants on either a communal or an individual plot.

Vertical farms

Grow crops inside in stackable trays, using greenhouses, artificial lights, and hydroponics.

Hydroponics

The method of growing plants in a solution of nutrients instead of in soil.

Community-supported agriculture (CSA)

A system in which consumers pay farmers in advance for a share of their yield, usually in the form of weekly deliveries of produce.

Food insecurity

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

Food desert

An area in a developed country where healthy food is difficult to obtain.

Food distribution system

A network of trade and transportation that gets food from farms to consumers.

Food processing

The cooking, canning, drying, or freezing of food and the preparing of it for market.

Tariff

A tax on imported goods.

Quota

A limit placed on the quantities of a product that can be imported.

Gender inequality

The inequality between men and women in terms of wealth, income, and status.

Gender-specific obstacles

Discriminatory practices that prevent female farmers from their potential productivity.

Crop gap

Female-run farms are much less productive because of gender-specific obstacles.