APES Chapter 12 Vocabulary

Crop Rotation

a farmer plants a series of different crops in the same area from season to season

Aquaculture/Fish Farming

the practice of raising fish in freshwater ponds, lakes, reservoirs, and rice paddies, and in underwater cages in coastal and deeper ocean waters.

Overnutrition

when food energy intake exceeds energy use and causes excess body fat. Too many calories, too little exercise, or both can cause it.

Agrobiodiversity

the genetic variety of plant and animal species used on farms to produce food.

Chronic Malnutrition

faulty nutrition, caused by a diet that does not supply an individual with enough protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for good health.

Chronic Undernutrition (Hunger)

condition suffered by people who cannot grow or buy enough food to meet their basic energy needs.

Desertification

conversion of rangeland, rain-fed cropland, or irrigated cropland to desert-like land, with a drop in agricultural productivity of 10% or more. It is usually caused by a combination of overgrazing, soil erosion, prolonged drought, and climate change.

Famine

widespread malnutrition and starvation in a particular area because of a shortage of food, usually caused by drought, war, flood, earthquake, or other catastrophic event that disrupts food production and distribution.

Farm Subsides

money paid to farmers to supplement the cost of production of crops and livestock in order to influence the market price and supply of food commodities.

Fishery

concentration of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial harvesting in a given ocean area or inland body of water.

Food Security

conditions under which every person in a given area has dally access to enough nutritious food to have an active and healthy life.

Genetically Modified Organisms

organisms whose genetic makeup has been altered by genetic engineering.

Genetic Engineering

insertion of an alien gene into an organism to give it a specific genetic trait.

Green Revolution

popular term for the introduction of scientifically bred or selected varieties of grain (rice, wheat, maize) that, with adequate inputs of fertilizer and water, can greatly increase crop yields.

Industrial Agriculture/High-input Agriculture

production of large quantities of crops and livestock for domestic and foreign sale; involves use of large inputs of energy from fossil fuels (especially oil and natural gas), water, fertilizer, and pesticides.

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

combined use of biological, chemical, and cultivation methods in proper sequence and timing to keep the size of a pest population below the level that causes economically unacceptable loss of a crop or livestock.

Irrigation

mix of methods used to supply water to crops by artificial means.

Organic Agriculture

growing crops with limited or no use of synthetic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers; genetically modified crops, raising livestock without use of synthetic growth regulators and feed additives; and using organic fertilizer (manure, legumes, compost) and natural pest controls (bugs that eat harmful bugs, plants that repel bugs, and environmental controls such as crop rotation).

Organic Fertilizer

organic materials such as animal manure, green manure, and compost applied to cropland as a source of plant nutrients.

Pest

unwanted organism that directly or indirectly interferes with food production and other human activities.

Plantation Agriculture

growing specialized crops such as bananas, coffee, and cacao in tropical developing countries, primarily for sale to developed countries.

Polyculture

complex form of intercropping in which a large number of different plants maturing at different times are planted together.

Soil Conservation

methods used to reduce soil erosion, prevent depletion of soil nutrients, and restore nutrients previously lost by erosion, leaching, and excessive crop harvesting.

Soil Erosion

movement of soil components, especially topsoil, from one place to another, usually by wind, flowing water, or both. This natural process can be greatly accelerated by human activities that remove vegetation from soil.

Soil Salinization

gradual accumulation of salts in upper layers of soil that can stunt crop growth, lower crop yields, and eventually kill plants and ruin the land.

Synthetic Fertilizer

commercially prepared mixture of inorganic plant nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and potassium applied to the soil to restore fertility and increase crop yields.

Synthetic Pesticides

any chemical designed to kill or inhibit the growth of an organism that people consider undesirable.

Topsoil

uppermost layer of soil as a soil's A-horizon layer. It contains the organic and inorganic nutrients that plants need for their growth and development.

Traditional Intensive Agriculture

production of enough food for a farm family's survival and a surplus that can be sold. This type of agriculture uses higher inputs of labor, fertilizer, and water than traditional subsistence agriculture.

Traditional Substance Agriculture

production of enough crops or livestock for a farm family's survival.

Waterlogging

saturation of soil with irrigation water or excessive precipitation so that the water table rises close to the surface.

Yield

the amount of food produced per unit of land