TMPE 5 Chapter 1: Sustainable Agriculture Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards based on TMPE 5 - Chapter 1 lecture notes, defining fundamental agricultural branches, general terminology, and sustainable practices.

Agriculture

The art and science of raising plants and animals that have economic value to man.

Farming

The practice associated with raising plants and animals to support basic human needs and for economic purposes, market sale, or extra income.

Agritourism

A form of tourism where visitors go to farms, ranches, or other agricultural settings to learn about farming practices, participate in farm activities, and enjoy rural life.

Agronomy or Crop Science

The branch of agriculture that deals with soil management and the growing of crops.

Agronomist

A specialist in crop and soil science.

Animal Husbandry or Animal Science

The branch of agriculture dealing with the breeding and caring of animals for specific purposes such as meat, milk, and clothing.

Horticulture

The branch of agriculture dealing with the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, and ornamental plants, or the art of cultivating plants in gardens for food, medicinal ingredients, comfort, or ornament.

Horticulturist

An agriculturist who grows flowers, fruits and nuts, vegetables and herbs, as well as ornamental trees and lawns.

Pomology

The branch of horticulture focused on the planting, harvesting, storing, processing, and marketing of fruit and nut crops.

Floriculture

The branch of horticulture that deals with ornamental plants.

Olericulture

The branch of horticulture that deals with the production, storage, processing, and marketing of vegetables.

Agricultural Economics

The branch of agriculture that deals with the business end of farming and influences food policy, agricultural policy, and environmental policy.

Agricultural Engineering

The branch of agriculture involving knowledge of farm machines and equipment, as well as developing new systems and practices to address agricultural problems.

Sustainable Agriculture

Farming in sustainable ways that meet society's present food and textile needs without compromising the ability of current or future generations to meet their needs.

Crop Rotation

The practice of growing a series of dissimilar or different types of crops in the same area in sequenced seasons to improve soil fertility, reduce soil erosion, and increase crop yield.

Soil Conditioner

A product added to soil to improve its physical qualities, especially its ability to provide nutrition for plants.

Monoculture

The agricultural practice of producing or growing a single crop, plant, or livestock species, variety, or breed in a field or farming system at a time.

Polyculture

Agriculture using multiple crops in the same space to provide crop diversity in imitation of natural ecosystems.

Cover Crop

A crop planted primarily to manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity, and wildlife in an agroecosystem.

Soil Steam Sterilization

A farming technique that uses steam to partially disinfect soil in open fields or greenhouses, providing quick relief from harmful bacteria, viruses, fungi, and pests.

Permaculture

A system of agricultural and social design principles centered on stimulating or directly utilizing patterns and features observed in natural resources.

Care for the Earth

The first principle of permaculture, focused on provisions for all life systems to continue and multiply.

Care for the People

The permaculture principle focused on provision for people to access resources necessary for their existence.

Return of Surplus

The permaculture principle of reinvesting surpluses and recycling waste back into the system to support Earth and people care.

Weed Control

The botanical component of pest control that attempts to stop noxious or injurious weeds from competing with domesticated plants and livestock.

Shifting Cultivation

An agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned to revert to natural vegetation while the cultivator moves to another plot.

Forest Gardening

A low-maintenance, sustainable plant-based food production and agroforestry system based on woodland ecosystems incorporating fruit/nut trees, shrubs, herbs, vines, and perennial vegetables.

Intercropping

A multiple cropping practice involving growing two or more crops in proximity to produce a greater yield on a given piece of land.

Windbreak

A plantation made up of one or more rows of trees or shrubs planted to provide shelter from wind and protect soil from erosion.

Compost

Decomposed and recycled organic matter used as a fertilizer, soil amendment, and natural pesticide in organic farming.

Drip Irrigation

A water-saving irrigation method that delivers water slowly to plant roots through narrow tubes directly at the base of the plant.

Zero Waste Agriculture

A type of sustainable agriculture optimizing the use of five natural kingdoms (plants, animals, bacteria, fungi, algae) so that waste from one process becomes feedstock for another.

Natural Farming

An ecological farming approach established by Masanobu Fukuoka in his 1975 book 'The One-Straw Revolution', also known as the Fukuoka Method or do-nothing farming.

Masanobu Fukuoka

The Japanese farmer and philosopher who established Natural Farming and authored the 1975 book 'The One-Straw Revolution'.