GEO Food and Health

Hunting and gathering

A pre-agricultural way of life where humans survived by hunting animals and gathering wild plants.

Domestication

Taming animals and cultivating plants for human use, leading to farming societies.

Agriculture

The practice of farming crops and raising animals for food and other products.

Surplus food

Extra food produced beyond immediate needs, enabling trade and specialization.

Specialization

Focusing on specific tasks or jobs, supported by food surplus.

Malthusians

Followers of the idea that population growth will outpace food production, leading to crises.

Cornucopians

Believers that technology can overcome resource limitations and sustain population growth.

Neomalthusians

Modern supporters of Malthusian ideas, focusing on environmental impacts of overpopulation.

Ehrlich-Simon wager

A bet symbolizing the debate over whether resources are becoming scarcer as population grows.

Epidemic

A widespread occurrence of an infectious disease in a community at a specific time.

Pandemic

A disease outbreak that spreads globally, affecting a large portion of the population.

Vaccination

Administration of a vaccine to stimulate immunity and prevent diseases.

Urbanization

Growth of urban areas as more people move to cities.

Vector

An organism that transmits disease from one host to another.

Mosquito vector

Mosquito species that transmit diseases like malaria and dengue to humans.

Malaria

A disease spread by mosquitoes, causing fever and often fatal complications.

The epidemiological transition

A shift from infectious diseases to non-communicable diseases as a country develops.

The nutrition transition

Changes in diet and lifestyle as a country develops economically.

Non-communicable diseases

Chronic diseases not passed from person to person, often linked to lifestyle (e.g., heart disease).

Communicable diseases

Diseases that can be transmitted between people or through vectors (e.g., malaria).

Kwashiorkor

Severe malnutrition caused by protein deficiency, common in children.

Marasmus

Severe malnutrition caused by lack of calories, leading to extreme weight loss.

Anemia

A condition where the body lacks enough red blood cells to carry oxygen, often due to iron deficiency.

Severe acute malnutrition (SAM)

A life-threatening condition where children suffer from severe nutrient deficiency.

Cholera

An infectious disease causing severe diarrhea, spread by contaminated water or food.

Disease diffusion

The spread of disease from its origin to new areas.

Disease of Poverty

Diseases common in low-income areas, often caused by poor living conditions (e.g., malaria).

Disease of Affluence

Non-communicable diseases common in wealthy populations, linked to lifestyle (e.g., obesity).

Neighborhood diffusion

Spread of disease within a small, local area due to close proximity.

Hierarchical diffusion

Disease spreads through key cities or populations before affecting less important areas.

Expansion diffusion

The spread of disease outward from its source.

Relocation diffusion

Disease spread by people moving to new locations.

Distance decay

The further from the disease source, the less likely an area will be affected.