Unit 5 / Agriculture / Modules 38-43

agribusiness

Large corporation that provides a vast array of goods and services to support the agricultural industry

aquaculture

The cultivation and harvesting of aquatic organisms under controlled conditions

bid-rent theory

Explains how the demand for and price of land decrease as its distance from the central business district increases

biofuel

A fuel derived from organic wastes or plant materials

CAFO (concentrated animal feeding operation)

Animal rearing system that confines livestock (such as cattle, sheep, turkeys, chickens, and hogs) in high-density cages only large enough to allow the animal body to grow and to accommodate equipment for feeding and waste removal

Central Business district (CBD)

A dense cluster of offices and shops located at a city's most accessible point, usually its center

commodity

A primary agricultural product or raw material that is bought, sold, and traded

commodity chain

A series of links connecting a commodity's many places of production and distribution

contract farming

Arrangement between an independent farmer and an agribusiness company to produce a crop; the agribusiness provides the farmer with all the supplies needed to produce a crop in exchange for a guaranteed price and buyer

conventional agriculture

Farming that depends on manufactured synthetic inputs, GMO seeds, and other industrial practices

community supported agriculture (CSA)

A direct-to-consumer marketing arrangement in which farmers are guaranteed buyers for their produce at guaranteed prices and consumers receive fresh food directly from the producers

deforestation

Clearing and destruction of forests to clear land for agriculture use

desertification

The process by which once-fertile land becomes desert as a result of climate variation or human activities

export commodity

A cash crop that is produced for export to wealthier countries at the expense of crop production for local consumption

fair trade

A certification program that supports good crop prices for farmers and environmentally sound farming practices

family farms

A farming operation wholly owned by a family or family corporation that sells its products to some defined market, either directly or through a cooperative

famine

Extreme scarcity of food

food desert

Area with limited access to fresh, nutritious foods

food insecurity

Occurs when large numbers of people experience long periods of inadequate diets

food security

According to the United Nations, the situation in which all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to enough safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life

GMO (genetically modified organism)

A living organism, including crops and livestock, that is produced through genetic engineering

global supply chain

Agribusinesses, organized at the global scale; encompasses all elements of growing, harvesting, processing, transporting, marketing, consuming, and disposing of food for people

hinterland

The area surrounding a city

irrigated agriculture

Farming that relies on the controlled application of water to cultivated fields

large-scale commercial operation

A large-scale farm oriented exclusively toward the production of agricultural commodities for sale in the market

monocropping (monoculture)

The cultivation of a single commercial crop on extensive tracts of land

organic farming

The production of crops and livestock using ecological processes, natural biodiversity, and renewable resources rather than industrial practices and synthetic inputs

subsidies

Guaranteed prices for staple food crops

sustainable agriculture

A commitment to satisfying human food and textile needs and to enhancing the quality of life for farmers and society as whole, now and in the future; it requires a balance among feeding the growing population, minimizing environmental impacts, and ensuring social justice

urban farming

The practice of growing fruits and vegetables on small private plots or shared community gardens within the confines of a city

value-added specialty crop

A crop whose physical state or form has been changed