AP hug agriculture unit

Agribusiness

Commercial agriculture characterized by the integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

Agriculture

The deliberate effort to modify a portion of the Earth’s surface through the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance or economic gain.

Aquaculture

The cultivation of seafood under controlled conditions.

Commercial agriculture

Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm.

Crop

Any plant gathered from a field as a harvest during a particular season.

Crop rotation

The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil.

Desertification

Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions such as excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting.

Dietary energy consumption

The amount of food that an individual consumes, measured in calories.

Double cropping

Harvesting twice a year from the same field.

Food security

Physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

Genetically modified organism

A living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.

Green Revolution

Rapid diffusion of new agricultural technology, especially new high-yield seeds and fertilizers.

Horticulture

The growing of fruits, vegetables, and flowers.

Milkshed

The area surrounding a city from which milk is supplied (how far the milk can travel without spoiling).

No tillage

A farming practice that leaves all of the soil undisturbed and the entire residue of the previous year’s harvest left untouched on the fields.

Overfishing

Capturing fish faster than they can reproduce.

Ridge tillage

A system of planting crops on ridge tops in order to reduce farm production costs and promote greater soil conservation.

Subsistence agriculture

Agriculture designed primarily to provide food for direct consumption by the farmer and the farmer’s family.

Transhumance

The seasonal migration of livestock between mountains and lowland pastures.

Undernourishment

Dietary energy consumption that is continuously below the minimum requirement for maintaining a healthy life and carrying out light physical activity.

Locavore

A person who actively chooses to eat food that is grown or produced within a relatively close proximity to where they live.

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

A large-scale industrial farm where a high number of animals are confined to a small area and intensively fed.

Commodity

An agricultural product that is traded on the global market.

Sustainable agriculture

Agricultural practices that preserve and enhance environmental quality, use resources efficiently, and improve quality of life for farmers and society.

Intensive agriculture

A form of agriculture that uses large amounts of labor and capital relative to the amount of land being farmed.

Extensive agriculture

A form of agriculture that uses small amounts of labor and capital relative to the amount of land being farmed.

Economies of scale

The cost advantage a farm or agricultural business gains by increasing its production volume, meaning the average cost per unit of product decreases as the scale of production grows.