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Clear-cutting
It occurs is when all of the trees in an area are cut at the same time
Deforestation
It is the conversion of forested areas to non-forested areas, which are then used for grain and grass fields mining, petroleum extraction, fuel wood cutting, commercial logging, tree plantations, or urban development
Agricultural productivity
It implies greater output with less input
Overgrazing
A plant is considered overgrazed when it is re-grazed before the roots recover, which can reduce root growth by up to 90%
Fertilizers
It provide plants with the nutrients needed to grow healthy and strong
Inorganic Fertilizers
A fertilizer mined from mineral deposits or manufactured from synthetic compounds
Organic Fertilizers
Any Any fertilizer that originates from an organic source, such as bone meal, compost, fish extracts, manure, or seaweed
Genetically modified foods
These are foods produced from organisms both animal and plant) that have had changes introduced into their DNA
Rangelands
These are native grasslands, woodlands, wetlands, and deserts that are grazed by domestic livestock or wild animals
Slash-and-Burn Agriculture
It is a widely used method of growing food or clearing land in which wild or forested land is clear-cut and any remaining vegetation is burned
Soil Erosion
It is the movement of weathered rock or soil components from one place to another and is caused by flowing water, wind, and human activity
Soil degradation
It is the decline in soil condition caused by its improper use or poor management, usually for agricultural, industrial, or urban purposes
Desertification
Productive potential of arid or semiarid land falls by at least 10% due to human activity and/or climate change
Salinization
Water that is not absorbed into the soil evaporates, leaving behind dissolved salts in topsoil
Waterlogging
Saturation of soil with water, resulting in a rise in the water table
Tillage
An agricultural method in which the surface is plowed and broken up to expose the soil, which is then smoothed and planted
Irrigation
The application of controlled amounts of water to plants at needed intervals and has been a necessary component of agriculture for over 5,000 years
Flood
Water is pumped or brought to the fields and is allowed to flow along the ground among the crops
Pesticides
These can be used to control pests, but their use has drawbacks
Integrated Pest Management (IPM)
It is an ecologically based approach to control pests
Biological Pesticides
Living organisms used to control pests
Inorganic pesticides
These are broad-based pesticides that include arsenic, copper, lead, and mercury
Organic pesticides
These are natural poisons derived from plants such as tobacco or chrysanthemum
Pesticide resistance
It describes the decreased susceptibility of a pest population to a pesticide that was previously effective at controlling the pest
Pest species
They evolve pesticide resistance via natural selection
Pesticide Treadmill
Also known as pest traps; farmers are forced to use more and more toxic chemicals to control pesticide-resistant insects and weeds
Intercropping
A farming method that involves planting or growing more than one crop at the same time and on the same piece of land
CAFO
It is an intensive animal feeding operation in which large numbers of animals are confined in feeding pens for over 45 days a year
Aquaculture
Mariculture or fish farming
Mining
Removing mineral resource from the ground
Dredging
A method for mining below the water table and usually associated with gold mining
Mountaintop removal
Removal of mountaintops to expose coal seams and disposing of associated mining overburden in adjacent "valley fills"
Open pit
Extracting rock or minerals from the Earth by their removal from an open pit when deposits of commercially useful ore or rocks are found near the surface
Strip mining
Exposes coal by removing the soil above each coal seam
Blast
Uses explosives to break up the seam, after which the material is loaded onto conveyors and transported to a processing center
Urbanization
It refers to the movement of people from rural areas to cities and the changes that accompany it
Urban Sprawl
Also known as suburban, describesthe expansion of human populations away from central urban areas into low-density and usually car-dependent communities
Single-use development
Separate commercial, residential, institutional, and industrial areas
Smart growth
It promotes compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, neighborhood schools, and mixed-use development with a variety of housing options to slow urban sprawl and concentrate growth in compact, walkable "urban villages."
Urban runoff
It is surface runoff of rainwater created by urbanization
Ecological Footprint
A measure of human demand on Earths ecosystems and is a standardized measure of demand for natural capital that may be contrasted with the planets ecological capacity to regenerate
Sustainability
It refers to the capacity for the biosphere and human civilization to coexist through the balance of resources within their environment
Sustainable agriculture
It emphasizes profitable, environmentally friendly, energy-efficient production and food systems that improve farmers' and the public's quality of life
Contour plowing
Plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion
No-till agriculture
Soil is left undisturbed by tillage and the residue is left on the soil surface
Strip cropping
Cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips
Terracing
Make or form (sloping land) into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps
Mining
Can involve underground mines, drilling, room-and-pillar mining, long-wall mining, open pit, dredging, contour strip mining, and mountaintop removal.
