Food, Farms, and Fisheries

Vocabulary flashcards covering key agricultural concepts, issues, history, and solutions from the ENST101 Food, Farms, and Fisheries lecture series.

Food Deserts

Areas with limited access to fresh food and low-income access with limited mobility, affecting 10% of Americans and 20% of rural farming areas.

Rural Flight

The steep decline in the farming population as US farms consolidated into larger operations, dropping from nearly 50% of the workforce in the late 1800s to 1% today.

Sharecropping

A coercive farm labor system that continued in the US after the abolition of slavery, trapping laborers in debt to the landowners whose land they worked.

Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

An industrial facility housing at least 1,000 beef cattle, 2,500 swine, or 125,000 chickens in high-density confinement where 99% of US livestock are raised.

Bioaccumulation

The process by which persistent agricultural pollutants, such as pesticides, accumulate within an individual organism's tissues over its lifespan.

Biomagnification

The process by which persistent chemical pollutants become increasingly concentrated and toxic in predator species at higher levels of the food chain.

Silent Spring

A 1962 exposé book by naturalist Rachel Carson documenting pesticide-induced eggshell thinning in birds caused by DDT, leading to DDT's ban and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Ghost Gear

Abandoned or lost synthetic fishing gear adrift in oceans that entangles wildlife, destroys coral reefs, and accounts for ~46% of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Colony Collapse Disorder

The abrupt winter collapse of honeybee hives caused by a confluence of pesticides, invasive pathogens like the varroa mite, climate stress, and habitat loss.

Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)

Industrial food products formulated with preservatives and sweeteners (such as soft drinks, chips, and fast food), accounting for ~60% of the average American's caloric intake.

Haber-Bosch Process

A fossil-fuel-intensive manufacturing procedure invented in the 1910s that fixes atmospheric nitrogen into synthetic fertilizer, supporting about half of the global population today.

Monoculture

The agricultural practice of planting a single, genetically uniform crop species over large areas, making fields highly efficient to harvest but exceptionally vulnerable to pests and disease.

Green Revolution

A period of 20th-century agricultural innovations—including mechanized tractors, synthetic fertilizers, high-yield seeds, and pesticides—that dramatically increased food production and reduced global hunger rates.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and algae, which overtook wild capture fisheries in 2012 as the primary source of seafood globally.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Laboratory-engineered crops created for enhanced yields, shelf-life, pest resistance, or herbicide tolerance, representing over 90% of US mainstream crops today.

Regenerative Agriculture

A farming methodology focused on five core principles—minimizing soil disturbance, keeping soil covered, maximizing crop diversity, maintaining living roots year-round, and integrating livestock—to restore soil health and sequester carbon.

System for Rice Intensification (SRI)

A set of rice-farming practices developed in Madagascar in the 1980s (such as periodic paddy water flushing) that boosts crop yields while reducing methane emissions by up to 70%.

Seed Banks

Cold, dry storage facilities that preserve heirloom crop seeds to safeguard global genetic diversity against agricultural uniformity and potential crop extinctions.

Farm Bill

Major US federal legislation first enacted during the New Deal in the 1930s and renewed approximately every 5 years, governing farmer subsidies, SNAP food assistance, and agricultural conservation programs.

Seafloor Bottom Trawling

An industrial fishing method using heavy gear scraped along the ocean floor, removing 6% to 41% of faunal biomass per pass and taking 2 to 7 years for ecosystems to recover.

Plant-Rich Diet

A demand-side climate solution centered on reducing animal protein consumption, capable of reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by up to 63% under a full vegetarian shift.

Food Deserts

Geographic areas with limited access to fresh, affordable food, predominantly affecting low-income populations with limited mobility.

Rural Flight

The steep decline in agricultural population as farms consolidated into larger operations, dropping from nearly $50\%$ of the workforce in the late 1800s to $1\%$ today.

Sharecropping

A coercive farm labor system in the US following the abolition of slavery that trapped laborers in debt to landowners whose land they worked.

Confined Animal Feeding Operation (CAFO)

An industrial facility housing at least $1\,000$ beef cattle, $2\,500$ swine, or $125\,000$ chickens in high-density confinement.

Bioaccumulation

The process by which persistent agricultural pollutants, such as pesticides, accumulate within an individual organism's tissues over its lifespan.

Biomagnification

The process by which persistent chemical pollutants become increasingly concentrated and toxic in predator species at higher levels of the food chain.

Silent Spring

A 1962 exposé book by naturalist Rachel Carson documenting pesticide-induced eggshell thinning in birds, leading to widespread pesticide bans and the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency.

Ghost Gear

Abandoned or lost synthetic fishing gear adrift in oceans that entangles wildlife, destroys coral reefs, and comprises roughly $46\%$ of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

Colony Collapse Disorder

The abrupt winter collapse of honeybee hives caused by a combination of pesticides, invasive pathogens, climate stress, and habitat loss.

Ultra-Processed Foods (UPFs)

Industrial food formulations made with additives, preservatives, and refined ingredients, accounting for roughly $60\%$ of average American caloric intake.

Haber-Bosch Process

A fossil-fuel-intensive manufacturing procedure invented in the 1910s that fixes atmospheric nitrogen into synthetic fertilizer.

Monoculture

The agricultural practice of planting a single, genetically uniform crop species over large areas, making fields efficient to harvest but vulnerable to pests and disease.

Green Revolution

A 20th-century movement of agricultural innovations—including mechanization, synthetic fertilizers, high-yield seeds, and pesticides—that dramatically increased global food production.

Aquaculture

The farming of aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish, and algae, which overtook wild capture fisheries as the primary source of global seafood.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Laboratory-engineered crops modified for enhanced yields, shelf-life, pest resistance, or herbicide tolerance.

Regenerative Agriculture

A farming methodology focused on minimizing soil disturbance, keeping soil covered, maximizing crop diversity, maintaining living roots, and integrating livestock to restore soil health.

System for Rice Intensification (SRI)

A set of agricultural practices developed in Madagascar in the 1980s that boosts grain yields while reducing paddy methane emissions by up to $70\%$.

Seed Banks

Cold, dry storage facilities that preserve heirloom crop seeds to safeguard global genetic diversity against crop extinctions.

Farm Bill

Major US federal legislation enacted every five years that governs farmer subsidies, food assistance programs like SNAP, and agricultural conservation programs.

Seafloor Bottom Trawling

An industrial fishing method using heavy gear scraped along the ocean floor, removing significant faunal biomass and destroying benthic habitats.

Plant-Rich Diet

A dietary strategy centered on reducing animal protein consumption, capable of reducing agricultural greenhouse gas emissions by up to $63\%$.

Irish Potato Famine

An 1845 crisis where a fungal blight destroyed staple tuber crops, exacerbated by colonial forced exports, resulting in over one million deaths and massive diaspora.

Dust Bowl

A 1930s environmental disaster in the US Midwest caused by extensive tractor plowing, soil compaction, loss of native prairie grass, and severe drought.

Biofuels

Energy sources produced from organic biomass such as corn or palm oil, which often carry high life-cycle carbon footprints, land-use impacts, and deforestation risks.

Yield Gap

The difference between actual agricultural output on a given piece of farmland and its potential maximum sustainable production level.

Bycatch

The unintentional capture of non-target marine species, including seabirds, sea turtles, and marine mammals, during commercial fishing operations.