Sustainability & Human Geography: Food & Water

Food Security

access by all people at all times to enough food for a healthy, active life

Malnutrition

poor nutrition & calorie intake; caused by not having enough to eat, not eating enough of the right things, or being unable to use the food that one does eat

Development-Driven Obesity

unhealthy, fast foods are becoming increasingly popular in the western world which is making us fatter

Green Revolution

the 1950’s-60’s movement where scientists used increased knowledge of genetics to develop new high-yield strains of grain crops (mainly wheat & rice)

Genetically Modified Organisms

organisms whose DNA/genetics has been manipulated for some reason; typically occurs in plants in order to make them more resilient in certain climates

Potable Water

drinking water

Subsidies

a direct or indirect payment to individuals or firms, usually in the form of a cash payment from the government or a targeted tax cut

Agriculture

the purposeful cultivation of plants or raising animals to produce goods

Subsistence Agriculture

growing & raising a diverse range of crops & livestock for ones family

Commercial Agriculture

growing crops & raising livestock for the purpose of selling them to make a profit

Bid-Rent Theory

land/real estate/rental costs are higher in and around a city's central business district due to demand; market gardening

Intensive Agriculture

expanding a great deal of effort to produce as much yield as possible from an area of land; these types of farms relay greatly on large amounts of energy (typically chemicals or fertilizers)

Monocropping/Mono Culture

the cultivation of one or two crops that are rotated seasonally; the agricultural system of planting one crop or raising one kind of animal

Crop Rotation

varying crops from year to year

Plantation Agriculture

large-scale commercial farming of one particular crop grown for markets (which are often distant from the plantation itself)

Market Gardening

farming that produces fruits, vegetables, & flowers; typically serves a specific local market or urban area

Mixed Crop & Livestock Systems

both crops & livestock are raised for profit; considered to be a good way to achieve sustainable intensification of agricultural systems

Extensive Agriculture

a system of crop cultivation using small amount of labor & capital in relation to amount of land being farmed; farming depends on natural resources (soil, terrain, climate)

Shifting Cultivation

the practice of growing crops or grazing animals on a piece of land for a period of time (a year or 2) then moving to a new piece once nutrients has been depleted

Slash & Burn Agriculture

clearing land by cutting down trees & after the vegetation dries up, burning it; results in a layer of ash which provides the newly-cleared land with a nutrient-rich layer to help fertilize crops

Nomadic Herding

moving animals seasonally to allow for the best grazing

Agriculture/Agribusiness

the large scale system that includes the production, processing, & distribution of agricultural products & equipment

Hybridization

the process of creating hybrid grains, fruits, & vegetables in order to create different varieties of plants with specific characteristics

Feedlots

an area or building where livestock are fed or fattened up

Family Farms

represent the majority of farms worldwide; family owned farms

Corporations

Corporations own the animals while farmers own the equipment (which they are forced to buy to keep up with regulations), meaning the people in suits own the goods which make money and the people in overalls own the goods which cost money

Commodity Chains

a complex network that connects places of production with distribution to consumers; a process used by firms to gather resources, transform them into goods or commodities, and finally, distribute them to consumers

Farm Subsidies

low-cost loans provided by the US federal government for farms (also insurance & payments)

Tariffs

a tax or duty to be paid on a particular import or export

Global Supply Chains

a worldwide network that organizations use when producing goods or services; these networks may span across several countries and continents to supply and source goods; many global supply chains involve the flow of information, resources, and processes worldwide

Cash Crop

a crop produced for its commercial value rather than for use by the grower

Infrastructure

the basic physical and organizational structures and facilities (e.g. buildings, roads, power supplies) needed for the operation of a society or enterprise

Fair Trade

set of business practices voluntarily adopted by the producers and buyers of agricultural commodities and hand-made crafts that are designed to advance many economic, social and environmental goals, including: Raising and stabilizing the incomes of small-scale farmers, farm workers, and artisans

Agroecosystem

an ecosystem modified for agricultural use

Terracing

the process of carving out parts of a hill or mountainside into small, level, growing plots

Reservoir

artificial lakes created by building dams across streams & rivers

Wetlands

areas of land that are covered by or saturated with water (ex. swamps or marshes)

Salinization

the process of increasing the salt content in soil or water

Desertification

a form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desert-like condition

Debt-for-Nature Swaps

in exchange for local investment in conservation measures, the banks agree to forgive a portion of a countries debt

Organic Farming

farming that excludes the use of synthetic substances (GMO’s, pesticides, fertilizers)

Food Deserts

areas where residents lack access to healthy nutritious foods because grocery stores are too far away

Biotechnology

the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that better resist pests

Aquaculture

breeding, raising, & harvesting fish, shellfish, & aquatic plants; under water farming; can potentially cause water pollution, chemicals can get into ecosystems, modified fish can enter breeding pool; helps meet demand, makes money

Precision Agriculture

uses a variety of cutting-edge technology to apply inputs such as water & fertilizer with pinpoint accuracy to specific parts of fields in order to maximize crop yields, reduce waste, & preserve the environment

CSA

community supported agriculture; purchasing shares in the output of a local farm

Water Table

an underground boundary between the soil surface and the area where groundwater saturates spaces between sediments and cracks in rock

Aquifers

a body of rock and/or sediment that holds groundwater; the saturated area that sits beneath a water table

Watershed

an area or ridge of land that separates waters flowing to different rivers, basins, or seas

Drought

a prolonged period of abnormally low rainfall, leading to a shortage of water

Desalination

the process of removing salt, especially from sea water so that it can be used for drinking or watering crops

Gravity Flow Irrigation

a cheap effective way to provide water for a smaller sized crop area; basic system is very simple consisting of an elevated reservoir with a pipe coming out the bottom that feeds water into a basic drip irrigation system that is all controlled either by hand or with a very efficient battery powered timer that controls the rate at which the crop is watered

Drip Irrigation

pipes with holes in them drip water onto plants; this method is good for dry regions because the plants get so little water at one time they can use it right away; this way, no water is wasted

Center Pivot Irrigation

a mechanized, pressurized water irrigation method; the original and most used style of pivot irrigation applies water in a circular pattern, pivoting around a central point in the middle of the field

Gray Water

water that has been used for washing dishes, laundering clothes, or bathing; any water draining from a house other than toilet water; can potentially be reused but often contains impurities (hair, grease, food particles)

Floodplain

an area of low-lying ground adjacent to a river, formed mainly of river sediments and subject to flooding

Food Mile

a mile over which a food item is transported during the journey from producer to consumer, as a unit of measurement of the fuel used to transport it

Fishery

an area where fish are caught for commercial or recreational purposes

Structural Scarcity

unequal access to natural resources in a given society makes them scarce for large segments of the population

What are humans’ needs for food and water to have a good quality of life? What is impacting people’s access to quality food and sufficient water?

food & water security; impacted by structural scarcity, poverty

What individual, and systemic, choices impact the food system, and how does that system affect issues of sustainability?

we as consumers buy certain goods which tells companies what the demand is; subsidies are often given to companies that do not sustainably produce their food; this drives unsustainable practices

How can we meet current and future needs for food and water, particularly as we face climate change?

switch to more sustainable farming practices, reduce meat consumption, reduce water waste

Bid-Rent Theory

land/real estate/rental costs are higher in and around a city's central business district due to demand; market gardening typically deals with this

Clustered Settlements

a rural settlement where a number of families live in close proximity to each other, with fields surrounding the collection of houses and farm buildings

Dispersed Settlements

a settlement structure in which individual farms and small groups of farmsteads or hamlets occur in a cluster of scattered parcels of land

Linear Settlements

a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line; many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal

Dual Agriculture Economy

common in less developed countries; one sector is geared to local needs and another to the global export market

von Thunen Model

helps explain the relationship between the cost of land and the cost to transport the crop to market; land cost + transit costs