Comprehensive Guide to Agriculture, Food Security, and Sustainable Practices

Traditional Subsistence

Small-scale farming where farmers grow food mainly to feed themselves and their families

Intensive Agriculture

Uses large amounts of labor, fertilizers, pesticides, and water to get high yields from small areas

Extensive Agriculture

Uses large areas of land with fewer inputs per acre

Industrialized Agriculture

Large-scale, mechanized farming using fossil fuels, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation

Cash Crop

Crop grown to be sold for profit rather than consumed by the farmer

Plantation Farm

Large farm specializing in one or two cash crops, often in tropical regions

Slash and Burn Agriculture

Cutting and burning vegetation to clear land and temporarily enrich soil

Monoculture

Growing a single crop species over a large area

Polyculture

Growing multiple crop species together

Agroecosystem

An ecosystem managed by humans for food production

Food Insecurity

Lack of reliable access to sufficient, nutritious food

Famine

Extreme food shortage causing widespread hunger and death

Marasmus

Severe malnutrition caused by lack of calories

Kwashiorkor

Severe malnutrition caused by lack of protein

Overnutrition

Excess consumption of calories and nutrients, leading to obesity and disease

The Green Revolution

1950s-70s increase in crop yields due to high-yield seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation

Selective Breeding

Choosing organisms with desired traits to reproduce

Feedlots

Confined areas where livestock are fattened before slaughter

CAFOs

Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations; large industrial livestock facilities

Pasture

Managed grassland where livestock graze

Rangelands

Natural or semi-natural grasslands used for grazing

Croplands

Land used to grow crops

The Second Green Revolution

Use of GMOs and biotechnology to improve crops

GMOs

Genetically Modified Organisms with altered DNA

Bt Corn

GMO corn engineered to produce its own insecticide

Roundup Ready Soy

GMO soybeans resistant to glyphosate herbicide

Golden Rice

GMO rice engineered to produce vitamin A

The Next Green Revolution

Focus on sustainability, climate resilience, and reduced environmental impact

Crop Rotation

Growing different crops in succession to improve soil health

Interplanting

Growing multiple crops together in the same field

Cover Crops

Crops planted to protect and enrich soil between harvests

Green Manure

Cover crops plowed into soil to add nutrients

Mulching

Covering soil with organic material to retain moisture

Drip Irrigation

Delivers water directly to plant roots with minimal waste

Conservation Tillage

Reduces soil disturbance to prevent erosion

No-Till

Farming method where soil is not plowed

Legumes

Plants that fix nitrogen in soil (beans, peas)

Perennials

Plants that live multiple years

Contour Farming/Terracing

Farming along land contours to reduce erosion

Alley Cropping

Planting crops between rows of trees

Organic Farming

Farming without synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, or GMOs

Fishprint

Amount of wild fish needed to raise farmed fish

Fishery

Population of fish harvested for food

Bottom Trawling

Dragging nets along ocean floor

Gillnetting

Nets that trap fish by their gills

Long-lining

Fishing method using long lines with baited hooks

Purse Seine

Large net used to encircle schools of fish

Bycatch

Unintentionally caught non-target species

Turtle Exclusion Device (TED)

Device that allows turtles to escape fishing nets

First Generation Pesticides

Naturally occurring pesticides (sulfur, arsenic)

Second Generation Pesticides

Synthetic chemicals developed after WWII

Persistent Organic Pollutants

Long-lasting toxic chemicals that bioaccumulate

Organochlorines

Persistent pesticides containing chlorine

DDT

Organochlorine pesticide that caused eggshell thinning in birds

Organophosphates

Neurotoxic pesticides that break down faster than DDT

Glyphosate

Broad-spectrum herbicide (Roundup)

Bioconcentration

Build-up of toxins within a single organism

Biomagnification

Increase of toxin concentration up the food chain

Body Burden

Total amount of toxic chemicals stored in the body

Circle of Poison

Pesticides banned in one country exported and return via food

Grasshopper Effect

Pollutants travel long distances by evaporation and condensation

Pesticide Treadmill

Cycle of pests evolving resistance, requiring more pesticide use

Endocrine Disruptors

Chemicals that interfere with hormones

Neurotoxins

Chemicals that damage the nervous system

Teratogens

Chemicals causing birth defects

Mutagens

Chemicals that cause DNA mutations

Carcinogens

Cancer-causing substances

Dose/Response Curves

Relationship between dose and effect

Threshold

Minimum dose needed to cause a response

ED50

Effective dose for 50% of population

LD50

Lethal dose for 50% of population

Integrated Pest Management

Strategy using multiple pest-control methods

Cultural Control

Altering farming practices to reduce pests

Biological Control

Using natural predators or parasites

Mechanical Control

Physical removal of pests

Fertility

Ability of soil to support plant growth

Desertification

Productive land becoming desert

Waterlogging

Saturated soil with no oxygen

Soil Salinization

Salt buildup in soil

Topsoil

Nutrient-rich upper soil layer

Permafrost

Permanently frozen soil

NPK

Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium (key nutrients)

Sand, Silt, Clay

Three soil particle sizes

Loams

Balanced mixture of sand, silt, and clay

Porosity

Amount of pore space in soil

Permeability

Ability of water to flow through soil

Humus

Decomposed organic matter

Soil Horizons

Layers of soil

O, E, A, B, C, R

Organic, Eluviation, Topsoil, Subsoil, Parent material, Bedrock

Zone of Accumulation

B horizon

Zone of Eluviation

E horizon

Regolith

Layer of loose rock above bedrock