Sustainable Agriculture and Forestry

These flashcards cover key terms and concepts related to sustainable agriculture, pesticide use, organic standards, genetically modified organisms, and forest management.

Sustainable Agriculture

Agriculture that maintains healthy soil, clean water, pollinators, and genetic diversity, while mimicking natural ecosystems and reducing fossil fuel use.

Irrigation

The artificial provision of water to support agriculture, utilizing 70% of withdrawn fresh water.

Fertilizer

A substance that promotes plant growth by supplying essential nutrients, categorized as inorganic (synthetically manufactured) or organic (natural processes).

Pesticide

An artificial chemical used to kill pests, which can include insects (insecticides), fungi (fungicides), or weeds (herbicides).

Integrated Pest Management

A post-management strategy that combines various techniques for pest control, including population monitoring and biological control.

Organic Agriculture

A type of sustainable agriculture that prohibits synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, focusing on organic fertilizers and biological control.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)

Organisms engineered using recombinant DNA technology to achieve traits such as rapid growth and disease resistance.

Deforestation

The clearing and loss of forests, leading to negative impacts such as biodiversity loss, soil degradation, and increased CO2 emissions.

Primary Forest

Uncut and undisturbed forest ecosystems that have not been significantly altered by human activities.

Secondary Forest

Forest that is recovering from a major disturbance, such as logging, typically occurring within 50 years after the disturbance.

Ecosystem Services of Forests

Benefits provided by forests including soil stabilization, carbon sequestration, and biodiversity preservation.

Maximum Sustainable Yield

The goal of extracting the maximum resource possible without depleting it, often applied in forestry and agriculture.