2) How does contemporary global agricultural production shape ecological outcomes and food sovereignty? What tensions or contradictions do the readings highlight?

A set of vocabulary flashcards defining key agricultural and environmental economics terms from the lecture notes.

Food Sovereignty

The right of people and communities to control their own food systems, seeds, land, and agricultural decisions.

Agroecology

Farming based on biodiversity, ecological principles, local knowledge, and reduced dependence on fossil-fuel inputs; includes practices such as cover crops and agroforestry as discussed in The Economics of the Environment 7.2.

Price Parity

Policies ensuring farmers receive prices that cover production costs and allow stable livelihoods, emphasizing that ecological farming must be paired with economic justice.

Monoculture

Large-scale production of a single crop, often associated with ecological vulnerability and soil depletion.

Gene Flow

The spread of GM genes into traditional or wild crop varieties, threatening biodiversity.

Export Agriculture

Production organized primarily for international markets rather than local food security.