AP/IB APES Food Resources Unit

Agroforestry

Agriculture incorporating the cultivation and conservation of trees.

Bioaccumulation

the buildup within living organisms of toxic substances occuring in the environment

Biomagnification

Also refered to as Bioamplification or biological magnification, is the phenomenon where the concentration of a specific substance is increased as it travels through the food chain due to its persistant nature and the nature of energy travel in the food chain.

Broad spectrum

a pesticide that kills a variety of organisms in addition to the pest against which it is used. Most pesticides are broad spectrum pesticides

CAFO (concentrated animal feed operations)

agricultural operations where animals are kept and raised in confined situations.

Genetically Modified Organisms (GMO's)

A Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) is an organism whose genetic material has been altered using genetic engineering techniques. Most common associated with corn, (Monsanto)

Genetic resistance

Any inherited characteristic that decreases the effect of a pesticide on a pest. (Creates immune pests) Causes imbalance in the ecosystem.

Green Revolution - 1st

produced higher food yields in developing countries by using better farming practices, fertilizers and pesticides

Green Revolution - 2nd

produced higher food yields in developing countries by using better farming practices, especially GMOs

Habitat Fragmentation

a specific habitat is seperated into multiple pieces by human activites (ex. a road that cuts through a forest)

Industrial Agriculture (High-Input Agriculture)

modern agricultural methods that use large inputs of energy (from fossil fuels), mechanization, water, and agrochemicals (fertilizer and pesticides) to produce large crop and livestock yields

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

a combination of pest control methods (biological, chemical, cultivation) that, if used in the proper order and at proper times, keep the size of pest population low enough that it does not cause substantial economic loss

Intercropping/Interplanting

a form of intensive subsistence agriculture that involves growing several crops simutaneously on the same field

Malnourished

Affected by improper nutrition or an insufficient diet

Monoculture

the cultivation of only one type of plant over a large area

Overgrazing

To permit animals to graze (vegetational cover) excessively, to the detriment of the vegetation.

Persistence

a characterisitc of certain chemicals that are extremely stable and may take many years to be broken down into simplier forms by natural procsses

Plantation farming

crops grown in large quantities for commerical use, often requires more manual labor than mechanized, usually utilized by international companies

Polyculture

agriculture using multiple crops in the same space, in imitation of the diversity of natural ecosystems

Slash and burn agriculture

A type of shifting cultivation in tropical forests in which a patch of vegetation is burned, leaving nutrient minerals in the ash. Crops are planted for a few years until the soil is depleted of nutrient minerals, after which the land must lie fallow for many years to recover

Subsistence farming (Low- Input Agriculture)

traditional agriculture methods that are dependent on labor and a large amount of land to produce enough food to feed oneself and one's family, with little left over to sell or reserve for hard times. subsistence agriculture uses humans and draft animals as its main source of energy

Sustainable Agriculture

agriculture methods that rely on beneficial biological processes and environmentally friendly chemicals rather than conventional agricultural techniques

Synthetic

Prepared or made artificially; not of natural origin

Undernourished

having insufficient food or other substances for good health and condition

Overnutrition

a form of malnutrition in which the intake of nutrients is oversupplied. The amount of nutrients exceeds the amount required for normal growth, development, and metabolism.

Food Insecurity

the state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Famine

Extreme scarcity of food

Waterlogging

occurs when there is too much water in a plant's root zone, which decreases the oxygen available to roots. It can be a major constraint to plant growth and production and, under certain conditions, will cause plant death.

Salinization

refers to build of salts in the soil, eventually to toxic levels for plants

Pesticide Treadmill

Cycle created by farmers using more pesticides, plants becoming resistant to pesticides, and then farmers using even more pesticides.

Desertification

the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation, or inappropriate agriculture.

Nomadic Grazing

when livestock is herded in order to find fresh pastures to graze (irregular patterns of movement)

Crop Rotation

the successive cultivation of different crops in a specified order on the same fields, in contrast to a one-crop system or to haphazard crop successions. Example- switching fields of corn and soy each season

Contour Plowing

plowing along the contours of the land in order to minimize soil erosion.

No-till agriculture

a type of soil conservation farming, prepares the land for farming without mechanically disturbing the soil. The previous year's crops, referred to as the crop residue, are chopped off and left on the topsoil. A no-till planter then only slightly punctures the ground to inserts a seed.

Aquaculture

refers to the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of plants and animals in all types of water environments including ponds, rivers, lakes, and the ocean.

Individual Transferable Quota

a fishery management program in which individual tranfers are given a total allowable catch of fish in a season that they can either catch or sell

Food security

The state of being without reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food.

Drip Irrigation

any watering system that delivers a slow moving supply of water at a gradual rate directly to the soil, sometimes referred to as trickle irrigation

Center Pivot Irrigation

a method of crop irrigation in which equipment rotates around a pivot and crops are watered with sprinklers.

Norman Borlaug

"the father of the green revolution," wheat research in Mexico (fertilizers, pesticides, crop rotation, irrigation, selective breeding, etc.), created the World Food Prize

Rachel Carson

writer of Silent Spring, which warned of the dangers of pesticide use. Many say was the impetus of the environmental movement in the 1960s.