APHG - Chapter 14 - Agricultural Sustainability in a Global Market

Agricultural biodiversity

the variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture (page 371)

Agricultural landscapes

a landscape resulting from the interactions between farming activities and a location's natural environment (page 359)

Agroecosystem

an ecosystem modified for agricultural use (page 359)

Aquifers

layers of sand, gravel, and rocks that contain and can release a usable amount of water (page 362)

Biodiversity

the variety of organisms living in a location (pg 362)

Biotechnology

the science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests (page 371)

Debt-for-nature swaps

agreement between a bank and a peripheral country in which the bank forgives a portion of the country's debt in exchange for local investment in conservation measures (page 365)

Deforestation

loss of forest lands (pg 359)

Desertification

a form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desertlike condition (page 362)

Economies of scale

cost reductions that occur when production rises (pages 285, 339)

Food deserts

area where residents lack access to healthy, nutritious foods because stores selling these foods are too far away (page 380)

Food insecurity

the disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of poor access to food (page 377)

Food security

reliable access to safe and nutritious food that can support an active and healthy lifestyle (page 377)

Precision agriculture

a farming management concept that uses technology to apply inputs with pinpoint accuracy to specific parts of fields to maximize crop yields, reduce waste, and preserve the environment (page 373)

Reservoirs

artifical lake used to store water (pg 360)

Salinization

the process by which water-soluble salts build up in the soil, which limits the ability of crops to absorb water (page 364)

Suburbanization

the shifting of population away from cities into surrounding suburbs (page 377)

Terracing

the process of carving parts of a hill or mountainside into small, level growing plots (page 359)

Wetlands

area of land that is covered by water or saturated with water (pg 362)