5.2, Soil Flashcards
nitrates
nitrogen compounds used for growth by plants and algae
herbicides
a chemical that kills plants, used to reduce weeds and competition for crops resulting in higher yields
pastoral
farming
farming with grazing animals
arable
farming that involves cereal crops and other plant crops only
antibiotic
a chemical that treats bacterial diseases, often used in commercial livestock farming
crop rotation
The practice of rotating crops around different fields each year, to avoid exhausting the soil.
food distribution system
The process in which a general population is supplied with food.
GMO
[genetically modified organism] is an organism that has acquired one or more genes by artificial means.
fertilizer
a chemical or natural substance added to soil or land to increase its fertility
mixed farming
growing crops and rearing livestock (arable and pastoral)
harvest
when the crop / product is cut from the plant and taken off to market to sell or is eaten.
shifting cultivation
A form of subsistence agriculture in which people shift activity from one field or area of land to another; each area is used for crops for a few years and left fallow for a relatively long period.
organic farming
A method of farming that does not use artificial means such as synthetic pesticides and herbicides, antibiotics, and bioengineering.
domesticate
to tame an animal and keep it on a farm.
slash and burn
farming method that involves the cutting and burning of plants in a forest or woodland to create a field called a swidden.
monoculture
farming strategy in which large fields are planted with a single crop, year after year
buffer zone
an area of land that serves as a barrier around a field
salinization in soil
the process by which a non-saline soil becomes more saline, e.g. through constant irrigation.
soil erosion
The process by which weatherd pieces of rock and loose soil are moved from one place to another by water or wind.
Overgrazing
grazing so heavily that the vegetation is damaged and the soil erodes
Smallholder/homesteader
someone who has a small farm, usually for subsistence purposes
Commercial farming
growing large quantities of crops or livestock in order to sell them for a profit
Externalities
A side effect of an economic activity that affects a third party other than the buyer or seller, e.g. soil erosion, or pollution.
