Chapter 10 - Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the future of Food Flashcards
soil degradation
a deterioration of soil productivity, resulting primarily from forest removal, cropland agriculture, and overgrazing of livestock
land degradation
a general deterioration of land that diminishes its productivity and biodiversity, impairs the functioning of its ecosystems, and reduces the ecosystem services the land can offer us
dust bowl
an area that loses huge amounts of topsoil to wind erosion as a result of drought and/or human impact. first used to name the region in the North American great plains severely affected by drought and topsoil loss in the 1930’s. the term is now used to describe that historical event and others like it
conservation districts
a county-based entity created by the soil conservation service (now the natural resources conservation service) to promote practices to conserve soil
natural resources conservation service (NCRS)
u.s. agency that promotes soil conservation, as well as water quality protection and pollution control. prior to 1994, known as the soil conservation service
overgrazing
the consumption by too many animals of plant cover, impending plant regrowth and the replacement of biomass. overgrazing can exacerbate damage to soils, natural communities, and the land productivity for further grazing
contour farming
the practice of flowing furrows sideways across a hillside, perpendicular to its slope, to help prevent the formation of rills and gullies, the technique is names so because the furrows follow the natural contours of the land
terracing
the cutting of level platforms, sometimes with raised edges, into steep hillsides to contain water from irrigation and precipitation, terracing transforms slopes into series of step like staircases, enabling farmers to cultivate hilly land while minimizing their loss of soil to water erosion
intercropping
planting different types of crops in alternating bonds or other spatially mixed arrangements
shelterbelts (windbreaks)
a row of trees or other tall plants that are planted along the edges of farm fields to break the wind and thereby minimize wind erosion
conservation tillage
agriculture that limits the amount of tillage (planting, digging, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil
crop rotation
the practice of alternating the kind of crop grown in a particular field from one season or year to the next
genetically modified food
food derived from a genetically modified organism
genetically modified organism (GMO)
an organism that has been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology
genetic engineering
any process scientists use to manipulate an organism’s genetic material in the lab by adding, deleting, or changing segments of its DNA
landrace
a locally adapted domesticated variety of agricultural crop native to a particular area
transgenic
term describing an organism that contains DNA from another species
transgene
a gene that has been extracted from the DNA of one organism and transferred into the DNA of an organism of another species
undernutrition
s condition of insufficient nutrition in which people receive less than 90% of the daily caloric needs
food security
an adequate, reliable, and available food supply to all people at all times
malnutrition
the condition of lacking nutrients the body needs, including a complete complement of vitamins and minerals
green revolution
an intensification of the industrialization of agriculture in the developing world in the second half of the 20th century that has dramatically increased crop yields produced per unit area of farmland. practices include devoting large areas to monocultures of crops specially bred for high yields and rapid growth; heavy use of fertilizers, pesticides, and irrigation water; and sowing and harvesting on the same piece of land more than once per year or per season
Norman Borlaug (1914-2009)
american agricultural scientist who introduced specially bred crops to developing nations in the 20th century, helping to spur the green revolution
monoculture
the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area. characterizes industrial agriculture
biofuel
fuel produced from biomass energy sources and used primarily to power automobiles. examples include ethanol and biodiesel
ethanol
the alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, produced as a biofuel by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops such as corn
sustainable agriculture
agriculture that can be practiced in the same way and in the same place for into the future
feedlot
a huge barn or outdoor pen designed to deliver energy-rich food to animals living at extremely high densities. also called a factory farm or concentrated animal feeding operation (CAFO)
seed bank
a storehouse for samples of the world’s crop diversity
pollination
a plant-animal interaction in which one organism (for example, a bee or a hummingbird) transfers pollen (containing male sex cells) from flower to flower, fertilizing ovaries (containing female sex cells) that grow into fruits with seeds
pest
a pejorative term for any organism that damages crops that are valuable to us. the term is subjective and is defined by our own economic interests and is not biologically meaningful
pesticide
an artificial chemical used to kill insects, plants, or fungi
weed
a pejorative term for any plant that competes with our crops. the term is subjective and is defined by our own economic interests and is not biologically meaningful
bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)
a naturally occuring soil bacterium that produces a protein that kills many pests, including caterpillars and the larvae of some flies and beetles
biological control (biocontrol)
control of pests and weeds with organisms that prey on or parasitize them, rather than with pesticides
integrated pest management (IPM)
the use of multiple techniques in combination to achieve long-term suppression of pests, including biocontrol, use of pesticides, close monitoring of populations, habitat alteration, crop rotation, transgenic crops, alternative tillage methods, and mechanical pest removal
organic agriculture
agriculture that does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides but instead relies in biological approaches such as composting and biocontrol.
aquaculture
the cultivation of aquatic organisms for food in controlled environments
