Chapter 10 - Agriculture, Biotechnology, and the future of Food Flashcards

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1
Q

soil degradation

A

a deterioration of soil productivity, resulting primarily from forest removal, cropland agriculture, and overgrazing of livestock

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2
Q

land degradation

A

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

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3
Q

dust bowl

A

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

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4
Q

conservation districts

A

a county-based entity created by the soil conservation service (now the natural resources conservation service) to promote practices to conserve soil

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5
Q

natural resources conservation service (NCRS)

A

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

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6
Q

overgrazing

A

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

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7
Q

contour farming

A

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

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8
Q

terracing

A

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

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9
Q

intercropping

A

planting different types of crops in alternating bonds or other spatially mixed arrangements

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10
Q

shelterbelts (windbreaks)

A

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

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11
Q

conservation tillage

A

agriculture that limits the amount of tillage (planting, digging, harrowing, or chiseling) the soil

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12
Q

crop rotation

A

the practice of alternating the kind of crop grown in a particular field from one season or year to the next

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13
Q

genetically modified food

A

food derived from a genetically modified organism

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14
Q

genetically modified organism (GMO)

A

an organism that has been genetically engineered using recombinant DNA technology

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15
Q

genetic engineering

A

any process scientists use to manipulate an organism’s genetic material in the lab by adding, deleting, or changing segments of its DNA

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16
Q

landrace

A

a locally adapted domesticated variety of agricultural crop native to a particular area

17
Q

transgenic

A

term describing an organism that contains DNA from another species

18
Q

transgene

A

a gene that has been extracted from the DNA of one organism and transferred into the DNA of an organism of another species

19
Q

undernutrition

A

s condition of insufficient nutrition in which people receive less than 90% of the daily caloric needs

20
Q

food security

A

an adequate, reliable, and available food supply to all people at all times

21
Q

malnutrition

A

the condition of lacking nutrients the body needs, including a complete complement of vitamins and minerals

22
Q

green revolution

A

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

23
Q

Norman Borlaug (1914-2009)

A

american agricultural scientist who introduced specially bred crops to developing nations in the 20th century, helping to spur the green revolution

24
Q

monoculture

A

the uniform planting of a single crop over a large area. characterizes industrial agriculture

25
Q

biofuel

A

fuel produced from biomass energy sources and used primarily to power automobiles. examples include ethanol and biodiesel

26
Q

ethanol

A

the alcohol in beer, wine, and liquor, produced as a biofuel by fermenting biomass, generally from carbohydrate-rich crops such as corn

27
Q

sustainable agriculture

A

agriculture that can be practiced in the same way and in the same place for into the future

28
Q

feedlot

A

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)

29
Q

seed bank

A

a storehouse for samples of the world’s crop diversity

30
Q

pollination

A

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

31
Q

pest

A

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

32
Q

pesticide

A

an artificial chemical used to kill insects, plants, or fungi

33
Q

weed

A

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

34
Q

bacillus thuringiensis (Bt)

A

a naturally occuring soil bacterium that produces a protein that kills many pests, including caterpillars and the larvae of some flies and beetles

35
Q

biological control (biocontrol)

A

control of pests and weeds with organisms that prey on or parasitize them, rather than with pesticides

36
Q

integrated pest management (IPM)

A

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

37
Q

organic agriculture

A

agriculture that does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides but instead relies in biological approaches such as composting and biocontrol.

38
Q

aquaculture

A

the cultivation of aquatic organisms for food in controlled environments