Chapter 9: Geographies of Food and Agriculture Flashcards
agrarian
referring to the culture of agricultural communities and the type of tenure system that determines access to land and the kind of cultivation practices employed there.
agribusiness
a set of economic and political relationships that organizes agro-food production from the development of seeds to the retailing and consumption of the agricultural product
agricultural density
ratio between the number of agriculturists per unit of arable land and a specific area.
agricultural industrialization
process whereby the farm has moved from being the centerpiece of agricultural production to becoming one part of an integrated string of vertically organized industrial processes including production, storage, processing, distribution, marketing, and retailing.
agriculture
a science, art, and business directed at the cultivation of crops and the raising of livestock for sustenance and profit.
aquaculture
the cultivation of fish and shellfish under controlled conditions, usually in coastal lagoons.
biofuels
renewable fuels derived from biological materials that can be regenerated.
biopharming
an application of biotechnology in which genes from other life forms (plant, animal, fungal, bacterial, or human) are inserted into a host plant.
biotechnology
technique that uses living organisms (or parts of organisms) to make or modify products, to improve plants and animals, or to develop microorganisms for specific uses.
biorevolution
the genetic engineering of plants and animals with the potential to exceed the productivity of the Green Revolution.
borlaug hypothesis
restricting crop usage to traditional low-yield methods (such as organic farming) in the face of rising global food demand would require either the world population to decrease or the further conversion of forest land into cropland.
chemical farming
application of synthetic fertilizers to the soil—and herbicides, fungicides, and pesticides to crops—in order to enhance yields.
commercial agriculture
farming primarily for sale, not direct consumption.
contract farming
an agreement between farmers and processing and/or marketing firms for the production, supply, and purchase of agricultural products—from beef, cotton, and flowers to milk, poultry, and vegetables.
conventional farming
approach that uses chemicals in the form of plant protectants and fertilizers, or intensive, hormone-based practices in breeding and raising animals.
crop rotation
method of maintaining soil fertility in which the fields under cultivation remain the same but the crop being planted is changed.
double cropping
practice used in the milder climates whereby intensive subsistence fields are planted and harvested more than once a year.
famine
acute starvation associated with a sharp increase in mortality
fast food
edibles that can be prepared and served very quickly, sold in a
food desert
a geographic area where access to affordable and nutritious food is highly limited, especially for individuals without automobiles.
food justice
enabling communities to enact the principles just mentioned, which is simply to be able to grow, eat, and sell healthy food and care for the well-being of the local ecosystem in culturally appropriate ways.
food manufacturing
adding value to agricultural products through a range of treatments—such as processing, canning, refining, packing, and packaging— that occur off the farm and before products reach the market.
food miles
the distance that food travels from the farm to the consumer.
food regime
specific set of links that exists among food production and consumption and capital investment and accumulation opportunities.
food security
assured access by a person, household, or even a country to enough food at all times to ensure active and healthy lives
food shed
Local food is usually also organically grown and its designation as local means that it is produced within a fairly limited distance from where it is consumed, an area known as a food shed.
food sovereignity
right of peoples, communities, and countries to define their own agricultural, labor, fishing, food, and land policies that are eco- logically, socially, economically, and culturally appropriate to their unique circumstances.
food supply chain
a special type of commodity chain composed of five cen- tral and connected sectors with four contextual elements acting as external mediating forces.
globalized agriculture
system of food production increasingly dependent upon an economy and set of regulatory practices that are global in scope and organization.
GMO
any organism that has had its DNA modified in a laboratory rather than through cross-pollination or other forms of evolution.
green revolution
export of a technological package of fertilizers and high- yielding seeds from the core to the periphery to increase global agricultural productivity.
hunting and gathering
activities whereby people feed themselves through killing wild animals and fish and gathering fruits, roots, nuts, and other edible plants to sustain themselves.
intensive subsistence agriculture
practice that involves the effective and efficient use—usually through a considerable expenditure of human labor and application of fertilizer—of a small parcel of land in order to maximize crop yield.
intertillage
practice of mixing different seeds and seedlings in the same swidden.
local food
food that is organically grown and produced within a fairly lim- ited distance from where it is consumed.
malnutrition
the condition that develops when the body does not get the right amount of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to maintain healthy tissues and organ function
mechanization
replacement of human farm labor with machines.
nontraditional agricultural exports
new export crops that contrast with traditional exports.
organic farming
farming or animal husbandry done without commercial fertilizers, synthetic pesticides, or growth hormones.
pastoralism
subsistence activity that involves the breeding and herding of animals to satisfy the human needs of food, shelter, and clothing.
shifting cultivation
system in which farmers aim to maintain soil fertility by rotating the fields within which cultivation occurs.
slash and burn
system of cultivation in which plants are cropped close to the ground, left to dry for a period, and then ignited.
subsistence agriculture
farming for direct consumption by the producers; not for sale.
swidden
land that is cleared using the slash-and-burn process and is ready for cultivation.
transhumance
warmer, lowland areas in the winter; cooler, highland areas in the summer.
undernutrition
inadequate intake of one or more nutrients and/or calories.
urban agriculture
establishment or performance of agricultural practices in or near an urban or citylike setting.
