Geography of Food and Health ch2 Flashcards
Food Systems & the Spread of Disease
intensive subsistence farming
farmer cultivates small plot of land using simple tools and more labor at high inputs/yields
intensive commercial farming
type of farming where crops and animals are grown to be sold to make a profit at high inputs/yields
photosynthetic efficiency
the fraction of light energy converted into chemical energy during photosynthesis
energy efficiency ratio
Measure of amount of energy inputs into a system compared to the output
food availability deficit
lack of available food in a local area, usually due to problems such as climate, weather, transport and storage (implied they were because of physical factors)
food entitlement deficit
people access to food and the conditions that alter their access
disease diffusion
refers to spread of a disease into new locations and occurs when incidences of a disease are spread out from source
frictional effect of distance / distance decay
areas closer to source are more likely to be affected and sooner
expansion diffusion
when expanding disease has a source and expands outwards to new places
relocation diffusion
spreading disease moves into new areas, leaving behind source of disease but still carrying it with them
contagious diffusion
direct contact with infected
hierarchical diffusion
phenomenon spreads through ordered sequence of classes (like up the social hierarchy or from cities to small towns)
network diffusion
spread via transportation and social networks
what is the systems approach to food production
Many types of farming and many factors that influence farming that uses inputs, outputs, and processes to understand systems; Agriculture looks to improve the productivity of ecosystems by applying energy subsidies, different processes that vary and develop over time, and agricultural practices may be spread from place to place but not everyone can afford the advance in technology
what is nutrient cycling
a system where energy and matter are transferred between living organisms and non-living parts of the environment. This occurs as animals and plants consume nutrients found in the soil, and these nutrients are then released back into the environment via death and decomposition
