Undernutrition
The condition in which not enough calories are igested to maintain health.
Malnourished
Having a diet that lacks the correct balance of proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals.
Food security
A condition in which people have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs for an active and healthy life.
Famine
The condition in which food insecurity is so extreme that large numbers of deaths occur in a given area over a relatively short period.
Anemia
A deficiency of iron.
Overnutrition
Ingestion of too many calories and a a lack of balance of foods and nutrients.
Meat
Livestock or poultry consumes as food.
Industrial agriculture
Agriculture that applies the techniques of mechanization and standardization. Also known as agribusiness.
Agribusiness
Agriculture that applies the techniques of mechanization and standardization. Also known as industrial agriculture.
Energy subsidy
The fossil fuel energy and human energy input per calorie of food produced.
Green Revolution
A shift in agricultural practices in the twentieth century that included new management techniques, mechanization, fertilization, irrigation and improved crop varieties, and that resulted in increased food output.
Economies of scale
The observation that average costs of production fall as output increases.
Waterlogging
A form of soil degradation that occurs when soil remains underwater for prolonged periods.
Salinization
A form of soil degradation that occurs when the small amount of salts in irrigation water becomes highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation.
Organic fertilizer
Fertilizer composed of organic matter from plants and animals.
Synthetic fertilizer
Fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels. Also known as inorganic fertilizer.
Inorganic fertilizer
Fertilizer produced commercially, normally with the use of fossil fuels. Also known as synthetic fertilizer.
Monocropping
An agricultural method that utilizes large planting of a single species or variety.
Pesticide
A substance, either natural or synthetic, that kills or controls organism that people consider pests.
Insecticide
A pesticide that targets species of insects and other invertebrates that consume corps.
Herbicide
A pesticide that targets plant species that compete with crops.
Broad-spectrum pesticide
A pesticide that kills many different types of pest.
Selective pesticide
A pesticide that targets a narrow range of organisms.
Persistent pesticide
A pesticide that remains in the environment for a long time.
Nonpersistent pesticide
A pesticide that breaks down rapidly, usually in weeks or months.
Pesticide resistence
A trait possessed by certain individuals that are exposed to a pesticide and survive.
Pesticide treadmill
A cycle of pesticide development, followed by pest resistance, followed by new pesticide development.
Concentrated animal feeding operation (CATO)
A large indoor or outdoor structure designed for maximum output.
Fishery
A commercially harvestable population of fish within a particular ecological region.
Fishery collapse
The decline of a fish population by 90% or more.
Bycatch
The unintentional catch of nontarget species while fishing.
Shifting agriculture
An agricultural method in which land is cleared and used for a few years until the soil is depleted o nutrients.
Desertification
The transformation of arable, productive land to desert or unproductive land due to climate change or destructive land use.
Nomadic grazing
The feeding of herds of animals by moving them to seasonally productive feeding grounds, often over long distances.
Sustainable agriculture
Agriculture that fulfills the need for food and fiver while enhancing the quality of the soil, minimizing the use of nonrenewable resources, and allowing economic viability for the farmer.
Intercropping
An agricultural method in which two or more crop species are planted in the same field at the same time to promote a synergistic interaction.
Crop rotation
An agricultural technique in which crop species in a field are rotated from season to season.
Agroforestry
An agricultural technique in which trees and vegetable are intercopped.
Contour plowing
An agricultural technique in which plowing and harvesting are done parallel to the topographic contours of the land.
Perennial plant
A plant that lives for multiple years.
Annual plant
A plant that lives only one season.
No-till agriculture
An agricultural method in which farmers do not turn the soil between seasons as a means of reducing topsoil erosion.
Integrated pest management (IPM)
An agricultural practice that uses a variety of techniques designed to minimize pesticide inputs.
Organic agriculture
Production of crops without the use of synthetic pesticides or fertilizers.
Individual transferable quota (ITQ)
A fishery management program in which individual fishers are given a total allowable catch of fish in a season that they can either catch or sell.
Aquaculture
Farming aquatic organisms such as fish, shellfish and seaweeds.
components of human diet from largest to smallest
1. corn, wheat, rice, potatoes
2. meat (livestock and poultry)
3. fish
reasons for undernutrition and malnutrition
poverty, poor governance, political unrest, refugee populations, 40% of grain in U.S. diverted to livestock and poultry, per capita grain production has been level since 1980
Negative effects of irrgation
groundwater depleted, saltwater intrusion, waterlogging, salinization
broad-spectrum vs. selective pesticides
kill many different types of pests or focus on a narrower range of organisms
negative effects of pesticides
kill beneficial organisms, kill pollinator insects, kill nitrogen fixing plants, run-off, toxicity, human risk
benefits of genetic engineering
increased crop yield and quality, reduce need for pesticides, increased profits
Bt gene vs. Round-up ready
-Bt gene inserted into GMO corn, which produces insecticide in its leave, reducing amount of pesticide needed for crop production
-Round-up ready crops allow the growers to spray their fields with round-up without harming their crops,sterile crops
concerns about GMOs
safety for human consumption (allergies), effects on biodiversity (lessening), no regulation in the U.S.
conventional agriculture
industrial agriculture, as it a=has become widespread
where small-scale farming is most beneficial
the developing world, where labor is cheaper than machinery and fossil fuels
shifting agriculture
practiced in moderately warm climates with nutrient-poor soils (S. America), "slash-and-burn," involves the land used for crops until soil is depleted of nutrients and then farmer moves on, UNSUSTAINABLE
positive aspects of intercropping and crop rotation
improves soil structure, reduced depletion and erosion, controls weeds, pests and diseases, reduced reliance on chemicals
negative effects of tilling
break apart soil particles, soil erosion, exposure to oxygen leads to oxidation of organic matter, increase in atmospheric CO2 concentrations
pros and cons of CAFOs
(+) minimizes land costs, improves feeding efficiency and increase the fraction of food energy that goes into the production of animal body mass
(-) antibiotic-resistant disease strains and waste run-off
free-range benefits
fewer antibiotics, no supplemental feedings, less fossil fuels used, no piles of manure
recent fishing trends
increase in farmed fish and decrease in wild fish
Sustainable Fisheries act (1996)
shifted fisheries management from a focus on economics to species sustainability
negative aspects of aquaculture
clean water in pumped into enclosure and waste water containing feces, food and antibiotics is pumped into a river or ocean/ escaped fish compete with wild fish/ spread disease or parasites