Chapter 14

Question 1

polyculture

Answer 1

planting a mix of perennial grasses, legumes, sunflowers, grain crops and plants that provides natural insecticides in the same field. (many different plants maturing at various time are planted together.)

• less need for fertilizers and water
• more protection to the plants from wind and water erosion
• little to no need for insecticides and herbicides

Question 2

perennials

Answer 2

plants that have more than a two year life cycle

-less labor, reduces soil erosion and less polution

Question 3

annuals

Answer 3

plants that have a one year life cycle

Question 4

industrialized agriculture (high-input agriculture)

Answer 4

• 80% of world’d food supply
• uses large amounts of fossil fuels, water, commercial fertilizers and pesticides to produce a single crop (monocultures) or livestock

Question 5

plantation agriculture

Answer 5

• form of industrialized agriculture

- used on developing countries growing cash crops (soybeans, coffee, sugarcane, cocoa, vegetables, bananas)

Question 6

traditional subsistence agriculture

Answer 6

• mostly draft animals and human labor

- it only produces enough for a farm family’s survival

Question 7

Traditional intensive agriculture

Answer 7

-high inputs of human labor, draft labor, water, and fertilizers in order to get a higher yield per area of cultivated land

Question 8

green revolution

Answer 8

• 1950
• new management techniques and mechanization as well as more fertilization and irrigation
• improved crop varieties and increased food production

Question 9

second green revolution

Answer 9

• 1967-present day

- introducing fast growing varieties of rice and wheat in several developing countries

Question 10

interplanting

Answer 10

• growing several different crops on the same plot

- reduces the chances of losing food supplies due to pests, bad weather and other misfortunes.

Question 11

polyvarietal cultivation

Answer 11

planting a plot with several varieties of the same crop

Question 12

intercropping

Answer 12

growing two or more different crops at the same time on a plot

Question 13

agroforestry (alley cropping)

Answer 13

crops and trees are planted in alternate rows

Question 14

land degradation

Answer 14

natural or human processes decrease the future ability of land to support crops, livestock or wild species

Question 15

soil erosion

Answer 15

-the movement of soil components (surface litter or topsoil) from one place to another.

main causes: flowing water and wind
harmful effects: loss of soil fertility and sediments pollute water

Question 16

desertification

Answer 16

the productive potential of arid or semi-arid land falls by 10% or more because of natural climate change and human activities

Question 17

salinization

Answer 17

• when the small amts. of salts in irrigation water become highly concentrated on the soil surface through evaporation.
• stunts crop growth, lowers crop yields and eventually kills plants and ruins the land

Question 18

waterlogging

Answer 18

when the soil remains under water for a prolonged periods of time, which impairs root growth due to decreased oxygen levels.

Question 19

soil conservation

Answer 19

-using ways to reduce soil erosion and restore soil fertility

Question 20

conventional-tillage farming

Answer 20

farmers plow the land and then break up and smooth the soil to make a planting surface

Question 21

conservation-tillage farming

Answer 21

the soil is disturbed little or not at all to reduce soil erosion, lower labor costs, and save energy

Question 22

terracing

Answer 22

can reduce soil erosion on steep slope by converting the land into a series of broad, nearly level terraces that run across the land contour

Question 23

contour farming

Answer 23

involves plowing and planting crops in rows across the slope of the land rather than up and down

Question 24

strip cropping

Answer 24

planting alternating strips of a row crop and another crop that completely covers the soil

Question 25

cover crops

Answer 25

the planting of cops such as alfalfa, clover, or rye immediately after harvest to help protect and hold the soil

Question 26

windbreaks (shelter belts)

Answer 26

row of trees or hedges to partially block wind flow and reduce soil erosion on cultivated land

Question 27

organic fertilizer

Answer 27

organic material such as animal manure, green manure, and compost, applied to cropland as a source of plant nutrition

Question 28

commercial inorganic fertilizer

Answer 28

commercially prepared mixture of plant nutrients such as nitrates, phosphates, and potassium applied to the soil to restore fertility and increase crop yields

Question 29

animal manure

Answer 29

dung and urine of animals used as a form of organic fertilizer

Question 30

green manure

Answer 30

freshly cut or still-growing green vegetation that is plowed into the soil to increase the organic matter and humus available to support crop growth

Question 31

compost

Answer 31

partially decomposed organic plant and animal matter used as a soil conditioner or fertilizer

Question 32

crop rotation

Answer 32

Planting a field, or an area of a field, with different crops from year to year to reduce soil nutrient depletion.

Question 33

chronic undernutrition

Answer 33

An ongoing condition suffered by people who cannot grow or buy enough food to meet their basic energy need

Question 34

malnutrition

Answer 34

faulty nutrition, caused by a diet that does not supply an individual with enough protein, essential fats, vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients needed for good health

Question 35

over nutrition

Answer 35

diet so high in calories, saturated fats, sugar, salt, and processed foods and so low in vegetables and fruits that the consumer runs high risks of diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and other health hazards

Question 36

third green revolution

Answer 36

- a gene revolution | - using genetic engineering to develop genetically improved strains of crops and livestock animals.

Question 37

genetic engineering

Answer 37

insertion of an alien gene into an organism to give it a beneficial genetic trait

Question 38

genetically modified food (GMFs)

Answer 38

organisms whose genetic makeup has been modified by genetic engineering

Question 39

rangelands

Answer 39

land that supplies forage or vegetation for grazing and browsing animals and is not intensively managed

Question 40

overgrazing

Answer 40

destruction of vegetation when too many grazing animals feed too long and exceed the carrying capacity of a rangeland or pasture area

Question 41

fisheries

Answer 41

concentrations of particular aquatic species suitable for commercial; harvesting in a give ocean area or inland body of water

Question 42

aquaculture

Answer 42

growing and harvesting of fish and shellfish for human use in freshwater ponds, irrigation ditches, and lakes, or in cages or fenced in areas of coastal lagoons and estuaries

Question 43

trawling fishing

Answer 43

used to catch fish and shellfish that live on or near the ocean floor. It involves dragging a funnel shaped net held open at the neck along the ocean bottom and weighed down with chains or metal plates

Question 44

bycatch

Answer 44

most of the fish and other aquatic species

Question 45

pures-seien fishing

Answer 45

involves catching surface-dwelling species such as tuna, mackerel, anchovies, and herring, which tend to feed in schools near the surface or in shallow areas

Question 46

longlining

Answer 46

involves putting out lines up to 140 kilometers (80miles) long, hung with thousands of baited hooks

Question 47

drift-net fishing

Answer 47

fish are caught by huge drifting nets that can hang as much as 15 meters (50 ft) below the surface and be up to 64 kilometers (40 miles) long. - leads to overfishing and may trap/kill large quantities of unwanted fish and marine mammals.

Question 48

overfishing

Answer 48

taking of so many fish that too little breeding stock is left to maintain numbers

Question 49

fish farming

Answer 49

involves cultivating fish in a controlled environment and harvesting them when they reach the desired size

Question 50

fish ranching

Answer 50

involves holding anadromous species such as salmon that live part of their lives in fresh water and part in salt water in captivity for the the first few years of their lives, usually in fenced-in areas or floating cages in coastal lagoons and estuaries

Question 51

sustainable (low-input agriculture, organic farming, agroecology)

Answer 51

method of food production that uses technology based on ecological knowledge to increase yields, control pests, and build soil fertility relies more on perennial crops