Unit 5 Vocabulary

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Agribusiness

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Commercial agriculture characterized by the integration of different steps in the food-processing industry, usually through ownership by large corporations.

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Agricultural Revolution

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The process that began when human beings first domesticated plants and animals and no longer relied entirely on hunting and gathering

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Columbian Exchange

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The transfer of plants and animals, as well as people, culture, and technology, between the Western Hemisphere and Europe, as a result of European colonization and trade

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Commercial Agriculture

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Agriculture undertaken primarily to generate products for sale off the farm

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Conservation Tillage

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A method of soil cultivation that reduces soil erosion and runoff

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Crop Rotation

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The practice of rotating use of different fields from crop to crop each year to avoid exhausting the soil

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Desertification

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Degradation of land, especially in semiarid areas, primarily because of human actions such as excessive crop planting, animal grazing, and tree cutting. Also known as semiarid land degradation.

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Dietary Energy Consumption

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The amount of food that an individual consumes measured in kilocalories (calories in the US)

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Food Security

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Physical, social, and economic access at all times to safe and nutritious food sufficient to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active healthy life

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Genetically Modified Organism (GMO)

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A living organism that possesses a novel combination of genetic material obtained through the use of modern biotechnology.