Chapter 14 | Agricultural Sustainability in a Global Market

A landscape resulting from the interactions between farming activities and a location's natural environment

An ecosystem modified for agricultural use

Loss of forest lands

The process of carving parts of a hill or mountainside into small, level growing plots

Artificial lake used to store water

Layers of sand, gravel, and rocks that contain and can release a usable amount of water

Area of land that is covered by water or saturated with water

A form of land degradation that occurs when soil deteriorates to a desert-like condition

The variety of organisms living in a location

The process by which water-soluble salts build up in the soil, which limits the ability of crops to absorb water

Agreement between a bank and a peripheral country in which the bank forgives a portion of the country’s debt in exchange for local investment in conservation measures

The science of altering living organisms, often through genetic manipulation, to create new products for specific purposes, such as crops that resist certain pests

The variety and variability of plants, animals, and microorganisms that are used directly or indirectly for food and agriculture

Reliable access to safe and nutritious food that can support an active and healthy lifestyle

The disruption of food intake or eating patterns because of poor access to food

The shifting of population away from cities into surrounding suburbs

The reduced cost of producing food items as the quantity of production increases