A
Agro-ecology
A scientific discipline that employs ecological theory to
study, design and manage agricultural systems. It is concerned with the
maintenance of a productive agriculture that sustains yields, optimizes the use
of local resources and minimizes the negative environmental and socio-economic
impacts of modern technologies.
Aguoir
Seafood tastes of the water it comes from. Formula for Term:
terroir¹-terre²+agua³ = aguoir (terroir¹= a French term expressing the idea
that food tastes of its place. terre²=soil (French) agua³=water (Spanish))
Annual
Replant every year
Apiculture
Apiculture is the process of raising bees to make honey and
serve as pollinators for food crops.
Aquaponics
Aquaculture (fish farming) + hydroponics (growing plants in
nutrient-enriched water instead of soil).
GP raises about 100,000 fish per year. These include tilapia, a
warm-water fish native to Africa, and lake perch, a cool-water fish native to
North America.
Artificial Fertilizers
Minerals that are produced through chemical processes to
nurture the soil and aid in the growth of one or more plants.
B
Backyard Pollinators
Each year the Ballard Bee Company gathers over four thousand
pounds of locally produced honey from a hundred hives placed on rooftops and in
backyards (like Ellitot’s) throughout the Seattle area.
Battery Cages
Industrial agriculture’s confinement system used for
egg-laying hens. Floor space for battery cages ranges from 300 cm² per bird and
up; the space allocated to battery hens has often been described as less than
the size of a piece of paper. A typical cage is about the size of a filing
cabinet drawer and holds from 8 to 10 hens. Animal welfare scientists have
criticized battery cages because they do not provide hens with sufficient space
to stand, walk, flap their wings, perch, or make a nest. It is estimated that over 60% of the world’s
eggs are produced in such industrial systems.
Biodynamics
An integrated self-regulating, multi-layered food-web that
requires little maintenance and no pesticides.
Biodiversity
weeds + trees + crops + critters + soil = An integrated food
web allowing biota to self-regulate = (no pesticides needed)An integrated
self-regulating, multi-layered food-web that requires little maintenance and no
pesticides.
Biological Soil Crusts
A community of organisms and their by-products which live at
the surface of desert soils. Principle components are cyanobacteria, green
algae, microfungi, mosses, liverworts and lichens.
Biostimulants
Any biological material applied to the soil which enhances
metabolic or physiological processes and aids in plant growth and development.
Broiler House
Buildings with little ventilation that serve as concentrated
feed lots capable of holding up to ten thousand chickens at a time.
C
Cage Free
Chickens that are not kept in cages. This means chickens are
still confined to a barn with limited or no access to outside. The term
“barn-roaming” more accurately describes this principle.
Carbon Farming
The goal behind agricultural carbon removal is to use a crop
and its relation to the carbon cycle to permanently sequester carbon within the
soil. This is achieved by choosing farming methods that return biomass to the
soil and and foster conditions which will allow it to be stored in a stable
state.
Carbon Sequestration
The long-term capture and storage of carbon dioxide or other
forms of carbon in the soil using agricultural methods, with the purpose of
mitigating or deferring global warming.
Cattle Rotation
Also known as rotational grazing, involves dividing a given
range into several pastures and then grazing each in a certain sequence. This
improves livestock distribution while allowing a rest period for new forage.
Chicken Tractor
A movable chicken coop with no floor which allows for
chickens to graze on new pastures while still providing shelter.
Colony Collapse Disorder
A disease which causes bees to disappear from their
hives. While it is still unknown whether
CCD is caused by a fungus, parasitic mite, or changes in their food supply, it
has affected a third of all bees in the United States.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)
The delivery of fresh vegetable from farms, can be local and
also far from you, to your home.
Buying a CSA membership means entering into partnership with
a local farmer. The member buys a subscription at the beginning of the season.
This cash infusion allows the farmer to pay for seed, water, equipment and
labor in the early season when farm expenses are high and farm income is low.
In return the farm provides its members with a box of fresh picked seasonal
produce each week. CSAs build community by reconnecting its members to the
seasons and fostering relationships between members and the people who grow
their food.
Communities invest in their local food systems
Consumers can buy shares to support local farms like Anne
Cure’s in Boulder, Colorado. In return they receive weekly boxes of fresh
fruits and vegetables. Such arrangements
connect consumers with the people who grow their food while strengthening local
food systems.
How it works
1. CSA subscribers chose between three box sizes
2. They directly engage farmers who can share the stories
behind everything grown on the farm.
3. CSA members are free to create their own boxes, to choose
their own produce.
4. If CSA members don’t like an item in their box (beets for
example) they can exchange it for something else he
Compost Tea
A liquid solution obtained by steeping compost in
water. It is used as a fertilizer to
help prevent plant diseases.
Concentrated Animal Feedlot Operations (CAFO)
An animal feeding operation that confines animals for more than 45 days during a growing season in an area that does not produce vegetation. CAFOs substitute structures and equipment (with regards to feeding, temperature controls and manure management) for land and labor. The United States EPA has created three categories of CAFOs in terms of their capacity: large, medium and small. The corresponding animal unit for each of these categories depends on the species of animal.
Conjugated Linoleic Acids
A family of at least 28 isomers of linoleic acid found
primarily in the meat and dairy products derived from ruminants. CLAs are
considered to have anti-cancer properties.
Contour Cropping
Contour cropping is an erosion friendly way of planting
crops on hilly terrain.
Co-op
An association of persons united voluntarily with the
purpose of meeting common economic, social, and/or cultural needs through
jointly owned and democratically controlled endeavors. A cooperative may also
be defined as a business owned and controlled equally by the people who utilize
its services and/or by the people who work there.
Cover Cropping
A method of land management used to prevent soil erosion and
replenish the soil with nutrients.
D
Dirty Dozen
Pesticide residue from conventionally grown produce does not
entirely wash off under the tap at home. The Dirty Dozen is a list of the 12
most contaminated foods that should be avoided by buying organic. Doing so will
substantially lower your pesticide intake. They are: Apples, Celery,
Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines (imported), Grapes (imported), Sweet
bell peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries (domestic), Lettuce, and Kale/collard
greens. This list is compiled by the Environmental Working Group (EWG) whose
mission is to use the power of public information to protect public health and
the environment.
E
Eat-In
The gathering of communities to share a home cooked meal.
Eating Down The Food Chain
Fish atop the food chain (tuna, swordfish, sharks, etc.)
are BIO-ACCUMULATORS; they may have high levels of heavy metals like mercury in
their systems (it takes 30lbs of “keystone species” like sardines to make 1lb
of tuna). Including keystone species in our diet would result in ingesting less
heavy metals and a reduction in the over fishing of larger species. Over 40% of
the protein fished from the world’s oceans are keystone species. They are used
to feed pigs and chickens (and even farmed fish). By shifting our eating habits
we can turn these fish into a healthier protein source.
Eating In Season
Wild edibles grow everywhere. You need to be aware of what’s
around you. When you spend time outside, see how things change throughout the
year.
Edible Education By Alice Waters: Five Principles
I. FOOD IS AN ACADEMIC SUBJECT
Ecology and gastronomy bring alive every subject from
reading and writing to science and art.
II. SCHOOL PROVIDES LUNCH FOR EVERY CHILD
Good food is a right not a privilege. It brings children
into a positive relationship with their health, community and environment.
III. SCHOLS SUPPORT FARMS
Cafeterias buy fresh food from local farms, not only for
reasons of health but to strengthen local food economies.
IV. CHILDREN LEARN BY DOING
Children work in the vegetable beds and on the cutting
boards to awaken their senses and open their minds, both to their core academic
subjects and to the world around them.
V. BEAUTY IS A LANGUAGE
A beautifully prepared environment, where deliberate thought
has gone into everything from the paths to the plates on the tables,
communicates to children that we care about them.
Erosion
The loss of topsoil caused by bad land management practices.
F
Fallen Fruit
People search their cities and neighborhoods for unused or
unwanted things: litter, refuse…even food. Fallen fruit is often overlooked
(either after its fallen to the ground or while still on the tree). It can be
harvested, gleaned, or just observed.
Farm Fairies
Individuals who structure creative financial agreements
which allow farmers to purchase land, set down permanent roots, and do what
they love instead of being priced out of the land market by speculators.
Farming for a Better Climate (FBC)
A plan to help cut greenhouse gas emissions from across the
agricultural sector funded by the Scottish Government and hosted by the
Scottish Agricultural College (SAC). It offers advice of cost-effective ways to
benefit business and the environment.
Farm To Table
Closing The Loop.
When communities pay closer attention to where our food is
grown and how it reaches our table, and people re-discover the “localness” of
all that’s around them, food suddenly has a sense of place. Farms and restaurants build close
relationships, strengthening their local economies and forging new cultural
identities for their communities … all based on food.
Food Democracy
“The right of all people to an adequate, safe, nutritious,
sustainable food supply.”- Food Democracy Vandana Shiva.
Emphasizes social justice within the food system and is
based upon the doctrine that citizens have the power to determine food policies
locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Food Democracy upholds the idea
that it is a right and responsibility of citizens everywhere to participate in
decisions concerning their food system. In challenging the corporate food
structure the goal is to ensure that all citizens have access to healthy,
affordable and culturally appropriate foods.
Food Desert
Places where supermarkets are nonexistent, leaving residents
to subsist on food found at corner
stores, gas stations, liquor stores and fast food restaurants. Food deserts predominate in low income urban
communities.
Food Forest
The implementation/ mix of fruit and nut trees with bushes,
shrubs and vegetable plants which are planted in a way that mimic woodland
ecosystems.
Food Justice
The belief that good healthy food should be natural right
worth fighting for and can be achieved through the restructuring of the social,
agricultural, environmental and economic spheres.
Food Literacy
Consumers that learn about food production and agricultural
practices can determine which systems to support and which to shun.
Food Miles
The distance food travels from the field to your table.
Foodportunity
The philosophy/ practice of connecting people back to their
food systems through working in the social and environmental spheres.
Food Security
“Having consistent year round access to safe, local,
affordable and culturally appropriate food that is grown, raised, produced and
moved about in manners that are responsible to the environment while reflecting
a consumption of natural resources that is equitable with a view to our
offspring seven generations from now.” – Erika Allen
Forage
The art of finding and enjoying wild food.
Foraging
“Professional foragers travel between Alaska, the Yukon,
British Columbia, Saskatehewan, Washington, Oregon, Colorado and California.
Foraging is fun, adventurous, healthy, rewarding and romantic…it’s an activity
that connects you viscerally to nature, it requires respect yet imparts
knowledge.” -Tyler Gray
Free Range
Outside the United States this term refers to a method of
farming where the animals are allowed to roam freely rather than being
contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to
poultry and indicate solely that the animal has been allowed access to the
outside. These regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outside
range nor the duration of time the animal must be allowed access to this space.
G
Genetically Engineered Food/Frankenfood
Foods that are derived from genetically modified organisms.
Organisms that have been genetically modified have had specific changed
introduced into their DNA through genetic engineering techniques.
Grass Fed
Livestock that forage freely on grass and legume pastures as
oppose to being fed corn and grains in confined feedlots.
Green Collar/Cuello Verde
Workers retrained to work in agriculture = “reconvertido
profesionalmente en la agricultura”
Greenhorns
Enthusiastic young farmers (often novice and experienced)
who are committed to becoming vital contributors at their local foodsheds.
Growth Promotant
A small pellet that is implanted under the skin on the back
of an animal’s ear. The pellet releases amounts of hormone and then dissolves
when the treatment is finished. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires
a “withdrawal” period between when the animal is treated and when it can go to
a meat packing plant.
Guilds
Similar to companion planting, where plants of different
species are planted together in symbiotic groups, providing nutrients, pest
protection and shade to eachother.
H
Heirloom
Open pollinated seeds saved and passed from one generation
to the next.
Heirloom Seeds
Seeds that produce food not able to survive mass
production. These seeds tend to be open
pollinated with fruits that are often propagated through cuttings.
Heirloom Varieties
A garden crop that has a traceable lineage. Some would say a
true heirloom needs to be at least 50 years old, but all agree that they are
unique vegetable and plant varieties which are genetically distinct from the
commercial varieties that have been propagated by industrial agriculture.
Growing these varieties ensure their genetic preservation.
High Fructose Corn Syrup
Means any group of corn syrups that have undergone enzymatic
processing in order to convert a portion of its glucose into fructose and
produce a desired sweetness.
Humus
The finished product of composting vegetative matter; it can
have stable or unstable colloids which release nutrients in a constant flow
when needed to the plants.
Hybrid
Artificial, controlled pollination developed for large scale
agriculture.
I
Intensive Tillage
Turning soil causes its bacteria populations to explode.
This decomposes organic matter in the soil which in turn leaches C02 into the
atmosphere.
Irradiation
Is the exposure of materials to radiation. Food irradiation
is the exposing of food to ionizing radiation in order to destroy
microorganisms, bacteria, viruses, or insects that may be present in the food.
Other applications include delay of ripening, sprout inhibition, increase of
juice yield and re-hydration improvement.
K
Kitchen Incubator
Helps entrepreneurs launch, grow and formalize food
businesses which can provide real asset generation for their families.
L
Local
The principle that a given entity belongs or relates to a
particular area.
Local Food Shed
A geographic area where food is grown and consumed; it also
accounts for population density, land quality and available distribution
routes.
Locavore
The practice of being conscious of the impact your food
miles and limiting yourself to a 100mile radius where you buy local and grow
your own food.
Low Carbon Diet
The way food is grown, transported and prepared affects the
amount of pollution produced. This
includes airborne pollutants as well as green house gases released into
waterways and soil systems. A low carbon
diet involves consuming llocally grown and harvested food.
M
Maximum Sustained Yield
Measuring the harvest and escapement numbers of specific
species assists Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game in their deployment of a
viable fishery management strategy, one that considers time, area and gear type
for catching different fish. The goal? Provide for optimal harvests while
sustaining each salmon species.
Methane
A greenhouse gas produced by cow flatulence and defecation
which pollutes the environment.
Methane Digester
A system which captures naturally occurring gas from cow
manure and converts it into electricity.
What the digester does in (30-40 days)
1. saves money by generating 300,000 kilowatt hours of
energy per year
2. eliminates a greenhouse gas 23 times more damaging than
CO₂
3. converts nitrogen into a more usable form for plants
4. cuts down on the odor and flies around the farm
How it works
1. barn slurry, silage runoff, and creamery waste flow into
the slurry pit¹
2. this mixture is pumped into a device² which separates the
manure’s solids and liquids
3. the liquid flows by gravity into the digester pond³
4. anaerobic digestion = bacteria digest the waste and give
off methane gas
5. the methane gas
fuels a generator that offsets the farm’s energy use by 90%
6. heat captured from the engine makes hot water used to
wash equipment in the milking barn
Mob Stocking
Confining livestock to a particular area so that it may be
intensively grazed.
Monoculture
growing a single crop over a vast amount of land increases
the risk of fungus, disease and specialized predators, which conventional
farming combats with pesticides, herbicides and fungicides. = Industrial
Agriculture.
Mulching
The use of biodegradable material to combat weeds and
improve the soil’s workability, tilth, and fertility.
N
Naturally Raised
Livestock which was raised without the use of growth
promtants, antibiotics, under these certified animals are allowed to have
parasitic medicine, but not given food with animal byproducts to eat.
Natural Systems Agriculture
Agriculture based off
of bio-mimicry, mimicking nature in order to get optimum efficiency when
growing food.
Nitrogen Fixation
The process of using rhizome bacteria to transform nitrogen
in the atmosphere into readily made nitrates that plants can uptake.
O
Organic
Farming using natural systems and inputs with a view toward
a sustainable future.
Organic Dairy
Through organic ranching practices, farmers ensure their
cows are free of pesticide residues, growth hormones and antibiotics (like rBGH
and rBST) meaning their milk is free of these contaminants as well. Bovine
growth hormone has been linked to an increased risk of certain cancers.
Organic Pest Management
Organic Pest Management works on the basis of prevention,
the gardener must prepare the environment to be diverse and a healthy soil life
in order to rear plants immune to pestilence, if pests do become a problem; one
follows the following systems; Cultural Controls, Physical Controls and
Biological Controls.
P
Pasture Raised
Animals that have been raised on pasture with access to
shelter. This term is being used by farmers who wish to distinguish themselves
from the industrialized “free-range” term.
Perennial
Plant once.
Permaculture
= permanent – “nent” + culture (as in cultivate)
Processed Food
Any food other than a raw agricultural commodity including
any raw agricultural commodity that has been either canned, cooked, frozen,
dehydrated, or milled. As an extension, processed food is also used to infer
convenience food, which is commercially prepared food designed for ease of
consumption. Such foods have been criticized for being full of saturated fats,
sodium, and sugar and for providing little to no nutritional value. (In
addition their artificial additives can produce food allergies, weight gain,
and cause cancer.)
R
Rainwater Harvesting
Harvesting rainwater for drinking and agricultural use.
Raw Honey
Honey that is unpasteurized and unprocessed.
rBST
Bovine somatotropin (BST or BGH) is a chain of amino acids
produced by a cow’s pituitary gland. As with other hormones, it is produced in
small quantities and is used in regulating metabolic processes. Since 1994 it
has been synthesized by using recombinant DNA technology to create recombinant
bovine somatotropin (rBST) also known as recombinant bovine growth hormone
(rBGH). The United States is the only developed nation to permit humans to
drink milk from cows that have been treated with this artificial growth
hormone. It was banned in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and all European
Union countries by 2000 or earlier.
Resilience
The ability to keep going even when things around you are
going wrong.
Riparian Buffer
An area of vegetation, usually forested, near a stream that
helps to shade and protect it from the impact of nearby land uses. It plays an
essential role in increasing water quality in streams, rivers and lakes. Conventional agricultural production has led
to the decline of many ecosystems and as a result, riparian buffers have become
a common conservation practice aimed at increasing water quality and reducing
pollution.
Roof Top Farm
Adds environmentally beneficial green space to cities and
increases the local food supply by creating a self-sustaining ecosystem (in
this case on a roof).
S
Slow Money
Inspired by the Slow Food movement, financial investors who
invest their resources in local and organic options run by small farmers &
small business owners.
Small Farms
Small, organic farms like Rick Knoll’s are able to eliminate
their reliance on petrochemical-based fertilizers and pesticides. The results are fewer pollutants, less
environmental degradation, and cleaner air.
And by using cover cropping and other soil fertilization principles they
are able to sequester carbon and keep topsoil—which is carbon heavy—from being
lost into the atmosphere, which also contributes to climate change.
Sustainability
Respect Mother Earth. Respect the land. Learn from the
animals. When foraging always leave something behind for whoever comes next. In
this way you’re sure to find something when you come back.
T
The 100 Mile Diet
A common unit of measure used to denote the maximum distance
food can travel and still remain local to the consumer.
U
Urban Apiary
Beekeeping in an urban environment.
V
Veggie Libel Law (Aka “Food Disparagement Law”)
13 states⁺ have passed laws to criminalize any behavior
which may endanger the profits of a food company (this includes defamation by
written or printed words, pictures, or in any form other than by spoken words
or gestures). (Alabama, Arizona,
Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Dakota, Ohio,
Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas. 12 of
these states’ statutes are civil; it is criminal in Colorado.)
Robyby Kenner (maker of the film 'Food Inc.") says the food industry has little interest in letting us nknow where our food comes from and what's in it. His biggest shock came during a Congressional hearing on whether
cloned meat should be labeled. When the
industry rep said “I don’t think it is in the interest of the consumers to be given
this kind of information…it would just be too confusing,” it became all too
clear the extent to which information about what we eat is off limits. (Was
this why Robby make “Food, Inc.”?) Robby was curious to know where our food
comes from and how we can feed the world in a more sustainable way.
Vermiculture
Red wiggler worms enrich + remediate soil with their
castings. This worm poop is the best organic fertilizer available. Worms can
even decontaminate soil: the beneficial bacteria in their gut breaks down heavy
organic compounds and actually destroys harmful E. coli bacteria.
W
Weed Control
Instead of herbicides, straw is spread between the rows to
eliminate weeds which rob the soil of water and nutrients.
Wildlife Corridor
Natural corridors provide habitat for birds and other
predators that eat insects and gophers, thereby helping to maintain an
ecological balance on the farm.
Wild Harvest
The foraging of foods which grow in the wild without
cultivation or human assistance.
