Chapter 3 Key Terms

Biomass

• Definition: a mass of organisms in an ecosystem: the mass of living organisms within a particular environment, measured in terms of weight per unit of area

Vegetation

• Definition: plants in general or the mass of plants growing in a particular place

• Vegetating is the process of vegetation

Agriculture

• Definition: Farming: the occupation, business or science of cultivating the land, producing crops, and raising livestock

Biofuel

• Definition: Fuel made from biological materials: a renewable fuel that is derived from biological matter

Climate Change

• Definition: change in global weather patterns: long-term alteration in global weather patterns, especially increases in temperature and storm activity, regarded as a potential consequence of the greenhouse effect

Incorporate Biochar

• Definition: charcoal and fish bones used to fertilize the soil. It creates a perfect environment for growing crops.

Soil Tillage

• Definition: the cultivation of land. Arable land that is worked by plowing, sowing, and raising crops.

Perennial Grains

• Definition: plants that are lasting or active throughout the year or through many years. They appear again and again.

Intensive Rotational Grazing

• Definition: innovative grazing systems with alternatives to extensive grazing systems and confined feed lots, thus reducing GHG’s and increasing productivity

Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation(REDD)

• Definition: a mechanism that would require methodical, institutional and government challenges to help curb a country’s emissions and deforestation

Anaerobic Biogas Digester

• Definition: manure and food waste put into a digester. Microbial action breaks down waste into low-odor, nutrient rich sludge. This can eventually be used for heat and electricity or fertilizer.

Reforestation

• Definition: Reestablishing a forest by planting or seeding an area from which forest vegetation has been removed

• Example from text: These reforestation efforts also have major climate benefits.

Biodiversity

• Definition: the diversity of plant and animal life within a region. It is often used as a measure of the health of biological systems.

• Example from text: The last 20 years have seen the rise of a variety of “green” certified products beyond organic, such as “bird-friendly” and “shade-grown,” that have clear biodiversity benefits.

Ecoagricultural Landscapes• Definition: landscapes that produce both human

food and ecosystem services, including habitat for wild biodiversity

• Example from text: It is essential to invest in building capacity at local levels to manage ecoagricultural landscapes—to enable multistakeholder platforms to plan, implement, and track progress in achieving climate-friendly land use systems that benefit local people, agricultural production, and ecosystems.