Chapter 3 Key Terms

1. Chapter 3 Key Terms

2. 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

3. Vegetation • Definition: plants in general or the mass of plants growing in a particular place • Vegetating is the process of vegetation

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

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

6. 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

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

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

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

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

11. 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

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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.