Agriculture is the growing/raising of food in a controlled manner.
Aquaculture is the breeding, raising, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, and aquatic plants.
Carbon sequestration is the process of capturing and storing atmospheric carbon.
Commodity crops are agricultural products that can be bought and sold.
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a farming model in which consumers purchase shares of a farm's harvest in advance, providing farmers with guaranteed income and connecting them directly with their community.
Conventional agriculture is food production and growing practices that typically disrupt natural ecological systems and processes. Also referred to as industrial agriculture, these farming techniques decrease soil health, have massive energy inputs, and decrease biodiversity.
Direct-to-consumer agricultural models sell directly to the consumer and skip markets like wholesale and retail. Direct-to-consumer includes Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), farm stops, and farmer markets. These models can reduce food miles, promote farmer-to-consumer connections, support the local economy, and increase farmer incomes.
Environmental justice is the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of race, color, national origin, or income, with respect to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies. Environmental justice is multidisciplinary and grassroots, resulting in numerous interpretations.
Farmers markets are markets/events for local farmers to sell their agricultural products directly to consumers.
Farm stops are year-round, everyday markets that support small-scale farmers and strengthen local and regional food systems. Through a consignment model, farm stops can give producers a fair price, flexibility with their time and products, and more direct connections with consumers.
Foodshed is the geographic area that produces food for a particular population.
Food justice is a multidisciplinary and grassroots perspective of the food system that views healthy, nutritious, and culturally competent foods as a human right while addressing the structural barriers and food insecurities to that right.
Food producer is a person who grows, raises, processes, prepares, manufactures, or otherwise adds value to a food product the person is selling. Food Producers can be known as farmers, ranchers, fishers, or gardeners.
Food rescue (also called food recovery, food salvage, or surplus food redistribution) refers to the practice of gathering edible food that would typically go to waste at farms, markets, grocery stores, restaurants, or dining facilities for local emergency food programs distribution purposes.
Food sovereignty is a multidisciplinary and grassroots perspective of the food system that views healthy, nutritious, and culturally competent foods as a human right while addressing the structural barriers and food insecurities to that right.
Food security/food access is the ability to access enough food at all times in order to live a meaningful, active, and healthy life.
Food systems are the interconnected web of people, places, inputs, and policies involved in the production, processing, distribution, consumption, and waste management of food.
Food supply chain is the network of individuals, organizations, activities, and technology involved in getting food from farm to consumer.
Foraging is the self-provisioning of plants found in rural and urban landscapes that are suitable for human consumption.
Growing season is the part of the year during which rainfall and temperature allow plants to grow.
Highly processed foods typically have many ingredients which have been prepared in a factory. Usually, little or no preparation needs to be done before consuming these foods. Many of the ingredients in highly processed foods are not found in a home kitchen. Additionally, individual ingredients maybe be processed before being combined for further processing.
Intersectionality is the interconnected nature of social identities as they apply to an individual or group, creating overlapping systems of discrimination or disadvantage.
Minimally processed foods are foods that are changed only a small amount once they leave the farm and before they reach the consumer. Generally, they are only one ingredient but also include items that are combined with things found in a home kitchen. Many minimally processed foods are used to cook meals at home.
Moderately processed foods are somewhat changed before you eat them. They usually have several ingredients and most (but probably not all) may be found in a home kitchen. Usually, they require some preparation before eating.
Regenerative agriculture is animal raising and food growing practices that promote natural ecological functions and processes. It focuses on promoting soil health to increase energy efficiency and support biodiversity.
Sharecropping is a type of farming practice in which families rent small plots of land from a landowner in return for a share of the crop yield. This practice was popular in the southern United States after the American Civil War, with newly freed African people consisting the majority of the sharecroppers as they were disenfranchised from other jobs.
Soil degradation is damage to soil health, such as from the excessive use of pesticides or fertilizers, packing-down soil from heavy machines, excessive tillage, and erosion of topsoil.
Urban agriculture is the practice of farming within an urban environment, especially the cultivation of food crops for human consumption.