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Arable
Land that can be ploughed and used for growing crops.
Bacteria
Very small bugs that cannot be seen by the human eye that can cause disease.
Carbohydrates
These are foods that give us energy. Our bodies break them down into sugar, which enters the blood.
Chemicals
Substances that are man-made, some of which can be harmful or dangerous.
Climate-controlled
Temperature or growing conditions can be changed in greenhouses and other indoor structures to improve production and allow crops to be grown all year round.
Consumers
People who buy goods and services.
Conservation
To protect the land and living creatures from damage or harmful change.
Cultivating
To plant, tend, harvest or improve plants.
Cultivation
In farming the land has to be prepared and made ready in order for crops or plants to grow properly. Cultivation involves planting, ploughing and working the land.
Crops
Produce of grown plants especially cereals, fruit and vegetables.
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Diet
The food or drink that a person or animal eats or drinks.
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Environment
The external surroundings where plants and animals live.
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Fats
These are foods that are a concentrated source of fuel for our body. Some fats can be harmful if we eat too much of them, so don’t eat too many foods that contain butter, margarine, lard or suet, and avoid large portions of fatty meat.
Fairtrade logo
A symbol that shows a product has been grown according to Fairtrade principles so that farmers get a fair price for their produce.
Farming Methods
There are different types of farming – 'modern' is where machinery, chemicals, and natural and chemical fertilisers are used; 'traditional' is using natural fertilisers, organic where no chemicals are used and sustainable farming, which aims to not over-work the land.
Fertilisers
A substance that is added to soil to make plants grow better. Manure for example is made from straw and the animal waste of horses or cows. When it is spread on the land, it improves the quality of soil.
Flour
Flour made from wheat contains:
carbohydrates to give us energy
protein to help us grow
B vitamins that help us to stay healthy
iron which is essential for our blood
calcium which strengthen bones and teeth.
Fruit and vegetables
We should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables a day because they contain minerals and vitamins that keep us healthy. Plant-based foods also contain fibre, which can’t be digested but is vital to our diet because it keep food moving through our gut.
Funguses (or Fungi)
Plural of 'fungus'. Mushrooms are a fungus. A fungus is a plant that does not have any leaves, roots or stems. They live and feed off other plants and dead matter.
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Glasshouses
A glass building or greenhouse where plants, fruit or vegetables can be grown and kept protected from the outside weather.
Grass Margins
A grass margin is a strip of grass between 1.5 metres and 6 metres in width around an arable field. These grass strips allows insects to over winter and breed early in the new season. This can aid the control of insect pests such as greenfly in crops. The strips also provide cover for birds and other wildlife to live.
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Hardy
Strong and resistant to damage by weather and disease.
Hazardous
A thing likely to cause injury or put someone at risk of an accident.
Hectare
Measurement of area 10,000 sq. metres.
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Inedible
Cannot be eaten
Ingredients
A food or food substance used in cooking
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Minerals
Plants obtain minerals from the soil and most of the minerals in our diets come from plants or animals. Minerals include calcium, iron, zinc and fluoride and they are natural substances.
Milled
For hundreds of years, every village in wheat growing areas had a miller who ground wheat for people who lived locally. They did this by grinding the wheat grains between heavy stones, which were rotated by power produced either by running water or by the wind.
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Nitrogen
A gas that forms over three quarters of the air and is an essential part of proteins.
Nitrates
These are found in fertilisers used on the land. When fertiliser is used too often on land it can cause problems by running off the land and into rivers causing fish to die.
Nutritious
Food that is good for you and keeps you healthy.
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Organic Farming
This is farming without using harmful chemicals or fertilisers. Organic farmers rely on developing healthy fertile soil and rearing animals on a more natural diet where they can live in natural conditions. Any food labelled 'organic' must meet a strict set of standards.
Organisms
A living body.
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Polytunnels
Constructions made of polythene and plastic used for growing fruit and vegetables.
Pollution
The result of using harmful substances, which can poison the land and air.
Produce
In farming, these are crops, fruit and vegetables.
Protein
These are foods that help our bodies to grow and repair themselves. You don’t need to eat huge portions, though.
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Rotation
Changing crops in a field every year to help keep the soil fertile and prevent disease.
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Staple
The main part of someone’s diet – usually refers to the type of grain they eat most of.
Subsistence farming
A type of farming in which most of the produce is consumed by the farmer.
Sugar
The sweet substance obtained from sugarcane or the juice of certain other plants. It is used in cooking and for sweetening drinks like tea and coffee. Too much sugary drinks and sweets can ruin your teeth and cause you to gain weight.
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