Glossary | 565

Knowledge Society A society in which the production and dissemination of scientific information and knowledge function well, and in which the transmission and use of valuable experiential knowledge is optimized; a society in which the information of those with experiential knowl­edge is used together with that of scientific and technical experts to inform decision-making.
Land Cover The physical coverage of land, usually expressed in terms of vegetation cover or lack of it. Influenced by but non synonymous with land use.
Land Degradation The reduction in the capability of the land to produce benefits from a particular land use under a specific form of land management.
Landscape An area of land that contains a mosaic of ecosys­tems, including human-dominated ecosystems. The term cultural landscape is often used when referring to land­scapes containing significant human populations.
Land Tenure The relationship, whether legally or customar­ily defined, among people, as individuals or groups, with respect to land and associated natural resources (water, trees, minerals, wildlife, and so on). Rules of tenure define how property rights in land are to be allocated within societies. Land tenure systems de­termine who can use what resources for how long, and under what conditions.
Land Use The human utilization of a piece of land for a cer­tain purpose (such as irrigated agriculture or recreation). Land use is influenced by, but not synonymous with, land cover.
Leguminous Cultivated or spontaneous plants which fix at­mospheric nitrogen.
Malnutrition Failure to achieve nutrient requirements, which can impair physical and/or mental health. It may result from consuming too little food or a shortage or imbal­ance of key nutrients (eg, micronutrient deficiencies or excess consumption of refined sugar and fat).
Marginal Rates of Return Calculates the returns to the last dollar invested on a certain activity. It is usually estimated through econometric estimation.
Marker Assisted Selection (MAS) The use of DNA markers to improve response to selection in a population. The markers will be closely linked to one or more target loci, which may often be quantitative trait loci.
Minimum Tillage The least amount possible of cultivation or soil disturbance done to prepare a suitable seedbed. The main purposes of minimum tillage are to reduce tillage energy consumption, to conserve moisture, and to retain plant cover to minimize erosion.
Model A simplified representation of reality used to simulate a process, understand a situation, predict an outcome or analyze a problem. A model can be viewed as a selective approximation, which by elimination of incidental de­tail, allows hypothesized or quantified aspects of the real world to appear manipulated or tested.
Multifunctionality In   IAASTD,   multifunctionality   is   used solely to express the inescapable interconnectedness of agriculture's different roles and functions. The concept of multifunctionality recognizes agriculture as a multi-out­put activity producing not only commodities (food, feed, fibers, agrofuels, medicinal products and ornamentals), but also non-commodity outputs such as environmental

 

services, landscape amenities and cultural heritages (See Global SDM Text Box).
Natural Resources Management Includes all functions and services of nature that are directly or indirectly significant to humankind, i.e. economic functions, as well as other cultural and ecological functions or social services that are not taken into account in economic models or not entirely known.
Nanotechnology The engineering of functional systems at the atomic or molecular scale.
Net Present Value (NPV) Net present value is used to analyze the profitability of an investment or project, represent­ing the difference between the discounted present value of benefits and the discounted present value of costs. If NPV of a prospective project is positive, then the project should be accepted. The analysis of NPV is sensitive to the reliability of future cash inflows that an investment or project will yield.
No-Till Planting without tillage.  In most  systems,  planter-mounted coulters till a narrow seedbed assisting in the placement of fertilizer and seed. The tillage effect on weed control is replaced by herbicide use.
Obesity A chronic physical condition characterized by too much body fat, which results in higher risk for health problems such as high blood pressure, high blood cho­lesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Commonly it is defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) equal to or more than 30, while overweight is equal to or more than 25. The BMI is an index of weight-for-height and is defined as the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters (kg/m2).
Organic Agriculture An ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biological cycles and soil biological activity. It is based on minimal use of off-farm inputs and on management practices that restore, maintain and enhance ecological harmony.
Organization Organizations can be formal or informal. Ex­amples of organizations are government agencies (e.g., police force, ministries, etc.), administrative bodies (e.g., local government), non governmental organizations, as­sociations (e.g., farmers' associations) and private com­panies (firms). Cf. with Institutions.
Orphan Crops Crops such as tef, finger millet, yam, roots and tubers that tend to be regionally or locally important for income and nutrition, but which are not traded globally and receive minimal attention by research networks.
Participatory Development A process that involves people (population groups, organizations, associations, political parties) actively and significantly in all decisions affecting their lives.
Participatory Domestication The process of domestication that involves agriculturalists and other community mem­bers actively and significantly in making decisions, taking action and sharing benefits.
Participatory Plant Breeding (PPB) Involvement of a range of actors, including scientists, farmers, consumers, ex­tension agents, vendors, processors and other industry stakeholders—as well as farmer and community-based organizations and non-government organization (NGOs) in plant breeding research and development.
Participatory Varietal Selection (PVS) A process by which