Groots Glossary

All the key words you need to know about sustainable models, agriculture, farming and the consequences of environmentally damaging practices.

A

Agro-industrial agriculture: large-scale farming leading to land grabbing, loss of forests, loss of biodiversity, increasing use of harmful fertilisers and pesticides, and increasing greenhouse gases that accelerate climate change.

Agronomy: The science and technology of plant production through agriculture for the supply of food, fuel, fibre, chemicals or soil conservation.

C

Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions: These mainly come from the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, natural gas and oil, as well as direct and indirect emissions from the livestock sector, such as transport, the production chain, deforestation and feed production.

Carbon footprint: the total amount of greenhouse gases (including carbon dioxide) emitted by the direct or indirect effect of a person, organisation, company, activity or product.

Circular economy: A model of economy that seeks to integrate value chains so that waste from one operation becomes the input for another, through practices such as leasing, repair, recycling, recycling, recovery and/or giving a second life to materials before disposal. Thus extending the life cycle of products.

Climate change: is the consequence of global warming. In other words, the generalised increase in the temperature of the planet, mainly caused by the toxic emissions generated by human activities.

Climate neutrality: mitigation of all greenhouse gases (GHG), not only carbon dioxide.

Closed water circuit: This is the system we use at Groots to keep volume and quality of water in optimal conditions. The water that is not absorbed by our plants is re-circulated over and over again, saving up to 90% of water!

Controlled Environment Agriculture: is plant cultivation that takes care of all the parameters that are required in order to provide ideal conditions of light, temperature and humidity, thus improving the efficiency of land use for crop production.

Cultivation: the act or process consisting in the care and preparation of the soil and plants in order to be able to obtain fruit

D

Decarbonisation: is the process of reducing carbon, neutralising and/or offsetting emissions through carbon reduction and/or sequestration strategies.

F

Food security: people have physical, social and economic access at all times to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their food preferences and dietary needs for an active and healthy life.

Food waste: food discarded due to colour or appearance standards and losses in production processes as well as food waste by consumers.

Fossil fuels: combustible materials composed from the buried remains of ancient organisms that can be used as a source of energy, generating greenhouse gases in the combustion process.

G

Germination: growth of a seed into a young plant or seedling.

Global warming: a gradual increase in the Earth's temperature, usually due mainly to combustion of fossil fuels, which increases the levels of greenhouse gases that retain heat within the Earth's atmosphere.

Green revolution: our agriculture is a revolution for the world. For a more sustainable agriculture. Closer and more respectful of all life. This is and will be our revolution. Shall we stand up together?

H

Hydroponics: this is the method we use at Groots to nourish our beloved plants. It consists of providing minerals dissolved in water, leaving the agricultural soil for nature to enjoy.

K

Km 0: also considered as a product of proximity, which has travelled less than 100 km and is produced in an ecological and sustainable way, as well as defending biodiversity, fair trade and seasonal products.

L

Locally grown food: food that is produced within a short distance of where it is consumed either in the same locality, county or region.

P

Pesticides: chemical substances designed to eliminate pests. Applying them excessively generates contamination in the water and consequently in the crops and subsequent runoff into rivers and seas, damaging marine life.

Pollution abatement: a practice that reduces, eliminates or prevents pollution at source before it occurs.

R

Recycling: the process of collecting and processing materials that are normally discarded as waste to be reconverted into new products.

S

Slow food: a movement that opposes the standardisation of food, spreading a philosophy that safeguards regional gastronomy, taking care of local products and methods of cultivation.

Social agriculture: combination of agricultural production activities with a service to the community such as therapy, training and social and labour inclusion among others.

Sustainability: meeting our own needs without compromising the needs of future generations. Examples include renewable energies such as solar, wind and hydroelectric power. It expresses the principle that future generations can live in a healthy world.

T

Traditional open field farming: A widely practised system of agriculture based on the division of arable land into strips of closed beds and crop rotation.

Transitional agriculture: conversion from agro-industrial and other forms of unsustainable agriculture to agro-ecology and other forms of viable food production.

Transport emissions: these are mainly those emissions created from fossil fuels that generate energy for road, rail, air and maritime transport. Transport emissions account for a quarter of the carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to global warming.

U

Upwelling: ascent of water located at very deep levels. This water contains rich nutritive salts and is replaced by nutrient poor water from the surface.

Urban agriculture: The practice of growing, processing and distributing food in or around urban areas, e.g. rooftops are used for the production of fruits, vegetables and herbs.

V

Vertical farming: Crops are grown vertically, indoors and outdoors in hydroponic systems generally, i.e. growing upwards instead of outwards.

Virtual water: refers to the amount of water used to produce goods and services. The entire production process is calculated from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of waste.

W

Water Footprint: a measure of direct and indirect freshwater consumption and pollution.