Economic activity that is growing at a slower pace compared to the previous period. An economic slowdown occurs when real GDP growth declines from one period to another, but it is still positive. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 – Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en)
Urea formaldehyde is the organic N compound mainly used for the slow release of nitrogen. It is prepared by the reaction of excess urea under controlled pH and temperature. (Rajan, Maya & Shahena, S. & Chandran, Vinaya & Mathew, Linu. (2021). Controlled release of fertilizers—concept, reality, and mechanism. 10.1016/B978-0-12-819555-0.00003-0, citing A. Shaviv, Preparation Methods and Release Mechanisms of Controlled Release Fertilisers, International Fertiliser Society, 1999.)
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In agriculture, urea-formaldehyde compounds are one of the most commonly used types of slow-release fertilizer.
The Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (the SSF Guidelines) is the first internationally agreed instrument dedicated entirely to the small-scale fisheries sector. They have been developed as a complement to the 1995 FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries (the Code). They were developed to provided complementary guidance with respect to small-scale fisheries in support of the overall principles and provisions of the Code. (FAO. 2015. Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication. Rome. https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/i4356en)
The gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata), known as orata, is a unique species of the Sparus genus that has given the whole family of sparidae its name. It belongs to the superclass of ray-finned fishes, Actinopterygii, to the class of Osteichthyes, and the order of Perciformes (perch-like). (Mhalhel, K., Levanti, M., Abbate, F., Laurà, R., Guerrera, M. C., Aragona, M., Porcino, C., Briglia, M., Germanà, A., & Montalbano, G. (2023). Review on Gilthead Seabream (Sparus aurata) Aquaculture: Life Cycle, Growth, Aquaculture Practices and Challenges. Journal of Marine Science and Engineering, 11(10), 2008. https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse11102008)
A management-ignited fire or a wildfire that burns within prescription, meaning that the fire is confined to a predetermined area and produces the fire behaviour and characteristics required to attain planned fire treatment and/or resource management objectives. The act or procedure of setting a prescribed fire is called prescribed burning. (FAO. 2024. Integrated fire management voluntary guidelines – Principles and strategic actions. Second edition. Forestry Working Paper, No. 41. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd1090en)
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Prescribed fire is deliberately used fire that has a formal or documented “prescription”. Planned fire includes fires that may not have a formal or documented “prescription” but are deliberate.
In mathematics, the Laplace transform is an integral transform that converts a function of a real variable to a function of a complex variable. The transform is useful for converting differentiation and integration in the time domain into much easier multiplication and division in the Laplace domain. (Adapted from Wikipedia. 2025. Laplace transform. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laplace_transform)
A measure of inflation that excludes volatile items such as food and energy, aiming to reflect the underlying trend in price changes. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 – Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en)
Food with a high content of calories (energy) with respect to its mass or volume. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 – Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en)
'Catch and release' is when a fish is caught and then returned to the water unharmed so that it survives and continues its existence in its natural environment. (Northern Ireland Government. 2025. Catch and release fishing guidelines https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/catch-and-release-fishing-guidelines)
Zero acreage farming refers to all production of food on or in buildings with zero-acreage of extra land needed; it includes open-air rooftop farming, rooftop greenhouses, indoor farming and other forms. By using idle and spare space to grow vegetables, the demand for local food consumption can, to a certain extent, be met. (FAO, Rikolto and RUAF. 2022. Urban and peri-urban agriculture sourcebook – From production to food systems. Rome, FAO and Rikolto. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb9722en)
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Specht et al. (2013) introduced the term “zero-acreage farming” (ZFarming) to describe all types of urban agriculture characterised by the non-use of farmland or open space, thereby differentiating building-related forms of urban agriculture from those in parks, gardens, or urban wastelands.
Hazards of organic origin or conveyed by biological vectors, including pathogenic microorganisms, toxins and bioactive substances. Examples include bacteria, viruses or parasites, as well as venomous wildlife and insects, poisonous plants and mosquitoes carrying disease-causing agents. (FAO. 2025. The Impact of Disasters on Agriculture and Food Security 2025 – Digital solutions for reducing risks and impacts. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd7185en)
Nanofertilizers are nutrients that are encapsulated or coated within nanomaterial in order to enable controlled release, and its subsequent slow diffusion into the soil. The use of nanoscale fertilizers may help to minimise nutrient loss by leaching/run-off and reduce its fast degradation and volatility, thus enhancing the nutrient quality and the fertility of the soil, and promoting crop productivity in the long run. (Nongbet A, Mishra AK, Mohanta YK, Mahanta S, Ray MK, Khan M, Baek KH, Chakrabartty I. Nanofertilizers: A Smart and Sustainable Attribute to Modern Agriculture. Plants (Basel). 2022 Sep 30;11(19):2587. doi: 10.3390/plants11192587. PMID: 36235454; PMCID: PMC9573764.)
A combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata consisting chiefly of carbonized plant matter, found mainly in underground seams and used as fuel. (FAOLEX. 2025. Glossary https://www.fao.org/faolex/)
Refers to reduced flexibility or mobility in the body or limbs, often due to muscular, neurological, or joint-related issues. (FAO Animal Health, 2025)
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Clinical sign that can be associated with a range of infectious diseases, parasitic infestations, or other pathological conditions.
The level of severity of food insecurity, based on the Food Insecurity Experience Scale, at which people face uncertainties about their ability to obtain food and have been forced to reduce, at times during the year, the quality and/or quantity of food they consume due to lack of money or other resources. It thus refers to a lack of consistent access to food, which diminishes dietary quality, disrupts normal eating patterns, and can have negative consequences for nutrition, health and well-being. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 – Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en)
Dry-process fibreboard. When density exceeds 0.8 g/cm3, it may also be referred to as “high-density fibreboard” (HDF). (FAO. 2019. Forest products 2017, FAO Statistics. http://www.fao.org/3/ca5703m/ca5703m.pdf)
Polysaccharide granules that compose about 70% of the rice kernel. Rice starch is separated from the gluten and fibrous particles by sieving then wash flotation. Rice starch is composed of 17% amylose. Rice starch paste forms a weaker, but more stable, film than wheat starch paste. (CAMEO. 2025. Rice starch https://cameo.mfa.org/wiki/Rice_starch)
The system of all phenomena in space and time; the totality of physical reality. It is both a scientific and philosophic concept appearing in all historic eras. (Webster 2d; Dr. James H. Cassedy, NLM History of Medicine Division. In: DeCS/MeSH. 2025. Nature. https://decs.bvsalud.org/en/ths/resource/?id=33176)
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Restrict to nature as an abstract or philosophical concept, as "von Humboldt's Views of Nature" or "the laws of nature"; not for "the nature of science" or characteristics.
Government-imposed restrictions that restrict the quantity or value of exports of a particular good or service (usually considered essential) within a given period. These measures are enacted to ensure domestic supply stability. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. 2025. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2025 – Addressing high food price inflation for food security and nutrition. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd6008en)
Nanoscale structures that are shaped like long dowels. The structures have a diameter that is measured in the nanoscale with an extended length parameter. (NCI Thesaurus. 2025. Nanorod. https://evsexplore.semantics.cancer.gov/)
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Nanorods are multifunctional materials which can be used as sensors, catalysts, in display technologies, for energy harvesting and can be linked with microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
A land resource mapping unit, defined in terms of climate, landform and soils, and/or land cover, and having a specific range of potentials and constraints for land use. (FAO. 1996. Agro-ecological zoning - Guidelines. Glossary. https://www.fao.org/4/w2962e/w2962e-07.htm#P789_108890)
Rye starch, from rye (Secale cereale L.), like starch of other types of cereals, is composed of two fractions–amylose and amylopectin. The baking quality of rye flour is mainly determined by evaluating the starch-amylolytic complex. (Adapted from Stępniewska S, Cacak-Pietrzak G, Szafrańska A, Ostrowska-Ligęza E, Dziki D. Assessment of the Starch-Amylolytic Complex of Rye Flours by Traditional Methods and Modern One. Materials. 2021; 14(24):7603. https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14247603)
