AGROVOC

A mandatory regulatory activity of enforcement by national or local authorities to provide consumer protection and ensure that all food is safe, wholesome and fit for human consumption during production, handling, storage, processing and distribution; that it conforms to food safety and quality requirements; and is labelled honestly and accurately as prescribed by the law. (FAO & WHO. 2003. Guidelines for strengthening national food control systems. Assuring food safety and quality. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/3/y8705e/y8705e00.htm)

Extreme heat is a broad meteorological concept of magnitude that has varying definitions. The term is commonly used in reference to exceptionally hot conditions compared to local climatological norms. In the agricultural subsector generally, extreme heat refers to the exceedance of temperature thresholds that result in increasing levels of physiological stress (moderate and above) and/or, direct physical damage to reference organisms. (FAO and WMO. 2026. Extreme heat and agriculture – FAO–WMO joint report. Rome and Geneva. https://doi.org/10.4060/cd9394en)

Technology that enhances or replaces real-world experiences with simulated ones. Augmented reality (AR) overlays digital content onto the real world. Uses specialized hardware and software to create interactive, three-dimensional experiences that can be applied across sectors including education, healthcare, manufacturing, and entertainment. (Adapted from FAO. 2026. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Portal. Augmented/virtual reality https://sti-portal.fao.org/taxonomy/term/1017 citing World Economic Forum, with WIPO and IEEE as secondary sources)

A distribution or set of observations representing the values of behaviour, concentration, ​and impact of a particular phenomenon or characteristic across both geographical space and chronological time. (Adapted from GEMET http://www.eionet.europa.eu/gemet/concept/11118)

Specific routes and logistical methods agreed upon by all relevant parties [to a conflict] to allow the safe passage of humanitarian goods and/or people from one point to another in an area of active fighting. (OCHA. 2011. Glossary of terms: pauses during conflict. https://reliefweb.int/report/world/glossary-terms-pauses-during-conflict)

Tachycardia is a heart rate that is more rapid than is appropriate for the species and behavioral circumstances. Cause can be physiological or pathological. Tachycardia is a clinically significant sign. (Adapted from Stephenson R.B. 2020. Electrical activity of the heart. In: Klein BG, ed. Cunningham’s Textbook of Veterinary Physiology. 6th ed. St Louis, MO: W.B. Saunders; 2020:186-202. doi:10.1016/B978-0-323-55227-1.00019-3)

The integration of regulatory activities across all responsible competent authorities to achieve the key objectives of food control, including preventive and educational strategies that protect the whole food chain. The objective of a national food control system is to protect the health of consumers and ensure fair practices in the food trade. (FAO & WHO. 2003. Guidelines for strengthening national food control systems. Assuring food safety and quality. Rome, Italy. http://www.fao.org/3/y8705e/y8705e00.htm and Codex Principles and Guidelines for National Food Control Systems (CXG 82-2013))

Owner means the person or persons registered as the owner of the ship or, in the absence of registration, the person or persons owning the ship. However, in the case of a ship owned by a State and operated by a company which in that State is registered as the ship's operator, "owner" shall mean such company. (International Maritime Organization. 2016. IMO multilingual glossary on basic maritime vocabulary.)

Soil depth defines the root space and the volume of soil from where the plants fulfil their water and nutrient demands. (Desertification Indicator System for Mediterranean Europe https://esdac.jrc.ec.europa.eu/public_path/shared_folder/projects/DIS4ME/indicator_descriptions/soil_depth.htm)

Garden structures on top of buildings and other artificial urban surfaces. In most cases, the growing media is more than 20 cm deep. For trees, it can be more than 1 m. Structures include lawns, planter boxes, shrubs, and small trees, and require the same maintenance as traditional gardens. (Adapted from Köhler, Manfred & Clements, Andrew. (2012). Green Roofs, Ecological Functions. 10.1007/978-1-4419-0851-3_207.)

Products that have undergone dehydration, the removal of moisture by artificial means and in some cases in combination with sun-drying. (Adapted from FAO & WHO. 1968. Report of the Fifth Session of the Codex Committee on Food Hygiene)

The net benefits from consuming (or otherwise using) a good or service. Formally, it is the difference between the maximum amount a consumer would be willing to pay minus the amount s/he actually pays for the good or service. (OECD.1996. Synthesis report for the study on the economic aspects of the management of marine living resources. AGR/FI(96)12.)

Archaea, a diverse group of prokaryotes constituting a distinct domain of life, are differentiated from bacteria and eukaryotes in numerous aspects, In 1990, Woese et al. proposed the classification of archaea into a novel domain of life, the archaeal domain, alongside the bacterial and eukaryotic domains, based on nucleic acid-based comparative and phylogenetic analysis, (Zou, D., Qi, Y., Zhou, J., Liu, Y. and Li, M. 2025. Unveiling the life of archaea in sediments: Diversity, metabolic potentials, and ecological roles. iMetaOmics, 2: e56. https://doi.org/10.1002/imo2.56)

Landscape ecology is the study that embraces geomorphology and ecology and is applied to the design and architecture of landscapes, including agriculture and buildings. Conceptually, landscape ecology considers the development and maintenance of spatial heterogeneity on biotic and abiotic processes, and management of that heterogeneity. The conservation of high quality or traditional landscapes and biodiversity requires integration of farmlands, natural vegetation and water bodies. (FAOTERM. https://www.fao.org/faoterm/viewEntry/en/?entryId=99552)

RNA interference is a process of sequence-specific post transcriptional gene silencing in cells initiated by a double-stranded (ds) polynucleotide, usually a dsRNA, that is homologous in sequence to a portion of a targeted messenger RNA (mRNA). RNA interference is emerging a promising technology for modifying expression of specific genes in plant and animal cells, and is therefore expected to provide useful tools to treat a wide range of diseases and disorders amenable to treatment by modification of endogenous gene expression. (World Intellectual Property Organization. 2011. RNA interference. https://wipopearl.wipo.int/en/fullrecord/5417)

A specialized roof structure for a building that is partially or completely covered in vegetation. Green roofs can reduce water runoff, improve air and water quality, provide energy conservation and improve aesthetics. (NALT https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/125299)

Adventitious or unusual sounds detected on auscultation of the lungs, including wheezes and crackles, which may indicate underlying respiratory disease. (Adapted from Blois, S. 2021. Clinical medicine 1: Small animal clinical skills textbook. University of Guelph. https://books.lib.uoguelph.ca/vetm3430/chapter/thorax/ (Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International))

The process of pushing particular groups of people (usually rural women, Indigenous Peoples or minorities) to the edge of society by not allowing them to have an active participation, identity or place in society. (FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP & WHO. 2019. The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019. Safeguarding against economic slowdowns and downturns. Rome, FAO. https://doi.org/10.4060/CA5162EN)

A method of landscaping that uses plants that are well adapted to the local area and are drought-resistant. Xeriscaping is becoming more popular as a way of saving water. (U.S. Geological Survey. 2018. Water Science Glossary https://www.usgs.gov/water-science-school/science/water-science-glossary)

A software application designed to run on mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, providing specific functionalities, services or content through a user interface optimized for mobile use. Mobile apps can be downloaded and installed directly on the device through digital distribution platforms, and can operate either online or offline depending on their purpose and design. (FAO. 2026. Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) Portal. Mobile app. https://sti-portal.fao.org/taxonomy/term/1032)

The ethical principle guiding decision-making by an individual or group toward actions which beneficially impact society. (NALT https://lod.nal.usda.gov/nalt/137824)

Multi-rig trawling is the method of towing two or more otter trawls side-by-side by one vessel. (Assessing Welsh Fisheries Activities Project. nd. Multi-rig Trawl on Subtidal Bedrock Reef. https://cyfoethnaturiolcymru.gov.uk/media/681842/multi-rig-trawl-on-subtidal-bedrock-reef.pdf)

An environmentally sensitive area (ESA) is a portion of the landscape that contains natural or cultural features important to the functioning of the ecosystem, and that can be negatively impacted by human activity. An ESA can include physical, biological or cultural features. (Romero, Hugo & Ordenes, Fernando. 2004. Emerging Urbanization in the Southern Andes. Mountain Research and Development. 34. 10.1659/0276-4741(2004)024[0197:EUITSA]2.0.CO;2.)