harvesting

8 definitions • 13 examples

the activity of picking and collecting crops, or of collecting plants, animals, or fish as food:

When maize cultivation was introduced it was probably women who did the growing and harvesting of the crops.

Abalone harvesting has been prohibited in local waters since the mid-1990s.

Timber harvesting in the boreal forest is huge in scope.

the activity of taking or collecting a useful substance, for example water or a chemical element, from somewhere so that it can be used:

When we started rainwater harvesting, we used the rainwater for washing, cooking, and drinking.

The area would be a good site for tidal energy harvesting.

the activity of taking cells or other body parts from someone for medical use:

There is a lot of controversy surrounding the harvesting of stem cells.

Large-scale harvesting of eggs from women can be medically risky.

The company has been accused of unauthorised data harvesting from social media accounts.

Online users are suspicious of cookies and the harvesting of user information.

the activity of getting an advantage or something valuable from a situation:

Having spent several years building and adding value to a business, the entrepreneur recovers value through a process of harvesting, selling the business or its assets.

the process of continuing to make as much profit as possible from a product or business while spending as little as possible on it:

Companies may pursue a harvesting strategy when they have cash-flow problems.

the process of collecting information about people, products, companies, etc. from the internet using a search engine (= a program that searches for particular words in documents on websites):

email/web harvesting

the process of collecting a natural resource to use it effectively:

Eco-friendly homes are being installed with solar power and a rainwater harvesting system.