What is monoculture and how does it affect the environment?
What exactly is monoculture?
Monoculture or monocropping is the farming practice of growing and harvesting the same crop each year on the same piece of land. Unlike polyculture farming, monocrop farming does not grow multiple crops on the same land, nor does it rotate the location of the crops each year. Corn, soybean, and wheat are the three most common examples of crops that are grown using monoculture farming techniques.
Many farmers use monocropping practices to grow their crops to save time and money. In other words, the farm will use the same seed, pest control supplies, and machinery, allowing them to maximize their profits and decrease their expenses. Despite the financial benefits of monocultural farming, and the ability to increase food supplies quickly, these farming practices significantly harm the environment. According to the Food Revolution Network, monocropping has developed unintended consequences that threaten greater global food insecurity and worsen climate change.
Why is monocrop agriculture bad for the environment?
Monocrop agriculture was originally started to facilitate the mass production of crops to improve food supply while keeping costs down. The monocrop process seemed to be a good solution to solve world hunger on paper, however, the disadvantages of monocrop farming practices are more detrimental than anyone could have imagined. Many farms began to mass produce one specific crop and increased the number of acres used for farming to produce a larger yield with the least amount of labor possible.
The disadvantages of monocrop agriculture:
Facilitates corporate farming, forcing farmers to buy their seeds, pesticides, and equipment from a few large farming corporations and vendors.
It hurts human health. Research has shown that monocultures of corn and palm oil can produce more calories, but far less nutrition, per acre than many other crops. A study done in 2021 demonstrates that approximately 2 billion people globally are affected by micronutrient deficiencies; much of which is attributed to consuming a monotonous diet of nutrient‐deficient staple crops.* In other words, utilizing pesticides to mass produce large amounts of calorie-dense crops to decrease malnourishment, actually caused an increase in malnutrition—ironic isn’t it?
Increases deforestation and depletes the soil of micronutrients. Each plant or crop requires certain nutrients to grow. When farmers plant over 2,000 acres of one specific crop, it sucks all of those specific micronutrients out of the soil. Having a variety of crops in the soil and rotating the crops each harvest prevents the soil from becoming nutrient deficient. Monocropping may produce a bigger yield come harvest time, however, it kills the soil and eliminates the ability to utilize that land to grow new crops in the future.
Excessive use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers to supplement the lack of micronutrients increases soil erosion and pollution. In other words, the use of chemicals and pesticides in monoculture farming is one of the biggest contributors to the emission of greenhouse gases and climate change—and ultimately, destroying our environment.
Pests and weeds are growing resistant to the same techniques, pesticides, and harvest schedules used to grow the same crop. Large agricultural corporations now utilize new, and in many cases, more harmful pest control strategies to compensate for this resistance growth.
The lack of crop diversity has decreased pollination, threatening the future of many plant and animal species. According to the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), over one million species of plants and animals are endangered, including many insect pollinators. This is a huge problem for our ecosystem and the overall vitality of our planet.
What is the alternative to monoculture farming?
Polyculture is not only a more sustainable farming technique, but it is also much better for the soil and the environment. So what is polyculture farming and why is it better than monoculture farming? As we mentioned earlier, polyculture farming is the practice of growing more than one crop on the same land to prevent the decrease of soil micronutrients and improve the natural process of plant and crop growth.
The benefits of polyculture farming may be more obvious than you think; for example, according to the USDA, crop rotation can help to manage your soil and fertility, reduce erosion, improve your soil's health, and increase nutrients available for crops. By rotating the crops that are grown in the soil, we can preserve certain nutrients in the soil and prevent the need to use excessive amounts of pesticides and fertilizers to help crops grow.
Benefits of polyculture farming:
Increases crop diversity. Various crops that are planted together will produce a more nutrient-rich yield, which in turn, will decrease the high rates of global malnutrition.
Prevents soil erosion and desertification. By planting various crops on the same land with diverse root depths, farmers can maximize the use of different soil nutrients, without the heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
Increases the fertility of your soil, improving the presence of micronutrients and overall soil health. In other words, planting multiple crops and rotating crop locations each harvest will prevent the earth’s depletion of micronutrients.
Organic and natural pest, weed, and disease control.
How can you help fight the negative side effects of monocrop farming?
If you made it this far, you are probably wondering how in the world we can come back from this, and more importantly, whether or not you can do anything to help solve this global farming crisis. Fortunately, there are many ways you can help. It may sound cliche, but if we all work together, we can make a difference.
Buy organic, shop local, and support small farmers
Learn to grow your vegetables and herbs
Teach your children how to garden
The biggest way you can help fight monoculture is to become more educated. The next time you are in the grocery store, think about where the protein you are about to purchase comes from, or how long the product has been sitting in storage or on the shelves before you buy it. Don’t just educate yourself, educate your family and your children. Becoming more aware of the sad truths about food production and distribution is an important first step at changing your future and the future of our planet.
*Nkonde C, Audain K, Kiwanuka-Lubinda RN, Marinda P. Effect of agricultural diversification on dietary diversity in rural households with children under 5 years of age in Zambia. Food Sci Nutr. 2021 Sep 17;9(11):6274-6285. DOI: 10.1002/fsn3.2587. PMID: 34760257; PMCID: PMC8565192.
