What is monoculture farming?

Monoculture farming means cultivating a single crop in the field per growing season. However, this term is often used to describe the cultivation of a single crop year after year in the same field. Monoculture usually requires capital for modern machinery (especially for seeding and harvesting) and personnel. On the one hand, it is easier and less complicated for the grower to manage a single crop and sell a single harvest. On the other hand, in the long term, monoculture creates fundamental problems for the ecosystem. The loss of biodiversity and the rise of resistant pests and plant pathogens adapted to a specific crop are among the major issues. Soil’s physical, biological and chemical quality is decreased in monoculture systems. Practices like crop rotation and intercropping are used in sustainable agriculture as alternatives to reverse the harmful effects of monoculture.