THE DANGER OF MONOCULTURES

It has been my experience that most who criticize monoculture production don’t usually provide many details about why monoculture is a problem. And more importantly, they rarely provide specific, practical suggestions for improvement. So I think it is important to discuss these issues and place them in context. First, though, it is important to recognize that there are many goodreasons to grow crops in monoculture. Monoculture is a practice that has allowed many technological advances in crop production. Having only one crop in the field increases our ability to mechanize planting, weeding, and harvest. And the mechanization of agriculture is the reason a majority of the population in developed countries do not still work on a farm. Without mechanization, growing your own food is often a necessity, not a hobby.