![]() ![]() ![]() ‘A couple of centuries ago, farmers produced multiple crops to feed their families and maybe put aside some surplus as a safeguard for the coming year. Monocultures, he says, fulfil the following three criteria: they are large, focus on a single product, and cater to distant markets. There is also an environmental cost, increased mechanisation has led to greater fossil fuel use and more greenhouse gas emissions.Ĭonsidering that monocultures can result in soil degradation, reduced biodiversity and increased economic risk for European farmers, why do they continue to be so pervasive?įrank Uekötter, professor of environmental humanities at the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom, and coordinator of the MaMoGH project, thinks he might have found the answer. Only if they had an outstanding harvest were they able to sell some of their product.įrank Uekötter, professor of environmental humanities at the School of History and Cultures, University of Birmingham, UKĪlthough lost nutrients can be replaced using chemical and organic fertilisers, it is expensive to do so. Monocultures may therefore also lead to soil exhaustion when the soil becomes depleted of these nutrients.Ī couple of centuries ago, farmers produced multiple crops to feed their families and maybe put aside some surplus as a safeguard for the coming year. Growing the same crop year after year reduces the availability of certain nutrients and degrades the soil. Intensive use of agricultural chemicals also diminishes the amount of worms and insects available to birds as food. This means larger amounts of pesticides and herbicides, which can pollute rivers and streams, are needed compared to more diverse farming systems. Raising a single crop has drawbacks as it increases the risk of disease and pest outbreaks because monocultures lack other plant and animal species that limit the spread of disease and control pests through predation.
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