monocrops
One crop only
Monocrops are single crops grown repeatedly on the same land, season after season.
The practice—monocropping or monoculture—maximizes efficiency and yield for one product but depletes soil nutrients and increases vulnerability to pests and disease.
The farm converted from diverse plantings to monocrops of soybeans.
Industrial agriculture relies heavily on monocrops like corn, wheat, and cotton.
Plant disease causing decay
- outbreakSudden eruption of trouble
- diseaseDisorder impairing normal function
- famineSevere food shortage
- dependencyState of needing support
Cereal grown on cobs
- soybeansProtein-rich Asian legume
- wheatCereal crop for flour
- riceStaple cereal grain
- cottonPlant fiber for textiles
sugarcane · plantation · industrial farming · agribusiness · large-scale · intensive · commercial agriculture · specialization
Loss of ground fertility
- erosionGradual wearing away
- overfarmingExhausting land through excess
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
- compactionReducing volume through pressure
acidification · salinization · exhaustion · leaching · organic matter · topsoil · microorganisms · biodiversity loss
Toxic agent targeting pests
- herbicideVegetation-destroying chemical
- fungicideChemical that kills mold
- sprayingDispersing liquid as mist
- agrochemicalsChemicals for agriculture
glyphosate · chemical dependency · residue · toxicity · bioaccumulation · resistance · broad-spectrum · organophosphates
Produce or relinquish
- productivityOutput relative to input
- harvestGathering mature crops
- scaleMeasure of relative size
- acreageAmount of land owned
output · mechanization · fertilization · optimization · planting · sowing · irrigation · biotechnology
blight
Plant disease causing decay
- outbreakSudden eruption of trouble
- diseaseDisorder impairing normal function
- famineSevere food shortage
dependency · fragility · instability · epidemic · infestation
corn
Cereal grown on cobs
cotton · sugarcane · plantation · industrial farming · agribusiness · large-scale · intensive · commercial agriculture · specialization · cultivation
soil depletion
Loss of ground fertility
- erosionGradual wearing away
- overfarmingExhausting land through excess
- desertificationLand becoming barren, infertile
compaction · acidification · salinization · exhaustion · leaching · organic matter · topsoil · microorganisms · biodiversity loss · humus
insecticide
Toxic agent targeting pests
- herbicideVegetation-destroying chemical
- fungicideChemical that kills mold
- sprayingDispersing liquid as mist
agrochemicals · glyphosate · chemical dependency · residue · toxicity · bioaccumulation · resistance · broad-spectrum · organophosphates · superweeds
yield
Produce or relinquish
- productivityOutput relative to input
- harvestGathering mature crops
- scaleMeasure of relative size
acreage · output · mechanization · fertilization · optimization · planting · sowing · irrigation · biotechnology · genetics
monocropspolyculture
Multi-species crop system
intercropping · companion planting · crop rotation · agroforestry · mixed farming