polycultures
Diverse crop systems
Polycultures are agricultural systems where multiple crop species grow together in the same space, contrasting with monocultures that plant a single crop.
The approach mimics natural ecosystems: The farm's polycultures included corn, beans, and squash planted together.
Advocates argue polycultures build soil health, reduce pest pressure, and increase resilience, though they complicate harvesting and mechanization.
Simultaneous multi-crop cultivation
- companion plantingGrowing compatible plants together
- crop rotationAlternating field plantings yearly
- agroforestryTrees integrated with farming
- cover cropsPlants shielding fallow fields
strip cropping · mixed farming · overstory · food forest · spatial arrangement
Building environments for wildlife
- beneficial insectsArthropods aiding agriculture
- pollinatorsOrganisms transferring reproductive dust
- ecological balanceStable ecosystem state
- food websLinked predator-prey relationships
symbiosis · mutualism · microclimate · mycorrhizae · predator-prey · biodiversity · wildlife corridors · succession
Ecological approach to farming
- organic farmingCultivation without synthetic chemicals
- traditional farmingAge-old cultivation methods
- indigenous practicesCustoms originating locally
- smallholderFarmer of limited land
subsistence · market garden · biodynamic · homesteading · land stewardship · seed saving
Ground's biological vitality
- carbon sequestrationRemoving and storing atmospheric CO2
- water retentionBody storing excess fluid
- erosion controlPreventing soil loss
- climate adaptationAdjusting to environmental shifts
drought tolerance · pest resistance · closed-loop · food security · risk reduction · environmental stewardship
intercropping
Simultaneous multi-crop cultivation
- companion plantingGrowing compatible plants together
- crop rotationAlternating field plantings yearly
- agroforestryTrees integrated with farming
cover crops · strip cropping · mixed farming · overstory · food forest · spatial arrangement
habitat creation
Building environments for wildlife
- beneficial insectsArthropods aiding agriculture
- pollinatorsOrganisms transferring reproductive dust
- ecological balanceStable ecosystem state
food webs · symbiosis · mutualism · microclimate · mycorrhizae · predator-prey · biodiversity · wildlife corridors · succession · resilience
agroecology
Ecological approach to farming
- organic farmingCultivation without synthetic chemicals
- traditional farmingAge-old cultivation methods
- indigenous practicesCustoms originating locally
smallholder · subsistence · market garden · biodynamic · homesteading · land stewardship · seed saving
soil health
Ground's biological vitality
- carbon sequestrationRemoving and storing atmospheric CO2
- water retentionBody storing excess fluid
- erosion controlPreventing soil loss
climate adaptation · drought tolerance · pest resistance · closed-loop · food security · risk reduction · environmental stewardship
polyculturesindustrial agriculture
Large-scale mechanized farming
factory farming · agroindustry · plantation agriculture · mechanized farming