A Wisdom Archive on monoculture - agriculture

In agriculture, "monoculture" describes the practice of relying on a very small number of genetic variants, or cultivars of a food crop for commercial agricultural. Modern agriculture relies on standardization on a single cultivar so that the technology for tilling, planting, pest control, and harvesting, can be used over large geographical areas to obtain an economy of scale. Mono ...

Read more here: » Monoculture: Encyclopedia II - Monoculture - Agriculture

Permaculture is a design system which aims to create sustainable human habitats by following nature's patterns. The word 'permaculture', coined by Australians Bill Mollison and David Holmgren during the 1970s, is derived as a contraction of permanent agriculture, or permanent culture. The idea of permacuture is considered among the most significant innovations developed by Australian's in the century since Australian federation [1]. However like "nature", the permaculture concept evolves with time making its definition difficult ... Including:

• Permaculture - Origins
• Permaculture - Influences
• Permaculture - Core values
• Permaculture - The permaculture design innovation
• Permaculture - Observation
• Permaculture - Patterns
• Permaculture - Permaculture Zone
• Permaculture - Links and connections
• Permaculture - Layers/'Stacking'
• Permaculture - Guilds
• Permaculture - Perennial plants
• Permaculture - Animals
• Permaculture - Annual Monoculture anti-pattern
• Permaculture - Energy
• Permaculture - Permaculture design for ecological-economic ethics
• Permaculture - Contemporary examples
• Permaculture - Africa
• Permaculture - Australia
• Permaculture - Indonesia
• Permaculture - United Kingdom

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia - Permaculture

In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for money. The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family. In earlier times cash crops were usually only a small (but vital) part of a farm's total yield, while today, especially in the developed countries, almost all crops are mainly grown for cash. In non-developed nations, cash crops are usually crops which attract demand in more deve ...

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Agroecology is the science of applying ecological concepts and principles to the design, development, and management of sustainable agricultural systems. Agroecology is the science of sustainable agriculture; the methods of agroecology have as their goal achieving sustainability of agricultural systems balanced in all spheres. This includes the socio-economic and the ecological or environmental. An agroecosystem is a key idea in agroecology - they are defined as "semi-domesticated ecosystems that fall on a gradient betwe ... Including:

• Agroecology - Latin America and Agroecology

Read more here: » Agroecology: Encyclopedia - Agroecology

Companion planting in gardening and agriculture is planting of different crops in close physical proximity. It is a form of polyculture. One traditional practice was planting of corn (maize) and pole beans together. The cornstalk would serve as a trellis for the beans to climb. The inclusion of squash with these two plants completes the Three Sisters technique, pioneered by Native American peoples. Companion planting was widely touted in the 1970s as part of the organic gardening movement. It was encouraged not for pragmatic reasons like trellising, but rather with the idea that differ ... Including:

• Companion planting - Biblical reference
• Companion planting - External link

Read more here: » Companion planting: Encyclopedia - Companion planting

In the mid 1970s, two Australians, Dr. Bill Mollison and David Holmgren, started to develop ideas that they hoped could be used to create stable agricultural systems. This was a result of their perception of a rapidly growing use of destructive,industrial-agricultural methods. They felt these methods were poisoning the land and water, reducing biodiversity, and removing billions of tons of soil from previously fertile landscapes. A design approach called 'permaculture' was their response and was first made public with the publica ...

Read more here: » Permaculture: Encyclopedia II - Permaculture - Origins

Crop rotation is the practice of growing two (or more) dissimilar type of crops in the same space in sequence. It is one component of polyculture. Examples of types of crops that can be rotated include cereals and legumes, and deep-rooted and short-rooted plants. Crop rotation - Method and Purpose. Crop rotation is widely practiced in vegetable production, where it is possible to grow a cool-season crop (such as lettuce) in the spring, follow with a warm-season crop (such as tomatoes) in the summer, ... Including:

• Crop rotation - Method and Purpose
• Crop rotation - History

Read more here: » Crop rotation: Encyclopedia - Crop rotation

Monoculture, a method of growing one crop in a field annually, is generally considered to be unsustainable due to the outside resources required to maintain annual growth. Such resources include the use of chemical pesticides and synthesized fertilizers. Monocultural farming methods can also deplete the land of other natural resources and increase the salinity of the soil, rendering a field unfit for further farming. Pesticides, though sometimes necessary in the short term, can harm the soil food web, a complex ecology of micro-organi ...

Read more here: » Sustainable agriculture: Encyclopedia II - Sustainable agriculture - Methods

Main article: Economy of Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Kitts and Nevis was the last sugar monoculture in the Eastern Caribbean. Faced with a sugar industry that was finding it increasingly difficult to earn a profit, the Government of St. Kitts and Nevis embarked on a program to diversify the agricultural sector and stimulate the development of other sectors of the economy. ...

Read more here: » Saint Kitts and Nevis: Encyclopedia II - Saint Kitts and Nevis - Economy

Main article (comparative discussion of large-scale, conventional, chemical-based agriculture) at organic farming Factory farming also at times describes some large produce and grain operations. The general criteria are similar to those for livestock factory farms. Some of the characteristics of farms that may be classified as factory farms are: large scale — hundreds or thousands of acres of a single crop (much more than can be absorbed into the local or regional market); monoculture — l ...

Read more here: » Factory farming: Encyclopedia II - Factory farming - Factory farming of plants