Inadequate farm crop diversity


  • Monoculture of crops
  • Single crop farming
  • Insufficient polyculture

Nature

Monocultures are highly unstable and unsustainable systems that spread not because they produce more food but because they produce more control.

Incidence

Inadequate farm crop diversity is a pressing global issue that threatens food security and biodiversity. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 75% of the world's food is generated from just 12 plant and five animal species. This lack of diversity leaves crops vulnerable to disease, pests, and climate change, putting food production at risk. Additionally, the FAO reports that over 75% of crop genetic diversity has been lost since the 1900s, with thousands of traditional crop varieties disappearing each year. This loss of diversity not only limits the resilience of agricultural systems but also hinders efforts to adapt to changing environmental conditions. Addressing this problem is crucial to ensuring a sustainable and secure food supply for future generations.
Source: ChatGPT v3.5

Claim

  1. The mindset that assumes that monocultures are essential for solving problems of scarcity underlies programmes such as World Bank-financed schemes that replace diverse natural forests with pine or eucalyptus plantations, and turn diversified farms into monocultures of "miracle" wheat or rice.

Counter claim

  1. Mechanized agriculture has made broadscale farming of single crops very efficient. The advantages for disease and pest management afforded by small-scale intermixed crops have been offset by chemical pesticides.


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