monoculture

Farming system where only one crop is grown. In developing world countries this is often a cash crop, grown on plantations, for example sugar and coffee. Cereal crops in the industrialized world are also frequently grown on a monoculture basis, for example wheat in the Canadian prairies.

Monoculture allows the farmer to tailor production methods to the requirements of one crop, but it is a high-risk strategy since the crop may fail (because of pests, disease, or bad weather) and world prices for the crop may fall. Monoculture without crop rotation is likely to result in reduced soil quality despite the addition of artificial fertilizers, and it contributes to soil erosion.