Let’s Bring the ‘Diverse’ Out In Biodiversity, Cus Monoculture is Boring!

As a thriving diverse community, we must diverse our cultivation as well.

Who doesn’t want to live a sustainable and nutritious life? It is healthy for our well-being and helps us maintain a hearty world. We don’t mean no harm to the world until we take advantage of what mother nature provides us. Though, in our modern industrial agriculture, we adapt to one agricultural practice called monoculture that may potentially harm the future and to our future generations. Monoculture is “the agricultural practice of producing and growing genetically similar, or essentially identical plants, over a large area year after year”. Major grain crops such as corn and rice are usually grown as a monoculture. It is argued that this practice produces greater yields by utilizing plants’ abilities to maximize growth under less pressure from other species and more uniform plant structure. Therefore, a vast amount of harvest is gathered in a massive scale and production is cheaper on the line. Doesn’t that sound good?

It sounds good for agribusinesses but not for the rest of the world.

Although it reaches the component of abundance in agriculture, monoculture has many harmful factors. It causes environmental damages, spread of diseases, and unsustainable food supply. When monoculture is applied, additional harmful pesticides and chemicals are required on the field because pests can easily build up on crops when they are adapted to these crops and practices. This leaves the area more vulnerable to the spread of diseases because pathogens spread more readily when the host plant is genetically uniform and crowded. If the disease or the invasion of pests are spread, this would require the immediate action of wiping down ripe crops and the whole crop field to clear the invasion. This will definitely be a lose-lose situation; farmers losing tremendous amount of profit & poisoning the atmosphere, soil, and water of their valuable area and into our world. For example, the hazardous water can lead to our drinking water (which is contaminated by poison) and can cause cancer and other harmful diseases. It is a big risk to humans and animals. In “Monocultures of the Mind” by Vandana Shiva, Shiva states that monocultures of introduced plant varieties leads to the displacement and destruction of local diversity. And I, very much agree. Looking at thousands of acres of land with the same crop? That’s boring.

“The main technique is to replant the very same crop species in the very same field, with no other type of plant whatsoever. This is the basis of large-scale farm corporations that have been trying to control our food sources for decades. And, with the quantity of technology used — such as chemical fertilizers — the practice has become common, often usurping organic farming.”

So what can we do to influence and further educate our agricultural community?

We should enforce biodiversity.

Biodiversity ensures the availability of a rich variety of crops. With diverse crops, it promotes food security, self-sufficiency, and economic growth. It plays an important role in our community because it secures natural sustainability. In order to feed an ever growing population such as ours, innovative ways of integrating biodiversity conservation and food production need to be brought out. Protecting biodiversity in the ecosystems that support food production and fresh water, and preserving genetic diversity in our crops, are both critical to ensuring our ability to produce food with ever-shrinking terrestrial and aquatic resources. Not to mention, biodiversity is good for the economy too (for all those investors out there). Here’s a short clip explaining how:

This is a thriving agricultural method and we need to encourage our farmers to act upon this. Many organisms and species depend on the variation of our crops (and vice versa) because they benefit from one another. For example, birds and insects help pollinate high value crops, which helps farmers grow successful food. This helps farmers maintain a sustainable farm landscape to produce wholesome foods to our table. In many parts of the world, plants are the main source of medicine used for primary health care, linking the survival of plant diversity with human well-being. With a significant amount of impactful principles to live a better and healthier life, we must end monoculture now. What can you do to help promote this if you’re not a farmer? There’s definitely some simple solutions.

You can make simple changes that can help preserve biodiversity right now!

Spreading awareness & being active to contribute a healthy community can help take down monocultures. Here’s a few simple & easy things you can do right at home:

• Minimizing waste: buy less products and non-essential things that you don’t need. “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!”
• Reducing energy use: turn off the lights when it’s not in use. Get into a good habit of doing this because it will save you a great amount of money on electricity as well! Carpooling and driving fuel-efficient cars is recommended too.
• Think locally: Buy wholesome organic foods in your local market! They’re rich in nutrition and absolutely healthier (GMO free). If organic produce is a little too costly for you, you can always build your own Raised Garden Box in your backyard and grow your own produce. Healthy & affordable!