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 affects agricultural systems globally, with monoculture practices prevalent in regions such as North America, Europe, and parts of Asia. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), about 75% of the world's food is derived from just 12 plant species, leading to a significant reduction in genetic diversity. This lack of diversity increases vulnerability to pests, diseases, and climate change, threatening food security and farmer livelihoods.
A notable instance of inadequate crop diversity occurred in the United States in 2012, when a severe drought impacted the Midwest, particularly in states like Iowa and Illinois. The reliance on a limited number of corn and soybean varieties exacerbated the crisis, resulting in substantial yield losses and economic hardship for farmers.

Claim

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

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.