monoculture
noun
mono·cul·ture
| \ ˈmä-nə-ˌkəl-chər
\
\
Definition of monoculture
1a
: the cultivation or growth of a single crop or organism especially on agricultural or forest land
b
: a crop or a population of a single kind of organism grown on land in monoculture
c
: growth consisting of a single crop, plant, or organism
The plant forms a thick monoculture that cuts down on the variety of plants and birdlife in the marsh …— James Gorman
2
: a culture dominated by a single element : a prevailing culture marked by homogeneity
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Other Words from monoculture
monocultural
\ ˌmä-nə-ˈkəlch-rəl
, -ˈkəl-chə- \
adjective
, -ˈkəl-chə- \
adjective
Examples of monoculture in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Unlike other places in the world where coffee is either cultivated as monoculture (growing a single crop in an area) or under the canopy of one single tree species, here it is grown under a great diversity of native shade trees. — Nandita Jayaraj, Quartz India, "The coffee plantations of India’s western ghats are being wrongly blamed for climate change," 4 Sep. 2019 For example, emphasis on monoculture (grapes) prompts growers to clear stream beds to expand vineyards. — Dave Mcintyre | Special To The Washington Post, oregonlive, "Oregon winemaker challenges efforts to make vineyards more sustainable," 3 Sep. 2019 For example, emphasis on monoculture (grapes) prompts growers to clear stream beds to expand vineyards. — Dave Mcintyre, Washington Post, "To fight climate change, one winemaker wants to think about more than the grapes," 30 Aug. 2019 That’s because the banana is based on a single genetic clone, producing a worldwide monoculture extremely vulnerable to epidemics. — Natasha Frost, Quartz, "A deadly fungus could wipe out the world’s favorite banana—again," 20 Aug. 2019 Instead, a mounting accumulation of agricultural bad practices (monoculture crops led to bad bee diets, and a huge rise in pesticide use has ruined their health long-term) tilted the axis of the environment towards destruction. — Josephine Livingstone, The New Republic, "Honeyland Is a Stinging Allegory for Man-Made Disaster," 9 Aug. 2019 Sugar cane was brought by Columbus, and the non-monoculture style of agriculture — where mango trees, corn stalks, banana bushes and manioc plants grow right next to sugar — results in super-rich soil. — chicagotribune.com, "How the Haitian spirit clairin is more like mezcal than rum," 9 July 2019 While there of course exists some degree of overt discrimination against conservatives, the reasons for the monoculture reach well beyond overt discrimination. — David French, National Review, "Social-Media Censorship Is the Product of Culture and Commerce," 6 June 2019 The change, which coincides with the rise of European colonization in Australia, became more pronounced during the past 70 years, a time marked by widespread water pollution from clearing the land, raising livestock and growing monoculture crops. — Quanta Magazine, "Ancient DNA Yields Snapshots of Vanished Ecosystems," 29 May 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'monoculture.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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