High Input Monocultures
Description
Large farms that grow a single crop and mostly use agrotoxic chemicals and machinery to produce them. Mono cultures can be used to grow crops(which are used both for food products and biofuels) and trees.
Monoculture | Volunteer Gardener
Problems
Monocultures can mess up local farmers who own smaller farms and sell their food locals and use more sustainable practices. These larger plantations are more efficient and therefor more profitable than local farmers so they end up driving the local farms out of business. The larger plantation farms in the south also tend to gobble up land and push the local populace off of their land in an effort to expand.
Plantations also have the problems of water shortages and ground water contaminations form pesticides and GMOs. Local plants and animals are often seen as pests instead of being viewed as having the right to be there. The crop growers destroy the local populace which upsets the balance and can causes outbreaks of sickness.
Solutions
Solutions to the main problems include:
-Using less pesticides
-Follow regulations of the WWOOF (World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms)
-Creating local, organic farms
-Growing your own goods
-Help out organic farms
-Using local goods, as there are less GMOs
Real-World Examples
Examples include:
-Large Plantations in the South
-Industrialized areas in the South/Midwest