Monocropping

Monocropping is a way of farming that has taken over traditional agriculture. Only specific types of crops are planted in an area rather than a range of species. One of the fastest growing monocrops is palm oil, which threatens species such as orangutans with extinction due to the deforestation to clear land for the plantations.

Monocropping raises other problems as it is very chemical intensive; deforestation is one outcome of this practice and the farmers leave land fallow for a shorter duration leading to soil erosion and soil fertility loss. This fertility loss can be avoided if crops are rotated and different species are planted, as well as if the land is left fallow for a longer time. Another problem is social conflicts about who has the right to own, use and manage the forests, and often indigenous and small local communities are the ones who lose out. As well, monocropping and farming only certain crops leads to underproduction of other crops which increases dependency of imports of these crops.