Social Sustainability
Polyculture
Definition
Polyculture is the simultaneous cultivation of two or more crop species — or integrated combinations of crops, livestock, trees or fish — on the same land in the same season, in contrast to monoculture. Forms include intercropping, relay cropping, agroforestry and integrated rice-fish systems, exploiting complementary resource use and ecological interactions among species.
References
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This reference provides supporting context for how “Polyculture” is defined and used.
Overview
How it is used
The term is used in agroecology, conservation agriculture and sustainable intensification research and practice; polyculture principles inform regenerative agriculture and agroforestry design.
Why it matters
Industrial monoculture's simplicity comes with vulnerability and input dependence; polyculture is the agronomic embodiment of using biodiversity as a production input.