#monoculture — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #monoculture, aggregated by home.social.
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10 #IndigenousGardening Techniques Still Used Today
By: Robin Sweetser, May 3, 2026
"As gardeners, we are connected to all people who have come before us, caring for the earth and learning how to best grow crops. Ready for the best gardening techniques? Let’s have a look at some age-old gardening wisdom that’s still relevant today.
A Long History of #Gardening
#Gourds, #beans, and #peppers were being cultivated in #Mexico by 5500 BC, and by 5000 BC, #maize was being grown in #Mesoamerica, and #potatoes in #SouthAmerica. The success or failure of these crops had a major impact on people’s survival. It was critical not only that the land provided sustenance but that it sustained them year after year, which required knowledge of #sustainable growing techniques to preserve the land for future generations.
We hear buzzwords like 'sustainable' or 'permaculture' and 'organic' today. But these techniques were here long before we started talking about 'going green.' Perhaps your grandparents also knew some of the older, gentler ways. Many are simply intuitive and based on fostering a closer relationship with nature and the land. If you don’t already, you might want to think about integrating some of these techniques into your own landscape.
Many of the following practices are often viewed as 'new' to the gardening world, but they’ve been around for a long, long time. They have all been traditionally used by #NativeAmerican peoples, but that is not to say that all of these techniques were used by all Native American cultures. Just like separate countries, #Indigenous cultures vary widely in their gardening philosophies and techniques. Below are just a few #sustainable, Earth-conscious ways to grow a better garden.
These practices originate from diverse Indigenous nations across North and South America, including the #Haudenosaunee (#Iroquois), #Hopi, #Wampanoag, and many others. Agricultural traditions varied widely by climate, geography, and culture.
Companion Planting (the #ThreeSisters Method)
Time-honored gardening wisdom says that certain plants, when grown together, improve each other’s health and yields. For instance, some plants attract beneficial insects that help to protect a companion, while other plants (particularly herbs) act as repellents.
A commonly cited example is the Three Sisters Garden, which has been traditionally practiced by the Wampanoag people of what is now the northeastern United States. A prime demonstration of companion planting at its best, corn provides support for pole beans to climb, the beans add nitrogen to the soil for future crops to use, and squash leaves shade the soil around the taller plants, like a living mulch. Squash’s prickly leaves also deter marauding animal pests. Some would add a fourth sister—a flowering plant such as #sunflowers—to draw in #pollinators.
#Intercropping or #polyculture of plants that have mutual benefits (aka companion planting) mimics the way different species grow together in nature. #Monoculture, on the other hand, leads to the exhaustion of soil nutrients. Indigenous people also discovered that plant diversity meant diet diversity. If one crop should fail, the others could fill that void.
Try 'intercropping' in your vegetable garden. Sneak small crops in between bigger ones; the small crops will be ready before the big ones need the space.
#Terracing for #SoilConservation
Terracing creates flat planting beds in hilly terrain. Taming the steep slopes slows runoff, allowing water to seep into the beds and curb erosion.
Creating terraces in which to garden is an especially good way to garden where rain is seasonal, sporadic, and often comes in heavy downpours. In the southwestern U.S., for example, terracing was key to the agricultural success of the Anasazi and their descendants, the #Hopi, who still use terraced gardens today. This can be seen in the village of #HotevillaBacavi, in northern Arizona, where traditional #TerracedGardens were restored in the 1990s.
If you wish to garden sustainably on sloped land for years to come, the use of terracing is essential in avoiding soil erosion that carries your precious topsoil away.
There are different types of #terracing. If you have a slope, consider using some rocks or retaining walls to create a series of flattened areas, mitigating runoff. Ancient terraces are seen all over the steep terrain in #Greece, too.
Traditional Irrigation Methods
Thousands of years ago, the Anasazi people inhabited what is now the Four Corners region of the U.S., an area known for its low annual rainfall. They traditionally built catchments, check dams (dams made of rock that held onto soil but allowed water to pass through), and reservoirs to collect the infrequent stormwater. The Hopi people of northern Arizona also use these age-old techniques to irrigate their gardens in this arid landscape, although modern technology has allowed for expanded #WaterConservation efforts.
If you live in a dry area, storing water in ponds, cisterns, or even a #RainBarrel is a wise idea, as the reserved water can be used for irrigation as needed.
Conversely, in areas with floods, people learned how to use what could be destructive as a way to boost productivity. For example, one technique was to create shallow depressions so that when the floodwaters rose, the water could be stored. Another technique was to use #canals near rivers to divert water to nearby farmland."
Read more:
https://www.almanac.com/10-indigenous-gardening-techniques-still-used-today#SolarPunkSunday #GrowYourOwnFood #NativeAmericans #TraditionalTechnology #ClimateChangeGardening #TraditionalEcologicalKnowledge #TEK #TerracedGardens #RainGardens
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‘Doves and food and fun’: the fight to save a farming pioneer
#Wakelyns needs £1.2m to save its diverse organic crops and ‘micro’ enterprises including a bakery and honeybee hives
"It’s almost a political project about land use – maximising the #sustainable productivity of the land." - David Wolfe
by Patrick Barkham
Tue 30 Jun 2026 06.00 EDT"The aerial view of Wakelyns matches the experience of visiting it at ground level: in a region dominated by prairie fields of industrial agriculture, here lies a vivid green lung of land. Its sounds and sights in summer – the sleepy purr of the turtle dove, the vivid pink flash of a bullfinch – have vanished from most of the British countryside.
"But Wakelyns is not a nature reserve – it is a thriving farm, a 'living laboratory' for #agroforestry and a hub for innovation and business. It is also under threat, and its owners must raise £1.2m to turn it into a charitable community benefit society.
"The 56-acre former pig farm in Suffolk was bought by Martin and Ann Wolfe in 1992. Martin was a government plant pathologist who wanted to do more innovative research than his employers had allowed. Seeking to farm crops with fewer pesticides, herbicides and fertilisers, he created one of the first agroforestry schemes in Europe.
"Turning productive cereal-growing fields into 56 narrow 'alleys' of farmed land between rows of planted trees had been 'widely regarded as mad', said their son, #DavidWolfe, an environmental lawyer who now runs Wakelyns with his wife, Amanda Illing. 'The farmer who sold the land to them said: ‘You’ve ruined a perfectly good wheat field’.'
"Today, Wakelyns is an inspirational example of agroforestry, which has become official government policy. The government’s carbon delivery plan wants to turn 10% of arable land into agroforestry by 2050, with financial incentives to encourage more farmers to transition into something like Wakelyns.
"The lush trees that divide the alleys are all crops. After more than 30 years, some are tall trees for timber, while others provide #apples, #cherries and #plums. The most lucrative tree crop is #hazel, which is coppiced on a seven-year cycle to produce high-quality hazel stakes for traditional hedgelayers. Each stake is sold for £1.40 and Wakelyns cannot grow enough.
The farm’s motto is '#ResilienceThroughDiversity'. It pioneered the first commercial #lentil growing in the UK, and is still the country’s only commercial #BlackLentil grower. 'If Britain is serious about wanting to feed itself, we should stop growing oilseed rape for biodiesel and grow #pulses,' said Wolfe.
"Wakelyns’ diversity encompasses a uniquely genetically diverse population of wheat and multiple varieties of apple tree. When big orchards, which typically grow a narrow range of apple varieties, complain of a terrible harvest, a mixed orchard such as Wakelyns’ is fine, because every year some varieties thrive. #Monocultural farmers, says Wolfe, 'put it all on red or black'.
"Wolfe and Illing took over the farm in 2020 after Wolfe’s parents died. To the innovative farming principles, they added 'enterprise stacking', bringing people back to the land via a series of symbiotic relationships."
#SolarPunkSunday #Trees #UK #MutualAid #HempTextiles #FoodSecurity #FoodForests #CropRotation #CropDiversity #OrganicFarming #SupportUKFarms #SupportLocalFarmers
#Polyculture not #Monoculture -
Monoculturalism and Project Invisibility
Silencing dissenting Indigenous voices"Project Invisibility is a sustained campaign to remove First Nations leaders from public boards and other senior government roles."
"We're going back to the [master] days, like you have your head bowed, you're too afraid to put your head up and speak your mind because you might be out the door."
"It means you'll have the same old Eurocentric version of the world in your policies, everything you're doing within government will be white, anglicised."
"They are eradicating, invisibilising us, and destroying our history and culture." >>
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-06-20/langbroek-remains-silent-over-aboriginal-leadership-changes/106817420
#IndigenousPeoples #FirstNations #IndigenousVoices #TruthTelling #invisibility #culture #monoculture #monoculturalism #SettlerSociety #EuropeanColonisation #governance -
A yearning for the idyllic forest scene and cellulose factories
When they want to ‘get away from it all’ and ‘go for a drive’ through nature, the idyllic forest scene, they are in denial that the romantic craving for the bush turns out to be industrial plantations.
“Nature ... is a planned product of the forestry industry, a purely wisely placed storehouse for cellulose production, which is readily apparent.”
- The Man Without Qualities, Robert Musil, 1930https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_Without_Qualities
#forests #forestryCorporation #forestry #CelluloseFactories #LoggingIndustry #landscapes #TheBush #plantations #monoculture #RawMaterials #extractivism #biodiversity #nature #book #literature -
If you, like me, think our monoculture agriculture is skrewed and are losing hope for the future, well, take a look. It's a really good video about #permaculture and #agroforestry. I loved it!
What is Agroforestry? – The Future of Farming
https://youtu.be/njsC4kKFO3s -
Pesticide spray drift from intensive horticulture on the the mid-north coast NSW -
Discontent in the region.Home owners, dairy and beef producers among those concerned about how pesticide use affects their land as well as water quality on the mid-north coast
“Between 2001 and 2016 blueberry farming expanded 400% – mainly around the Coffs Harbour region.”
“This monitoring showed the continued detection of pesticides in most waterways sampled, highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring in the region.”
“Monitoring in the Nambucca valley by the EPA has detected three different pesticides in low levels in three creeks, suggesting water quality in the area is not being impacted by excessive amounts of pesticides.”
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https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2025/oct/09/blueberry-farms-nsw-north-coast-rapid-expansion-development-pesticides
#Pesticides #food #beef #diary #prawns #blueberries #plantations #monoculture #rivers #water #export #runoff #pollution #neonicotinoids #imidacloprid #dimethoate #SprayDrift #CoffsHarbour #Macksville #Nambucca #Woolgoolga #conflict #violence #EPA #regulation #horticulture #industry #tourism #PeoplesHomes #TankWater #governance #MidNorthCoast #NSW #biodiversity #wildlife #extractivism -
A good argument for #Polyculture instead of #monoculture! Of course, it takes time to establish, and doesn't happen overnight.
#Climate takes its toll on the ‘#cherry capital of the world’
The erratic weather adding to the troubles of Michigan's cherry growers is impacting #farmers everywhere.
Ayurella Horn-Muller & Izzy Ross
December 17, 2024"Everyone who works the land knows they’re at the mercy of the weather, but even by that measure this was a challenging year for Michigan’s cherry farmers. Growers throughout the state, which produces one-fifth of the nation’s sweet cherries and about 75 percent of its tart cherries, have struggled with mounting losses. By the time the season came to a close over the summer, as much as 75 percent of the state’s sweet cherry crop was lost. Although tart cherry production for northwest Michigan was up almost 40 percent over last year, the quality of the fruit declined.
"Many growers are adapting to the difficult market and changing climate, planting different varieties or embracing high-density orchards with trees packed more closely together, an approach that makes them easier to harvest while lowering costs and improving quality. For Isaiah Wunsch, CEO of the farm that bears his name, the key to survival is 'not putting all of our eggs into one basket.'"
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Are you thinking about creating a #FoodForest here in #NewZealand? Here are the steps you need to take to successfully plan and grow your own #EdibleForestGarden.
by Dana at Piwakawaka Valley Homestead
"Reasons to use Permaculture principals to design your Food Forest
- Permaculture is a fantastic way to reduce your workload, particularly on lifestyle blocks.
- Permaculture design reduces workload by mimicking natural systems, natural systems maintain themselves, so that you don’t have to.
- Permaculture can save money. Successful permaculture properties operate as a closed loop, requiring few products to be bought in to maintain it. Ideally all your fertility will be made or grown on site.
- To provide resilience from natural disasters. Permaculture landscapes mitigate against flood events, resist the effects of drought, provide food security, enhance habitat for animals /birds / insects, process their own waste (turning it into a valuable resource), and provide can even fuel in winter if you have enough space to add a woodlot.
- Reduce exposure to chemicals in the environment. Permaculture and organics go hand in hand – an organically managed property will be free from the potential harmful effects of chemical pesticides, herbicides and fungicides.
"Here are the steps you need to take to successfully plan and grow your own edible forest garden...."
Read more:
https://foodforestplants.co.nz/create-food-forest-new-zealand/#SolarPunkSunday #FoodForests
#SustainableAgriculture #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #OrganicGardening #GardeningWithoutPesticides
#Gardening #CommunityAgriculture
#Monoculture #PlantDiversity
#BigFood #BigAg #WebOfLife #Polyculture -
10 incredible #UrbanFoodForests from around the world
"If we take a moment to observe nature we realize that a woodland doesn’t require artificial interventions to remain flourishing." – Picasso Food Forest
Climate Society
14th June 2022"Everywhere around the world cities are facing the challenge of providing their growing population with fresh, local food. Instead of buying food cultivated in monocultures hundreds of miles away from home, both farmers as well as engaged citizens are turning to a radically different approach. They are transforming school yards, parking lots and even boats into edible food forests.
"Food forests are the complete opposite of our industrial agricultural model. Instead of large-scale monocrops covered in harmful pesticides, food forests are diverse ecosystems, mimicking natural forests. The different layers of a food forest, ranging from tall fruit and nut trees to fruit bearing shrubs and bushes, vines, roots and other ground-hugging plants, offer a variety of fresh, local, organic produce.
"Especially for city dwellers, these urban food forests provide a huge opportunity. Rather than depending on the heavily industrialized food system, it enables people in cities to gain access to healthy and sustainable nutrition. In addition, by actively participating in taking care of a food forest, the connection to both nature and community gets an instant boost.
"These ten inspiring examples of food forests prove that it is possible to provide inhabitants of urban areas with food that is good for both people and planet."
Read more:
https://sustainableurbandelta.com/urban-food-forests/#SolarPunkSunday #FoodForests #SustainableAgriculture #FoodSecurity #FoodSovereignty #OrganicGardening #GardeningWithoutPesticides #Gardening #CommunityAgriculture #Monoculture #PlantDiversity #BigFood #BigAg #FoodSovereignty #WebOfLife #Polyculture
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@sinituulia You are of course right about #cotton and #linen, but I want to make a side note that any crop will only be fertiliser- and pesticide-intensive if you #monoculture it. Which you should never do with any crop, ever.
Yes, I know that monoculture still considered "standard procedure" by many, but it is harmful in pretty much all respects and it needs to stop. #polyculture #sustainability #permaculture
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From @ethanz: 〝Often, we optimise ourselves into single points of failure. […] When systems are critical to the functioning of society, we might insist that they are redundant and independent of one another, so that if one fails, others might carry on.〞
https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/ideas/technology/67625/when-monoculture-leads-to-monofailure
#resilience #CrowdStrike #polyculture #monoculture #technology
