PLEA Network

14 May 2015, The Conversation: Single-crop farming is leaving wildlife with no room to turn. Rolling plains of wheat, endless fields of flowering canola, row upon row of fruit trees: these agricultural landscapes are the stuff of stunning photographs. Filling these paddocks with just one crop, known as monoculture, is a relatively easy, common and efficient way to produce food and fibre. But international research shows that these monocultures can be bad for the environment and production through effects on soil quality, erosion, plants and animals, and ultimately declining crop yields. Research I have published this week in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability shows a possible link between monoculture landscapes and fewer wild pollinators. Read More here