monoculture

[mon-uh-kuhl-cher]

noun

1. Agriculture.

   1. Also called monocropping. the use of land for growing only one type of crop.

      They are making the same mistake as the foresters who seek to replace diverse forests with monocultures.

   2. Also called monocrop. a crop grown in this manner.

      The cultivation of crops, especially monocultures like soy, palm oil, and cocoa, is another significant factor in habitat loss.

2. 1. a way of life, worldview, set of popular media touchstones, etc., that is considered emblematic of a dominant culture.

      The show played an important role in the media monoculture of the 1950s.

   2. a single culture considered with respect to its homogeneity.

      The small island's monoculture changed drastically when it became an international tourist destination.

monoculture

/ ˈmɒnəʊˌkʌltʃə /

noun

1. the continuous growing of one type of crop

Other Word Forms

• monocultural adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of monoculture¹

First recorded in 1910–15; mono- + culture

Example Sentences

Those of us of who love Mexican American cuisine, in all its manifestations, can take heart in knowing it is still one of the most “American” aspects to whatever is left of the U.S. monoculture.

From Los Angeles Times

You may unfortunately remember the era through the parts that quickly calcified into cliché: $14 cocktails in Mason jars, the monoculture of pork belly, a nationwide proliferation of flaccid fried green tomatoes.

From Salon

The lesson — which applies in everything from forestry and urban planning to radically remaking government — is that monocultures that appear more efficient are actually far more fragile, more vulnerable and weaker than polycultures.

From Salon

"But the one thing we agree on is that our core enemy is the urban monoculture; the leftist unifying culture."

From BBC

Let’s break up landscape-sized monocultures of fuels, whether trees, chaparral or houses.

From Los Angeles Times