Meaning & use
polyculture
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Meanings
nouncountable or uncountable
The practice of growing several different crops or raising several species together in the same area at the same time.
Grammar: Can be uncountable ('Polyculture is traditional') or countable ('They use several polycultures').
Patterns
- practice polyculture
- a polyculture of something
- polyculture farming
The farm uses polyculture, planting beans, corn, and squash together.
Polyculture can reduce pests because insects have fewer large fields of one crop to attack.
Their study compared polyculture with monoculture over three growing seasons.
nouncountabletechnical
A particular mix of crops or species grown together in one place.
Grammar: Countable here: you can talk about 'a polyculture' or 'polycultures'.
Patterns
- a polyculture of something
- different polycultures
This polyculture of rice and fish provides both food and income.
Farmers in the region maintain several traditional polycultures.
Word forms
| plural | polycultures |
|---|
Common combinations
- polyculture farming
- Polyculture farming is common in many tropical regions.
- practice polyculture
- Indigenous communities have practiced polyculture for centuries.
- polyculture system
- A polyculture system can be more resistant to disease.
- compare polyculture and monoculture
- The report compares polyculture and monoculture in terms of yield and soil health.
Synonyms and how they differ
- intercropping
- A related farming method where two or more crops are grown in the same field, often in alternating rows; polyculture is the broader idea.
- mixed farming
- Usually means combining crops and livestock on one farm, which is not exactly the same as growing several crops together.
Opposites
Word family
- polycultural adjective
- Relating to or using polyculture.
- monoculture noun
- The opposite practice: growing only one crop or species over a large area.
Commonly confused: polyculture or monoculture?
polyculture vs monoculture
Monoculture means growing just one crop, while polyculture means growing several together; the prefixes 'mono-' and 'poly-' are the clue.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'polyculture' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Polyculture' means growing several crops together, so option C fits. Option A describes monoculture, option B describes a single-crop method, and option D confuses the word with a piece of equipment.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “polyculture”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.