polyculture
polyculture — noun
- polyculturesingular
- polyculturesplural
1. A farming method where many kinds of crops or animals are raised side by side on
A farming method where many kinds of crops or animals are raised side by side on one piece of land, instead of growing just a single type.
Mira switched to polyculture after pests destroyed her maize for two years straight.
collocation: switch to polyculture
After three failed maize harvests, Lotte turned to polyculture and now grows beans and squash between her corn rows.
collocation: turned to polyculture
Gabriel teaches local farmers how polyculture can lower their need for chemicals.
In a polyculture system, fish waste feeds the plants and the plants clean the water.
Tendai grows beans, squash, and corn together as a simple form of polyculture.
- intercropping
more specific — multiple crops grown between each other in the same field at the same time
- mixed farming
broader term that may include both crops and livestock together
- companion planting
typically smaller-scale, in gardens rather than large commercial farms
- monoculture
the practice of growing only one type of crop or raising one type of animal
用法筆記
Often contrasted with monoculture, which means growing only one crop. Uncountable in this sense — you cannot say 'a polyculture' when referring to the method.
常見錯誤
2. A field or farm where many different crops or animals are grown at the same time
A field or farm where many different crops or animals are grown at the same time, or the mixture of plants and animals raised there.
The small polyculture behind the village grows rice, vegetables, and fruit trees all year.
countable: the polyculture as a physical place
Nicholas planted his first polyculture last spring with tomatoes, basil, and peppers.
countable: 'his first polyculture'
Nala's half-hectare polyculture produced twice as much food last season as her neighbour's single-crop plot.
The research pond is a polyculture where ducks, fish, and spinach share one space.
When you walk through a polyculture, you see many different plants growing side by side.
- mixed farm
a farm that raises several different crops or animals rather than specialising in one
- multi-crop field
a field planted with more than one type of crop at the same time
用法筆記
Countable; takes 'a' or 'the' and can be plural (polycultures). Refers to the actual piece of land or its produce, not the farming method.