Assessing the Presence of a Monoculture: From Definition to Quantification

Silvio Franco, Barbara Pancino (), Angelo Martella and Tommaso De Gregorio
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Silvio Franco: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organizations, University of Tuscia, Via del Paradiso 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Barbara Pancino: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organizations, University of Tuscia, Via del Paradiso 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Angelo Martella: Department of Economics, Engineering, Society and Business Organizations, University of Tuscia, Via del Paradiso 47, 01100 Viterbo, Italy
Tommaso De Gregorio: Ferrero HCo Hazelnut Company, Korvella-Ferrero, Str. S. Valentino, 01032 Caprarola, Italy

Agriculture, 2022, vol. 12, issue 9, 1-10

Abstract: The term monoculture is widely used in the scientific literature concerning the agricultural sector. However, it is very difficult to find a clear and shared definition of this term. This study investigates the concept of monoculture in agricultural areas where high specialization in a specific crop is observed. Therefore, we refer to a territorial-level definition, which associates the idea of monoculture to the prevalent presence of a crop in a region including many farms. The objectives of the paper are: (i) to define indicators capable of verifying the existence of this condition; (ii) to test the ability of such indicators in identifying the effective presence of a monoculture. A set of Italian areas identified as monoculture in the recent literature were selected to carry out a quantitative analysis, assessing different indexes of monoculture. On the basis of the obtained results, such an analysis should help in comparing the monoculture indexes and fostering a discussion on their suitability and descriptive capacities.

Keywords: monoculture index; crop concentration; crop diversification; Shannon index; Italian monoculture (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q10 Q11 Q12 Q13 Q14 Q15 Q16 Q17 Q18 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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