The funding for this research is minuscule fraction compared to the agriculture industry. Exploring this part of the potential solution space is worthwhile, even if it doesn’t end up being the best way forward. We need to look into all the options to have a chance at finding out what works best. This article is actually about research of an an alternative agricultural process so it’s odd to naysay it in the same comment.

“Alternative practices” as in an alternative to conventional monoculture. This is just another attempt to fix monoculture, because it’s not working

It's working just fine.

When was the last famine in the United States? When was the last famine anywhere on the planet that wasn't due to some kind of fucked-up government?

...Till the fossil fuels run out.

Drawing down savings to pay the mortgage works just fine too, until they run out. There being no obvious alternatives doesn't mean you won't end up homeless.

Monoculture is working just fine. If you disagree, try to compete with it. Good luck on that.

It'd be interesting to actually test this out if we got rid of farm and fossil fuel subsidies that prop up monoculture.

Would be an even better comparison if we account for the externalities, like soil erosion and ecocide from pesticide/fertilizer run-off.

Look at New Zealand - they lack agricultural subsidies and tax fuel. Assuming monoculture is because of subsidizes isn't based on reality.

Externalities are a /way/ larger issue than just monoculture or even modern pesticides and fertilizer though.

Vs. the genocide if we didn't use artificial nitrogen fertilizers and had to suffer lower yield for a purely "organic" food system (note that organic fertilizers that ultimately source their nitrogen back to waste from conventional agriculture could not be used.)

I think one of the biggest reasons theres not more of a push to get away from monocropping is the amount of labor required for harvesting, tending, planting, etc. Well that and the overhead for having your production span multiple outgoing market and distribution systems.

Poly cropping almost certainly ends up being more labor intensive, and even requiring some knowledge on the ground. The trend is very much so improving profit by reducing labor.