Monoculture, the practice of growing a single crop over a large area, is a typical characteristic of which type of agriculture?

Introduction / Context:
This question belongs to basic agricultural geography and economics. The term 'monoculture' refers to the practice of growing only one type of crop over a large area, year after year. Understanding which type of farming typically uses monoculture helps you connect farming practices with their economic and environmental impacts, an important topic for competitive exams, especially in geography and environment sections.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The key concept is monoculture: one crop on large tracts of land.
• Options include specialized horticulture, commercial grain farming, shifting cultivation and subsistence farming.
• We assume standard textbook definitions of these farming types.
• We focus on the farming system where monoculture is the dominant, economic norm.

Concept / Approach:
Commercial grain farming is characterised by large-scale cultivation of a single cereal crop, such as wheat or maize, over extensive areas, often using mechanised techniques and modern inputs. The main objective is to produce for the market rather than for local subsistence. This approach typically uses monoculture because it simplifies mechanisation, input use and marketing. In contrast, subsistence farmers often grow multiple crops together to reduce risk, while shifting cultivation involves rotating plots and mixed cropping. Specialized horticulture may focus on certain fruits or vegetables, but the textbook example linked directly with monoculture is commercial grain farming.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Define monoculture: repeated cultivation of a single crop on the same land over large areas.Step 2: Recall the features of commercial grain farming: large farms, single-crop focus, mechanisation and production for sale.Step 3: Note that this system often concentrates on one cereal, e.g., vast wheat fields in the Prairies or the Pampas.Step 4: Compare with subsistence farming, where small farmers usually practice mixed cropping to spread risk and meet varied family needs.Step 5: Shifting cultivation involves moving from one patch to another and often includes a mixture of crops in one field, not continuous monoculture.Step 6: Specialized horticulture may be intensive but is usually discussed separately from the classic monoculture example of grain belts.Step 7: Therefore, the correct answer is 'Commercial grain farming'.

Verification / Alternative check:
Geography textbooks that describe types of agriculture typically mention monoculture in the context of commercial grain farming or plantation agriculture. In objective questions, however, the common pairing is monoculture with commercial grain farming in mid-latitude regions like North America and Eurasia. Past MCQs with similar wording consistently give commercial grain farming as the answer, confirming this association for exam purposes.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Specialized horticulture: Focuses on high-value fruits, flowers or vegetables, often on smaller, intensive plots; not the standard textbook example of monoculture over vast areas of cereals.Shifting cultivation: Involves moving fields and usually mixed cropping, not permanent large-scale monoculture.Subsistence farming: Aimed at family consumption with multiple crops; monoculture would increase risk and is less typical here.

Common Pitfalls:
Some candidates confuse monoculture with any large-scale farming and may pick specialized horticulture or even plantations by habit. Others misread the question and ignore the phrase 'typical characteristic'. To avoid mistakes, link monoculture strongly with vast single-crop fields in commercial grain belts, which is the classic geography example and the one usually tested in exams.

Final Answer:
Monoculture is a typical characteristic of commercial grain farming.