An Introduction to Intensive and Extensive Farming
To grasp the distinction between intensive and extensive farming, it is important to understand agriculture, its objectives, and the various types involved.
Meaning of Farming
Crop cultivation and animal husbandry involve raising animals for food and raw materials. Farming is a key aspect of agriculture.
While the precise timeline is uncertain, agriculture probably originated thousands of years ago. The emergence of farming during the Neolithic Revolution marked a transition from nomadic hunting to settled urban life.
Purpose of Farming
Farming plays a crucial role in ensuring national food security by providing nutritious food for all. Cultivating crops specifically aimed at addressing nutrient deficiencies, such as Vitamin A, iron, and other vital minerals, also helps reduce malnutrition. Additionally, agriculture supports environmental sustainability by reducing pollution and safeguarding natural resources such as water and soil. If these resources are not properly managed, their degradation could pose a risk to human life.
Types of Farming
Farming can be categorized into different types based on the techniques used, the raw materials involved, and the end products produced. These include-
- Subsistence Farming
- Commercial Farming
- Intensive and Extensive Farming
- Plantation Farming
- Mixed Farming
- Nomadic Farming
What is Intensive and Extensive Farming?
Intensive farming, also referred to as intensive agriculture, involves utilizing substantial labor and resources to boost agricultural productivity. This method is characterized by the heavy use of pesticides, fertilizers, and other agricultural inputs, along with medications and concentrated feed for livestock. By employing high-input techniques, intensive farming emphasizes maximizing output from each area of land.
Benefits of Intensive Farming
- Increased Crop Production: One of the primary advantages of intensive farming is its ability to achieve high crop yields. The demand for agricultural products, such as meat, eggs, milk, fish, and grains, is significant in today’s food markets, including restaurants and supermarkets.
- Greater Variety of Food: Intensive farming allows for a wider array of food options for human consumption, as it primarily focuses on mass production of specific crops or livestock. Given the high levels of labor, investment, and resources required, it is more feasible to specialize in a single type of output.
- Higher Efficiency: Intensive farming is more productive because it requires less land and fewer agricultural inputs for each unit of product produced.
Extensive Farming: Extensive farming refers to an agricultural practice that employs large machinery, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and agricultural research. It is commonly found in regions with expansive farmland and low population densities. This farming style is prevalent in countries with sparse populations and ample arable land, such as Argentina, Australia, parts of the United States, Canada, and Russia. Extensive farming is characterized by its lower consumption of labor, fertilizers, and financial resources in relation to the size of the land being cultivated.
Benefits of Extensive Farming
- Increased Income: Farmers earn a substantial income due to the high overall yields associated with this type of farming.
- More profitable: Profit margins are significant because the production costs are relatively low.
- Creates less pollution: The reduced use of pesticides and insecticides leads to lower levels of soil pollution.
Intensive and Extensive Farming Difference
|
S.No |
Category | Intensive Farming |
Extensive Farming |
| 1 | Definition | The agricultural method referred to as “intensive farming” employs significant labor and resources relative to the area of land it utilizes. | Extensive farming is an agricultural approach that entails cultivating large areas of land with relatively minimal inputs, such as money and labor. |
| 2 | Land size | Small but costly. | Large but inexpensive. |
| 3 | Output | The output per hectare of land is large. | The output per hectare of land is small. |
| 4 | Region of practice | These practices are followed in densely populated regions. | These practices are followed in regions with low populations. |
| 5 | Countries | India, Japan, United Kingdom. | United States of America, Canada, Australia. |
| 6 | Impact | The heavy reliance on pesticides and fertilizers negatively impacts the ecosystem. | Due to the little use of pesticides, fertilisers, and other chemicals, it does not cause environmental pollution. |
Summary
Intensive farming relies heavily on significant labor, financial resources, and fertilizer inputs to achieve high yields from a small area of land. In contrast, extensive farming employs lower levels of labor, money, and fertilizer inputs, resulting in lower yields across a larger expanse of land. The key difference between intensive and extensive agriculture lies in the amount of input utilized per unit of land.
