Crop farming and animal husbandry include raising animals for food and raw resources. Agriculture includes farming.
Although no one is certain of the exact age, agriculture likely began thousands of years ago. The Neolithic Revolution was sparked by the advent of farming, which led to a shift away from nomadic hunting and towards urban settlement.
Purpose of Farming
By supplying everyone with nutritious food, farming helps to secure national food security. Growing crops that are particularly designed to supply nutrients that many people lack, such as Vitamin A, iron, and other essential minerals, also lowers malnutrition. Additionally, farming contributes to environmental sustainability by preventing pollution and deterioration of natural resources like water and soil, which, if unchecked, would harm human existence.
Types of Farming
On the basis of the method employed, the raw material being used, and the final product being obtained, farming can be classified into various types. These include-
Subsistence Farming
Commercial Farming
Intensive and Extensive Farming
Plantation Farming
Mixed Farming
Nomadic Farming
This article aims to explain intensive and extensive farming in detail.
What is Intensive and Extensive Farming?
Intensive Farming: Using a lot of labor and resources in order to increase agricultural output is known as intensive farming (also known as intensive agriculture). The intense use of insecticides, fertiliser , and other agricultural production inputs, as well as medicine and concentrated feeding of the animal stock, are characteristics of this system. With high-input techniques, the practice focuses more on producing the most in each area.
Benefits of Intensive Farming
1. Enhanced Crop Yield: High crop yields are one of the key benefits of intensive farming. The modern world's food markets, including restaurants and supermarkets, have a strong demand for agricultural goods including meat, eggs, milk, fish, and grains.
2. A Wider Range of Food Can be Produced: There is a greater variety of food available for human consumption because intensive farming mostly concentrates on mass food production in a particular food crop or animal production. Since intensive farming involves a lot of labor, money, and resources, concentrating on only one type of output is more realistic.
3. It is More Productive: Intensive farming is more efficient since it uses less land and agricultural inputs per unit of product generated.
Extensive Farming: The term "extensive farming" refers to a type of farming that uses expensive equipment, chemical fertiliser s, pesticides, and agricultural research. It is practiced in areas with large agricultural landmasses and low population densities. In countries with low populations and an abundance of arable lands, such as Argentina, Australia, portions of the United States of America, Canada, and Russia, this style of farming is very common. Extensive farming is a method of agricultural production that consumes less manpower, fertiliser s, and money compared to the amount of land being farmed.
Benefits of Extensive Farming
1. Increased Income: Since there is a sizable overall yield in this farming, farmers make good money.
2. More profitable: Marginal profits are large because the cost of production is low.
3. Creates less pollution: The amount of insecticides and pesticides used is less, so the soil does not get highly polluted.
Intensive and Extensive Farming Difference
S.No | Category | Intensive Farming | Extensive Farming |
1 | Definition | An agricultural practice known as "intensive farming" uses a lot of labor and resources compared to the amount of land it occupies. | Extensive farming is a farming method that involves cultivating huge farms with comparatively smaller inputs, such as cash 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 | United States of America, Canada Australia. | |
6 | Impact | Because of the extensive use of pesticides and fertiliser s, it has a detrimental effect on the ecosystem. | Due to the little use of pesticides, fertiliser s, and other chemicals, it does not cause environmental pollution. |
Summary
High labor, money, and fertiliser inputs are used extensively in intensive farming in order to achieve high yields on a small plot of land. Low labor, money, and fertiliser inputs are used in extensive farming to generate poor yields over a big area of land. The amount of input used per unit of land is the primary distinction between intense and extensive agriculture.
