Intensive & Extensive Farming

WHAT IS INTENSIVE FARMING INTENSIVE FARMING OR INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE IS AN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM CHARACTERIZED BY A LOW FALLOW RATIO AND THE HIGH USE OF INPUTS SUCH AS CAPITAL, LABOUR, OR HEAVY USE OF PESTICIDES AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS RELATIVE TO LAND AREA. THIS IS IN CONTRAST TO MANY SORTS OF TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE IN WHICH THE INPUTS PER UNIT LAND ARE LOWER. WITH INTENSIFICATION, ENERGY USE TYPICALLY GOES UP, INITIALLY PROVIDED BY HUMANS, THEN SUPPLEMENTED WITH ANIMALS, AND SUPPLEMENTED OR REPLACED WITH MACHINES. INTENSIVE ANIMAL FARMING PRACTICES CAN INVOLVE VERY LARGE NUMBERS OF ANIMALS RAISED ON LIMITED LAND WHICH REQUIRE LARGE AMOUNTS OF FOOD, WATER AND MEDICAL INPUTS (REQUIRED TO KEEP THE ANIMALS HEALTHY IN CRAMPED CONDITIONS). VERY LARGE OR CONFINED INDOOR INTENSIVE LIVESTOCK OPERATIONS (PARTICULARLY DESCRIPTIVE OF COMMON US FARMING PRACTICES) ARE OFTEN REFERRED TO AS FACTORY FARMING AND ARE CRITICIZED BY OPPONENTS FOR THE LOW LEVEL OF ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS AND ASSOCIATED POLLUTION AND HEALTH ISSUES.

PLACE’S IT’S PERFORMED INTENSIVE FARMS GENERALLY TAKE UP A FAIRLY SMALL AREA OF LAND, BUT AIM TO HAVE A VERY HIGH OUTPUT, THROUGH MASSIVE INPUTS OF CAPITAL AND LABOUR. THESE FARMS USE MACHINES AND NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO BECOME AS EFFICIENT AND COST-EFFECTIVE AS POSSIBLE. INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE CAN BE SEEN IN MANY PLACES AROUND THE WORLD, SUCH AS THE CANTERBURY PLAINS OF NEW ZEALAND, PIG FARMING IN DENMARK AND RICE CULTIVATION IN THE COUNTRIES OF SOUTH EAST ASIA. ALL USE TECHNOLOGY APPROPRIATE TO THEIR COUNTRY TO ENABLE THEM TO GET THE HIGHEST YIELDS FROM THEIR LAND.

ADVANTAGES ONE OF THE MAJOR ADVANTAGES OF THIS FARMING TECHNIQUE IS THAT THE CROP YIELD IS HIGH. IT HELPS THE FARMER TO EASILY SUPERVISE AND MONITOR THE LAND AND PROTECT HIS LIVESTOCK FROM BEING HURT OR HOUNDED BY DANGEROUS WILD ANIMALS. WITH THE INTRODUCTION OF INTENSIVE FARMING, FARM PRODUCE, SUCH AS VEGETABLES, FRUITS, AND POULTRY PRODUCTS HAVE BECOME LESS EXPENSIVE. IT ALSO AIDS IN SOLVING THE WORLDWIDE HUNGER PROBLEMS TO A GREAT EXTENT. THIS MEANS THAT COMMON PEOPLE CAN NOW AFFORD A BALANCED AND NUTRITIOUS DIET.

DISADVANTAGES INTENSIVE FARMING INVOLVES THE USE OF VARIOUS KINDS OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS, PESTICIDES, AND INSECTICIDES. APART FROM THIS, IT IS ALSO ASSOCIATED WITH FARMS THAT KEEP LIVESTOCK ABOVE THEIR HOLDING CAPACITY, WHICH IN TURN LEADS TO POLLUTION, VARIOUS DISEASES, AND INFECTIONS BROUGHT ABOUT BY OVERCROWDING AND POOR HYGIENE. REPORTS AND STUDIES REVEAL THAT INTENSIVE FARMING AFFECTS AND ALTERS THE ENVIRONMENT IN MULTIPLE WAYS. FORESTS ARE DESTROYED TO CREATE LARGE OPEN FIELDS, AND THIS COULD LEAD TO SOIL EROSION. IT AFFECTS THE NATURAL HABITAT OF WILD ANIMALS. USE OF CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS CONTAMINATES SOIL AND WATER BODIES, SUCH AS LAKES AND RIVERS. PESTICIDES SPRAYED ON CROPS NOT ONLY DESTROY PESTS AND CONTAMINATE THE CROPS, BUT ALSO KILL BENEFICIAL INSECTS. HEAVY USE OF PESTICIDES AND CHEMICAL FERTILIZERS ALSO AFFECTS THE WORKERS (WHO SPRAY THE PESTICIDES) AND THE PEOPLE RESIDING NEARBY. EVENTUALLY, THESE CHEMICALS ARE PASSED ON TO HUMAN BEINGS, WHO CONSUME THE AGRICULTURAL PRODUCE.

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EXTENSIVE FARMING EXTENSIVE FARMING OR EXTENSIVE AGRICULTURE (AS OPPOSED TO INTENSIVE FARMING) IS AN AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM THAT USES SMALL INPUTS OF LABOR, FERTILIZERS, AND CAPITAL, RELATIVE TO THE LAND AREA BEING FARMED. EXTENSIVE FARMING MOST COMMONLY REFERS TO SHEEP AND CATTLE FARMING IN AREAS WITH LOW AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY, BUT CAN ALSO REFER TO LARGE-SCALE GROWING OF WHEAT, BARLEY AND OTHER GRAIN CROPS IN AREAS LIKE THE MURRAY-DARLING BASIN. HERE, OWING TO THE

EXTREME AGE AND POVERTY OF THE SOILS, YIELDS PER HECTARE ARE VERY LOW, BUT THE FLAT TERRAIN AND VERY LARGE FARM SIZES MEAN YIELDS PER UNIT OF LABOUR ARE HIGH. NOMADIC HERDING IS AN EXTREME EXAMPLE OF EXTENSIVE FARMING, WHERE HERDERS MOVE THEIR ANIMALS TO USE FEED FROM OCCASIONAL RAINFALLS.

PLACE’S IT’S PERFORMED EXTENSIVE FARMING IS FOUND IN THE MID-LATITUDE SECTIONS OF MOST CONTINENTS, AS WELL AS IN DESERT REGIONS WHERE WATER FOR CROPPING IS NOT AVAILABLE. THE NATURE OF EXTENSIVE FARMING MEANS IT REQUIRES LESS RAINFALL THAN INTENSIVE FARMING. THE FARM IS USUALLY LARGE IN COMPARISON WITH THE NUMBERS WORKING AND MONEY SPENT ON IT. IN MOST PARTS OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA, PASTURES ARE SO POOR THAT ONLY ONE SHEEP TO THE SQUARE MILE CAN BE SUPPORTED JUST AS THE DEMAND HAS LED TO THE BASIC DIVISION OF CROPPING AND PASTORAL ACTIVITIES, THESE AREAS CAN ALSO BE SUBDIVIDED DEPENDING ON THE REGIONS RAINFALL, VEGETATION TYPE AND AGRICULTURAL ACTIVITY WITHIN THE AREA AND THE MANY OTHER PARENTHESES RELATED TO THIS DATA.

ADVANTAGES LESS LABOUR PER UNIT AREAS IS REQUIRED TO FARM LARGE AREAS, ESPECIALLY SINCE EXPENSIVE ALTERATIONS TO LAND (LIKE TERRACING) ARE COMPLETELY ABSENT. MECHANIZATION CAN BE USED MORE EFFECTIVELY OVER LARGE, FLAT AREAS. GREATER EFFICIENCY OF LABOUR MEANS GENERALLY LOWER PRODUCT PRICES. ANIMAL WELFARE IS GENERALLY IMPROVED BECAUSE ANIMALS ARE NOT KEPT IN STIFLING CONDITIONS. LOWER REQUIREMENTS OF INPUTS SUCH AS FERTILIZERS.

DISADVANTAGES YIELDS TEND TO BE MUCH LOWER THAN WITH INTENSIVE FARMING IN THE SHORT TERM. LARGE LAND REQUIREMENTS LIMIT THE HABITAT OF WILD SPECIES (IN SOME CASES, EVEN VERY LOW STOCKING RATES CAN BE DANGEROUS), AS IS THE CASE WITH INTENSIVE FARMING

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THANK YOU BYE ANISH VARGHESE THOMAS VIII B