Difference Between Intensive Farming and Extensive Farming

The main difference between intensive farming and extensive farming is that intensive farming refers to an agricultural system, in which there is a high use of labor and capital, compared to land area and extensive farming. It is an agrarian technique, in which large farms are being cultivated, with relatively minor inputs.

Intensive agriculture versus extensive agriculture

Intensive farming is an agricultural practice that emphasizes increasing the yield of a given parcel of land using various means such as intensive use of pesticides, capital, labor, high-yielding crop varieties, etc. Extensive agriculture is an agricultural technique or agricultural production structure in which low inputs of labor, capital, fertilizers, etc., relative to the area of ​​farmland, are used. Intensive agriculture is practiced in densely populated areas to meet the food-related demands of a large population on a relatively small piece of land. On the other hand, extensive agriculture adapted by farmers in an area where the population density is low and the land is abundant and cheap,

Comparison chart

What is intensive agriculture?

Intensive agriculture is a system of agriculture that uses large amounts of labor and capital relative to land area. Large amounts of labor and capital are needed for the application of fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides to increase yields, and capital is particularly important for the purchase and maintenance of high-performance machinery for planting, cultivating, and harvesting, along with the irrigation. gear where needed. As a result, a farm that uses intensive agriculture will require less land than one that cultivates extensive agriculture to produce a similar profit. In practice, however, The expended economies and efficiencies of intensive farming often encourage farm operators to work large tracts to keep their capital investments in machinery productively engaged. The increased productivity of intensive agriculture allows the farmer to use a relatively smaller area of ​​land than that located near the market, where land values ​​are high relative to labor and capital, and this is true. In many parts of the world. If the costs of labor and capital expenditure for machinery and chemical products, and the expenses of storage and transport to market are too high. The increased productivity of intensive agriculture allows the farmer to use a relatively smaller area of ​​land than that located near the market, where land values ​​are high relative to labor and capital, and this is true. In many parts of the world. If the costs of labor and capital expenditure for machinery and chemical products, and the expenses of storage and transport to market are too high. The increased productivity of intensive agriculture allows the farmer to use a relatively smaller area of ​​land than that located near the market, where land values ​​are high relative to labor and capital, and this is true. In many parts of the world. If the costs of labor and capital expenditure for machinery and chemical products, and the expenses of storage and transport to market are too high.

Advantages

• High crop yield
• Means more variety of food can be produced
• It is more efficient
• Affordable food prices
• Helps ensure regulated agriculture
• A sustainable food supply

What is extensive agriculture?

Extensive agriculture is a system of growing crops that uses small amounts of labor and capital on the area of ​​cultivated land. The yield of crops in extensive agriculture depends mainly on the natural abundance of the soil, the environment, the climate and the availability of water. It is the use of large amounts of labor and capital, allows the use of fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides and herbicides and mechanical planting, cultivation and often harvesting. Because extensive agriculture produces a lower yield per unit of land, its commercial use requires large amounts of land to be profitable. This demand for land means that extensive farming has taken place where land values ​​are low for labor and capital.

Advantages

• Less labor per unit area is needed to farm large areas, especially since costly land disturbance is completely eliminated.
• Mechanization can be used most effectively on large, flat areas.
• Greater labor efficiency generally means lower product prices.
• Lower input requirements such as fertilizers.

Key differences

1. Intensive agriculture is an agricultural procedure to increase crop yields through the intensive use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, etc. and machines. At the other extreme, extensive farming is an agricultural method, in which acres of land are farmed, with lower inputs, i.e. labor and investment, compared to land.
2. In densely populated areas, intensive farming is easily practiced because it requires a small area for cultivation. Despite that, land in those fields is expensive. On the contrary, extensive agriculture started in the areas where there are large farms for cultivation. However, farms are considerably less expensive.
3. Intensive agriculture results in high output per unit of land, but fewer people. Differingly, in extensive agriculture, large farms are cultivated, and therefore the total production is high, but the production per unit is low.
4. While intensive farming is done in the densely populated areas, extensive farming is done in the region of moderate population.
5. Intensive farming farms located near the market area, which minimizes the cost of transportation and distribution. On the contrary, in intensive agriculture, the agricultural land is located in distant areas, which increases its cost of transportation and sale to the market.

Final Thought

In short, the main direction of intensive agriculture is in the volume of the crop produced, while extensive agriculture emphasizes quality. Intensive agriculture induces damage to the environment, since there is a high use of chemical products that not only reduces soil fertility but also contaminates food, which does not happen in the case of extensive agriculture.