"Intensive agriculture, also known as intensive farming, is a type of agriculture, both of crop plants and of animals, with higher levels of input and output per unit of agricultural land area."
Intensive agriculture involves the use of large inputs of labor, capital, and resources, and is aimed at maximizing yields on a given area of land.
Soil Health: Understanding the properties and characteristics of soil, how to maintain and improve soil health for optimal crop growth and productivity.
Crop Rotation: The practice of rotating crops on the same piece of land year after year in order to promote soil health, reduce pests/diseases, and optimize crop yields.
Irrigation Systems: The different types of irrigation systems and how they work, how to choose the appropriate system for a specific crop, and how to effectively manage water resources.
Fertilization: Various techniques and products for fertilizing crops, including organic and synthetic fertilizers, and how to determine the optimal application rate and frequency for different crops.
Crop Protection: The prevention and control of pests and diseases that can damage crops and reduce yields using various methods such as integrated pest management (IPM), biological control, and chemical pesticides.
Precision Farming: Using technology such as GPS, sensors, and drones to monitor and optimize crop growth and resource management, such as reducing waste and improving efficiency.
Mechanization: The use of agricultural machinery such as tractors, harvesters, and cultivators to automate tasks such as planting, fertilizing, and harvesting, reducing human labor and increasing efficiency.
Agroforestry: Integrating trees with crops and livestock to create diverse, sustainable, and resilient farming systems.
Livestock Integration: Incorporating livestock into intensive agricultural systems to improve soil fertility, control weeds, and create a more diversified and productive farming system.
Economics of Intensive Agriculture: Understanding the costs and benefits associated with intensive agriculture and how to maximize profitability while minimizing environmental impact and resource use.
"Intensive farming, as opposed to extensive farming, has higher levels of input and output per unit of agricultural land area."
"It is characterized by a low fallow ratio, higher use of inputs such as capital, labour, agrochemicals, and water, and higher crop yields per unit land area."
"Forms that rely heavily on industrial methods are often called industrial agriculture, which is characterized by technologies designed to increase yield."
"Techniques include planting multiple crops per year, reducing the frequency of fallow years, improving cultivars, mechanized agriculture, controlled by increased and more detailed analysis of growing conditions."
"Modern methods frequently involve increased use of non-biotic inputs, such as fertilizers, plant growth regulators, pesticides, and antibiotics for livestock."
"Intensive farms are widespread in developed nations and increasingly prevalent worldwide."
"Some intensive farms can use sustainable methods, although this typically necessitates higher inputs of labor or lower yields."
"Sustainably increasing agricultural productivity, especially on smallholdings, is an important way of decreasing the amount of land needed for farming and slowing environmental degradation through processes like deforestation."
"Intensive animal farming involves large numbers of animals raised on limited land, for example by rotational grazing or sometimes as concentrated animal feeding operations."
"These methods increase the yields of food and fiber per acre as compared to extensive animal husbandry."
"With rotational grazing, the animals are repeatedly moved to fresh forage."
"Most of the meat, dairy products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in supermarkets are produced by such farms."
"Higher use of inputs such as capital, labour, agrochemicals, and water contribute to higher crop yields per unit land area."
"Mechanized agriculture is used to control and analyze growing conditions, including weather, soil, water, weeds, and pests."
"Industrial agriculture, characterized by technologies designed to increase yield, is often employed due to its effectiveness in achieving higher output."
"Non-biotic inputs such as fertilizers, plant growth regulators, pesticides, and antibiotics for livestock are frequently used in modern intensive farming."
"Intensive farms, with their higher input levels, contribute significantly to the production of meat, dairy products, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in supermarkets."
"The use of sustainable methods in intensive farming may require higher inputs of labor or result in lower yields."
"Sustainably increasing agricultural productivity can help decrease the amount of land needed for farming and slow down environmental degradation processes, like deforestation."