Examples of this that come to mind include soil run-off laden with chemical fertilizer destroying aquatic ecosystems, or the use of herbicides leading to the development of more resilient weeds which may wreak havoc on the natural ecosystem in unpredictable ways.
Extensive farming practices side-step all of this by leaving the natural order of things relatively undisturbed. Intensive and extensive farming are two different approaches to food production that arise out of different circumstances and values. On the one hand, intensive farming is all about maximizing productivity by any means necessary, even if it is at the cost of the environment.
This is typically practiced in smaller, more urban areas, and allows farmers to sell food for cheaper prices. On the other end of the spectrum is extensive farming, which doesn't impact the environment much and works with it instead.
The result is lower productivity per hectare and higher prices per unit of food, in order to maintain profitability. This requires more land, so is usually practiced in more remote areas where access to such land isn't as expensive or difficult.
Sign up here for our Food Systems Forum from Jul! Agriculture Agriculture. Commerce Commerce. Technology Technology. Contributor Contributor External Guest Writer. What is Intensive Farming? Every last square inch of land is used to the The essence of intensive farming is that it depends on chemicals and high-yielding varieties HYV of crops to accelerate the growth and increase the crop yield.
Recent stories Recent stories November 8, October 30, October 18, October 7, System of crop cultivation using small amounts of labour and capital in relation to area of land being farmed.
The crop yield in extensive agriculture depends primarily on the natural fertility of the soil, terrain, climate, and the availability of water. Extensive agriculture is distinguished from intensive agriculture in that the latter, employing large amounts of labour and capital, enables one to apply fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides and to plant, cultivate, and often harvest mechanically.
The prevailing culture valued agricultural development over conservation. Yet many of these producers lived on viable farms that supported a wealth of native plants and animals. They made a living from the native grassy eucalypt woodlands, an ecosystem that extends from Cape York to Tasmania. In these healthy landscapes, vigorous pastures of tall perennial grasses protected the soil, enriched it with carbon and fed the cattle. Read more: IPCC's land report shows the problem with farming based around oil, not soil.
NSW and Victoria have similar eucalypt grassy vegetation, but farming here has taken a very different path. Fertilised legumes and grasses grown for livestock fodder have replaced hundreds of native grassland plants. Over time, native trees and shrubs stopped regenerating and remaining trees became unhealthy, destroying wildlife habitat. The transformation was hastened by aerial applications of fertiliser and herbicide.
By , 4. Back in Queensland in the s, my colleagues and I devised a template for sustainable land use. Funded by the livestock industry and a now-defunct federal corporation, we worked with producers and government agencies to find the right balance between farm production and conserving natural resources. Our research concluded that for farming to be sustainable, intensive land uses must be limited. The main benefits of intensive farming include sufficient food supplies at affordable prices.
However, advantages never come for free. Increased chemical applications are dangerous both to nature and the human body. Intensive farming causes environment pollution and induces major health issues due to poisonous agents. In this regard, the impacts of industrial agriculture require serious attention and management of risks.
The concept of industrial agriculture implies increased use of farmlands to produce the highest yields possible to gain profit and support human food needs.
The maximization is achieved through typical intensive farming practices like increased use of fertilizers, insecticides, abundant irrigation, heavy machinery land treatment, planting high-yield species, expansion of new areas, among others. This way, higher inputs in industrial agriculture condition higher outcomes. Most commercial agricultural enterprises apply intensive crop farming and regard agriculture primarily as a business, taking as much as they can from every single unit of land.
On the contrary, extensive farming propagates a more sparing and healthy approach to land use, with fewer chemical inputs. It maintains productivity in natural and eco-friendly ways that echo with organic farming. The main advantage of intensive farming is its increased performance when higher yields are harvested from smaller territories.
This brings economic benefits to landowners and provides food for the growing population. Intensive agriculture fully satisfies the market demand even in densely inhabited areas.
It also requires less labor compared to eco-friendly farming methods since chemical pest and weed controls work faster and are easier to implement. The highest crops come with some drawbacks though. Traditional intensive agriculture neither aligns with the sustainability concept nor contributes to nature protection, so intensive farming problems require serious consideration.
There are also economic and social disadvantages. Modern industrial agriculture employs extensive use of machines and technologies of field treatment and requires less human labor compared to eco-friendly practices with a lot of manual work.
It results in low employment and engagement of human resources. As to the economic side, low prices of traditional intensive agriculture make a serious competition to more expensive organic farming products, even though the quality of the latter certainly wins. Performing fields analytics based on relevant satellite data to ensure effective decision-making!
Industrial agriculture is certainly useful in terms of food security. However, its methods are far from beneficial to the environment. Shortened flora and fauna populations represent a significant disadvantage.
It mainly happens due to agrochemical applications and monocropping practices. Apart from the expansion of new territories when wildlife loses its natural habitation areas, animals are greatly affected by chemical applications in industrial agriculture.
0コメント