Intensive farming
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Intensive agriculture is an agricultural production system characterized by the high inputs as relative to land area (as opposed to extensive farming). It usually relies heavily on the use of chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators, pesticides. It is associated with the increasing use of modern practices and agricultural mechanization.
[edit] Advantages
Intensive agriculture made it possible to greatly increase productivity during the twentieth century, and helped ensure a proper and stable food supply for the growing population while at the same time decreasing the amount of land needed. Agricultural productivity gains allowed for the reduction in the farming population, mostly in developed countries. Increased per-acre productivity has allowed millions of acres of land in the United States that was once farmed to return to a natural state[citation needed]. Intensification of agriculture from the sixties to the eighties is also known as the green revolution. Developing nations often could not profit from the advantages of modern agriculture particularly because of poor climate and lack of funds.
[edit] Disadvantages
Intensive farming is often at the expense of environmental considerations, which explains its rejection from some producers and consumers. The use of Intensive farming by farmers damages the environment and food chain in a number of ways:
- Removal of hedges to make large fields for maximum efficiency. This destroys the natural habitat of some wild creatures and can lead to soil erosion.
- Use of fertilizers pollutes rivers and lakes (e.g., the Gulf of Mexico dead zone created by nitrogen fertilizer)
- Pesticides disturb food chains and reduce many insect, bird and mammal populations.
- Intensive farming of animals such as battery-hens, and crated veal calves (known as Factory farming) is considered by some to be cruel.
- Monoculture crops are more susceptible to massive crop failure due to disease.
