Intensive farming or agricultural techniques are different from traditional or conventional farming techniques.
Why so? Let’s find out what intensive farming techniques are and their key aspects, categories, essential requirements, and effects on the environment.
Intensive Farming: A Brief Overview
The intensive farming process refers to the cultivation of crops and the breeding of animals but with different techniques.
The farming process involves the use of higher input levels that result in higher output. The input refers to capital investments, human labour, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, water management systems, etc.
Though it produces more crops, the intensive farming techniques also result in soil degradation and wastage of natural resources.
However, the increased population demands more food production and it leads to intensive farming. Let’s discuss the various aspects of intensive farming & the preventive measures for better production and less environmental damage.
Tracing The Origin of Intensive Farming:
Since the primitive ages, human civilization has been aware of various farming techniques.
But, with time, the population increased and it resulted in higher demands for food crops. To initiate an agricultural revolution, the scientists innovated multiple techniques. These include mechanization, crop rotation, enclosure systems, etc.
By the Middle Ages, some nations had already seen an increase in crop production. Mccormick revolutionized the process of cultivation, and others invented gasoline-powered farming equipment like tractors.
Gradually, the quantity of cultivable farmland reduced and the agro-business heads demanded huge crop production from smaller lands. This gave birth to intensive farming techniques. However, the excessive use of chemical inputs often results in lower soil quality.
This type of farming technique is often visible in countries like Canada and the United States. But, this technique made the business heads earn more profit by increasing market share.
The Crucial Characteristics of The Intensive Farming Process:
To ensure higher crop production and animal breeding, this farming process involves a lot of different factors. Let’s get deeper into this.
Intensified Farming Inputs: This refers to some popular practices like the intensification of pasture. It requires the use of chemical fertilizers and other farming inputs, generally not used in other types of farming.
Growing grasses on an intensive level depending on the various climates and regions is also crucial in this farming. It also involves increased levels of other inputs like capital, pesticide, and human labour.
However, the growth of different crops one after the other also results in the loss of essential soil compounds and nutrients. The cultivation of crops like soybeans while following a specific pattern can replenish the lost nutrients in the soil.
Rotational Livestock Rearing: The higher grass stocking rates lead to faster weight gain of animals. It results in a carbon-efficient system of livestock raising.
The use of Integrated Crop Livestock, known as ICL, and Integrated Crop Livestock Forestry, known as ICLF can be seen. It refers to combining several different ecosystems into one farming scenario. It provides all those essential factors that are highly beneficial for better livestock rearing.
This is, in general, a sustainable practice. However, the increasing market demands make the farmers practice certain techniques that boost increased livestock rearing. They move to other places and in the meantime, the left land can restore its lost efficacy.
The animals also suffer from fewer diseases due to the use of antimicrobials, vitamin supplements, growth hormones, etc.
But it also leads to some ill practices like the intensification of pastures, and confinement of animals in shorter areas. This prevents the livestocks to freely roam around and overgrazing. Also, the use of various medicinal supplements might hamper the overall health of livestock.
Other Attributes of Intensive Farming
Conduction of CAFOs: This is known as Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations referring to a particular practice of ranching.
This refers to the rearing and grazing of a large number of animals on a shorter land area. These animals are also provided with food and supplements for rapid growth. However, this technique prevents the animals from expressing their natural behaviors and affects their natural growth process.
Genetical Modification of Organic Seeds: According to a report, a huge percentage of soybeans, cotton, and corn that were planted in 2018, were GMO seeds. In developed countries like the United States, the plantation of GMO seeds can be seen.
These are genetically modified seeds to become larger at the time of yielding. Also, these seeds are highly tolerant to the use of pesticides and herbicides.
Lower Market Price: The implementation of the latest technologies produces a large number of food crops. This results in the over-production of food crops. It might cause a reduction in market prices.
Increased Productivity: Intensive farming aims to boost the production rate of food crops and animal rearing. To cope with higher investments, intensive farming techniques focus on maximizing the production of food items per hectare.
The Requirements for Intensive Farming:
Shorter Land Area: Intensive farming involves huge human labour, resources, and inputs for increased yielding of crops. But the process is more focused on cultivating more crops on smaller areas of land.
Latest Methodologies & Tools: Updated tools are utilized for harvesting smaller tracts of land. Also, the proper implementation of farming resources and human labour demand the latest methodologies.
Chemical Fertilizers: For boosted crop production the use of chemical fertilizer is a must for intensive farming. Without the use of these inorganic fertilizers is it impossible to maximize the produce.
Inorganic Pesticides: Inorganic pesticides are used for intensive farming to produce more food crops. It is primarily used for growing crops in a limited land area within a relatively shorter period.
Good Irrigation Systems: Access to a good water resource is extremely important for intensive farming. Sometimes the farmers do not have access to natural water resources or there is a lack of rainwater in certain regions. In that case, a good irrigation system provides the required water or moisture content to the crops.
The Right Temperature: Different crops require definite temperature ranges to grow. Cold-sensitive and cold-tolerant crops grow within a temperature range of 8 degrees to a maximum of twenty-four degrees Celsius.
Some vegetables grow within the temperature range of sixty-five to seventy-five degrees Fahrenheit.
However, the primary food crops like rice grow within the temperature range of twenty-four to twenty-six degrees temperature. Wheat requires a colder temperature range of ten to fifteen degrees Celsius.
The Categories of Intensive Farming: 3 Examples
Crop Production: Intensive farming aims to produce crops with the help of intensive techniques. There are a number of ways to cultivate high-hielding crops. A lot of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and herbicides are used for better productivity. Also, the use of genetically modified seeds and a good irrigation system are required.
Livestock Rearing: Various intensive farming methods are used for livestock rearing. Because ranching of the farmed animals provides a huge source of meat, eggs, and dairy products in the world. Intensive livestock rearing is mostly seen in countries like the United States.
The animals are mostly enclosed in a smaller area where they get their food. Also, some other nutritional supplements are sometimes offered to ensure quick growth. This process helps the farmers to breed more animals without the need for larger farmland.
Some animals grow quicker than others. These selective animal breeds are generally reared through intensive farming. Within a shorter period, the animals can provide the necessary meat, eggs, and other food items to the population.
However, the unnatural environment prevents the animals from moving around freely. Also, they experience some physical issues like difficulty in walking, breathing, and standing as well.
Aquaculture: One important aspect of intensive farming is the cultivation of a wide variety of fish. There are several ways to boost the farming process of fish in a man-made environment.
One such technique is the use of artificial tanks. In this way, the farmers can control the external factors that are vital for fish production. Artificial tanks let the farmers have control over their feed and oxygen levels as well.
The Challenges & Fluctuations of Intensive Farming:
Every farming technique has several benefits and drawbacks. Intensive farming poses a lot of dangers to the environment as well as to human and animal health. Let’s look deeper into the risks associated with intensive farming one by one.
The Environmental Dangers to Note:
Deforestation: Since intensive farming techniques focus on maximized crop production, it is important to have access to cultivable lands.
To have more flat farmlands, the business heads often cut off trees. This leads to deforestation. Animals also get access to fewer lands for grazing. The cultivation of corn and soy is often fed to livestock and it also causes deforestation.
Weed & Plant Resistance: The heavy use of artificial pesticides and herbicides often makes the weeds and unwanted plants resistant to these. This leads to the use of stronger pesticides and herbicides. This results in higher levels of concentration of those chemicals.
Degradation of Soil Quality: The repeated plantation of crops to produce higher food items leads to soil degradation. The soil does not get the opportunity to replenish the lost macro-nutrients. Also, to ensure higher crop yield, high levels of fertilizers are used that negatively affect the soil health.
Water Pollution: The use of chemicals for crop cultivation easily contaminates the groundwater. Also, farm animals in countries like the United States produce a huge amount of manure.
The lack of proper disposal leads to unplanned storage of animal wastage. Later, this is sprayed over the farmlands. This way it pollutes the groundwater and gradually leads to the pollution of other natural water resources.
Climatic Changes: The excessive use of chemical fertilizer and cow farming produce huge amounts of methane and other gases. The gases are mostly greenhouse gases that are harmful to the environment. The production of greenhouse gases causes changes in climate and weather.
Negative Impact of Intensive Farming on Human Health
Animal Cruelty: Countries like the United States and other developed countries practice intensive farming techniques. This helps them to produce food items on large scales.
However, the intensive animal-rearing techniques affect their health to a large extent. Mostly they remain confined in smaller spaces. This prevents them from freely roaming around. Also, they are forced to graze in a confined area.
Other techniques that are utilized for intensive farming include castration. Debeaking. Dehorning, tail docking, etc. These processes are often carried out without sedation. Animals suffer through great pain and trouble for this.
Also, the excessive use of supplements for their quick growth affects their health. They suffer from breathing and standing issues.
Human Health: The chemical pesticides used for crop production get absorbed into the human body through food. It can cause several health hazards like an irritation to the eyes and skin. Also, it can hamper the endocrine and nervous systems of human beings as well.
The improper storage and lack of a disposal system for farm manure produced by the farm animals also affect health.
Intensive Farming Affecting Smaller Farm Industries
Intensive farming negatively affects a lot of other farming industries. It produces crops on a large scale on smaller land areas. The production rate is definitely higher.
When the production rate is higher, the prices of the crops in the market go down. The agro-business holders make huge profits by selling the crops in the market. They often export crops to the international markets as well.
However, the smaller farms produce relatively fewer crops. But the farmers invest a lot of human labour throughout the cultivation process. They are unable to accept the lower market prices. Eventually, the farmers leave the farming industry. It leads to a social imbalance.
The Social Impact of Intensive Farming:
The rise of intensive farming techniques is a result of rapid industrialization and urbanization. The increased population demands an uninterrupted supply of food crops.
It leads to the invention of the latest technologies and methodologies that can produce crops on a large scale. Intensive farming involves a smaller land area. However, the result is huge crop production. It provides food security to the population.
However, there are a lot of drawbacks associated with the process. The requirement of flat farmland demands rapid deforestation. It leads to an environmental imbalance. The climatic changes are also a result of such deforestation.
Also, farmers use a lot of chemical fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, and other inputs for crop growth. These can contaminate the waterbodies and air causing great hazards to human health. The animal waste can also pollute the water and air.
To ensure quicker growth of livestock, the ranchers make use of various supplements. These prevent the natural growth of the farmed animals. They are confined in one place causing great trouble to them.
Why to Stop Intensive Farming Practices?
Intensive farming results in the huge cultivation of food crops. Besides providing food security, it also lets the market price go down.
However, it can cause several environmental damages. Also, human and animal health are severely affected.
Starting from acidification, deforestation, desertification, and nitrification intensive farming also degrades the soil quality. Soil erosion is also another result of intensive farming.
The huge production of meat, eggs, and poultry items demands the rearing of a large number of animals. This often leads to their confinement and other painful processes like castration and others.
The intensification process is not a sustainable farming procedure. The number of negative impacts is higher than the positive effects. It is high time that we take proper measures to support the small farm industries.
Because the small farms grow food crops organically without the use of chemicals. These are environment-friendly and sustainable methods of food production.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Ans: Intensive farming techniques produce more food leading to reduced market price. It offers the essential food security to the population. However, it has negative impacts on the environment and human or animal health. It also causes a great imbalance in nature resulting in global warming and other natural calamities.
Ans: According to the latest reports, farmers often have lack of scientific knowledge of farming. Also, they lack proper funding to buy the initial farming inputs. Most young farmers shift to the urban areas for a better livelihood. That is why, many farmers leave farming these days.
Ans: Intensive farming involves the use of the latest farming techniques. The farmers make use of hybrid seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and supplements in case of livestock rearing. All these are utilized for maximizing food production. That is why, the intensive farming technique gets a bit expensive.
Ans: Intensive farming technique is mostly practiced in regions or countries that are highly populated. It is mostly seen in some parts of Asia. Countries like India. Japan and China often practice intensive farming techniques.