What are the differences between intensive farming and extensive farming?

Answer 1

Generally speaking, the main difference is in the amount of labor involved. Organic farming typically takes more labor to produce the same kind of crop as in intensive farming, due to the lack of industrially-produced pesticides and fertilizers. While there are organic pesticides and fertilizers, there is not the wide variety and efficacy of products as for intensive farming. So hand labor must be used to counter the effects of pests, and to apply the larger volumes of organic fertilizer.

The two methods are not exclusive. Vegetable farming for instance is a form of intensive farming, regardless if it's organic or conventional farming. Greenhouse farming even more so, as you will grow several crops on the same plot within the year.

Some partisans of organic farming argue that philosophically, green houses are too artificial, requiring extra heating and lighting, to qualify as organic, but organic farming is a business, and if a farmer can beat the competition by having its produce on the market earlier in the season, it helps sustain the farm and organic farming, and it also reduces importations from sunnier countries, say from Spain if you farm in France, which is also a goal of organic farming (local products).

Answer 2

The amount of space involved and the degree of equipment/work involvement account for the differences between extensive and intensive farming. Extensive farming demands more geographic space and generally fewer biological, chemical, manual, and mechanical inputs since it can be less equipment- and labor-intensive. Intensive farming contrastingly requires less geographic space in which to concentrate equipment- and human-directed controls.

Answer 3

Emphasis upon high yields versus focus upon optimal health is the difference between intensive farming. Farmers who practice intensive farming look at a field in terms of what crop variety, what fertilizer brand and what herbicide and pesticide treatments will result in products that will cover costs and make profits through maximum marketing and sales. Farmers who practice organic farming must balance expenses and profits but they do so while imitating Mother Nature's cycles and ways of growing healthy animals and crops that will sustain the landscape, the people and themselves.

Answer 4

Organic farming is supposed to be better than intensive farming. The former locates farming within natural, non-genetically modified, non-synthetic, on-site contexts whose production level respects proper cultivation by appropriate heat, light, moisture and nutrient levels and proper use without chemicals or preservatives. The latter situates farming within the economics of the greatest production for the greatest profit through chemical, genetically modified, synthetic inputs and methods.

Answer 5

The fallow ratios and the type of inputs are the differences between intensive farming and organic farming. Both agricultural forms can be capital and labor intensive. Intensive farming nevertheless is characterized by low fallow ratios since land that actively is not cultivated loses money whereas organic farming contrastingly realizes that cultivation benefits as a whole by rotating land from crop production to fallow status and from use to non-use and vice-versa.