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 and pesticides. It is associated with the increasing use of agricultural mechanization, which has enabled a substantial increase in production. Mechanized agriculture has become the key to the success of contemporary farming.

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. Intensification of agriculture from the forties to the sixties 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.The increased agricultural productivity has lead to a sharp decrease of food prices.

Disadvantages

Firstly, 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, pollutes the water table.
• Intensive farming of animals such as battery-hens, and crated veal calves (see Industrial agriculture) is considered by some to be cruel.

Monoculture crops are more susceptible to massive crop failure due to disease.

Industrial agriculture

Industrial agriculture, also known as factory farming, refers to the industrialized production of livestock, poultry, fish, and crops. The methods employed are geared toward making use of economies of scale to produce the highest output at the lowest cost. The practice is widespread in developed nations, and most of the meat, dairy, eggs, and crops available in supermarkets are produced in this manner

History

The practice of industrial agriculture is a relatively recent development in the history of agriculture, and the result of scientific discoveries and technological advances. Innovations in agriculture beginning in the late 1800s generally parallel developments in mass production in other industries that characterized the Industrial Revolution. The identification of nitrogen and phosphorus as critical factors in plant growth led to the manufacture of synthetic fertilizers, making possible more intensive types of agriculture. The discovery of vitamins and their role in animal nutrition, in the first two decades of the 20th century, led to vitamin supplements, which in the 1920s allowed certain livestock to be raised indoors, reducing their exposure to adverse natural elements. The discovery of antibiotics in the 1940s facilitated raising livestock in larger numbers by reducing disease. Chemicals developed for use in World War II gave rise to synthetic pesticides. Developments in shipping networks and technology have made long-distance distribution of agricultural produce feasible.