Demand for food in the modern world means that the production of crops and livestock needs to be maximized. Many farms use a range of machinery and chemicals to practice what is known as intensive farming. Tractors plough fields and plant seed, while combine harvesters cut the crops at harvest time. Animal pests are controlled with pesticides, and weeds are destroyed with herbicides. Intensive farming methods often raise concerns about animal welfare, as livestock may be kept indoors in cramped conditions for long periods of time.
Intensive farming or intensive agriculture is a kind of agriculture where a lot of money and labour are used to increase the yield that can be obtained per area of land. The use of large amounts of pesticides for crops, and of medication for animal stocks is common. This is a contrast to traditional agriculture, which does not get as much output per area. When agriculture is intensified, this means that the amount of work needed goes up, until the worker is replaced by a machine. At that point, there will only need to be a few workers to operate the machines. Intensive farming has often been done as a response to rising population levels. It is criticised, because the standards of animal welfare are low. Intensive animal farming leads to increased pollution and to health issues.
Modern day forms of intensive crop based agriculture involve the use of mechanical ploughing, chemical fertilizer, plant growth regulators or pesticides. It is associated with the increasing use of agricultural mechanization, which have enabled a substantial increase in production, yet have also dramatically increased environmental pollution by increasing erosion and poisoning water with agricultural chemicals.
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