Question

What is the difference between subsistence farming and intensive farming?

Answer 1

Cultivation methods change significantly based upon the characteristics of physical environment, technological know-how and socio-cultural practices. Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type. Primitive Subsistence Farming and Intensive Subsistence Farming are two forms of farming.

Primitive Subsistence Farming	Intensive Subsistence Farming
practiced in few pockets of India	practised in areas of high population pressure on land
primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and	modern machineries
family/community labour	labour intensive farming
depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions	Artificial irrigation
does not use fertilizers or other modern inputs.	where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production. Higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides