What is intensive agriculture?
Intensive agriculture is an approach to food production that makes maximum use of technology, financial resources, energy, soil and natural resources to increase crop production and quality.
This is achieved through maximum optimisation of water systems, use of appropriate fertilizers, pesticides, modified seeds, temperature control, irrigation, energy saving and planting system.
This form of agriculture can also be used to produce fuel from biomass.
Intensive agriculture is a method of agricultural production that involves the increased use of arable land and means of production such as sowing, in order to get the maximum yield and the highest quantity of products, in order to obtain the highest profit.
In other words, the production level is maximised according to the area in the shortest possible time.
This optimisation is only possible thanks to practices such as abundant irrigation, treatment of the soil with heavy machinery, planting of high yield crops, etc.
Characteristics of intensive agriculture
The most relevant characteristics of intensive agriculture are:
- It requires considerable human labour to produce such a large quantity of products.
- It is located in places with nutrient-rich soils.
- It expends a great deal of energy.
- It uses a single type of seeds.
How to reduce the footprint of intensive crops?
The following are a few suggestions to try to reduce the environmental impact of intensive crops:
- Use sustainable farming practices:
sustainable agriculture involves the use of
environmentally-friendly farming methods close to sustainable agriculture (or sustainable tillage) and with low ecological impact
, such as reducing the excessive use of pesticides, optimising fertilizer use in intensive crops and harvesting rainwater to irrigate crops. - Incorporate conservation agriculture: Conservation agriculture involves cultivating soils without mechanised tillage, which reduces soil compaction and increases biological activity, resulting in improved soil fertility.
- Use of protein farming practices: these include producing food from alternative sources and reducing the use of intensive natural resources such as water and energy.
- Reducing the use of fossil fuels in cultivation processes: the reduction in the use of fossil fuels can be achieved through the adoption of renewable energy technology such as the use of solar panels to power foggers, irrigation systems and other equipment.
- Establish limits on the amount of fertilizers and pesticides used: establishing limits on the amount of fertilizers and pesticides will reduce the environmental impact of chemicals released into the environment.
In addition, the use of suitable fertilizers for intensive agriculture is essential.
Carbon footprint
As the world looks for ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, there are growing concerns that
crop production will also have an impact.
The fact is that farmers are using increasingly harmful chemicals for their farms, such as herbicides, pesticides and fertilizers without control, which means that
crops emit a significant amount of greenhouse gases.
. Finding ways to reduce these emissions, and using environmentally friendly fertilizers, is a critical need for our Planet.
The Carbon footprint of crops is the total amount of greenhouse gases emitted from the production of agricultural food products.
This includes the use of fertilizers, herbicides, tractors, fuels and fossil fuels to transport products.
A number of strategies have been developed to reduce the carbon footprint of crops, many of which can be implemented in farms of all sizes.
Some strategies include improving energy efficiency, opting for conservation agriculture, using sustainable fertilizers or reducing land use, among others.
Some farms have even begun harnessing solar energy or opting for renewable energy to meet their fuel needs.
A common practice is the use of passive pumping systems for irrigation, which harvest light energy from the sun to pump water.
This reduces the amount of fuel needed for pumping water on the farm.
Organic and conventional agriculture are also working to reduce the carbon footprint of crops by addressing ecological awareness, good practices and environmentally friendly production methods.
This involves using organic, conventional fertilizers, soil conservation, and using plant components to control pests.
These practices help reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted by crops, which helps reduce the overall impact of crops on the climate.
