Extensive farming (as opposed to intensive farming) is an agricultural production system over vast areas of land, such as the Great Plains. Unlike intensive farming, which must use chemical fertilizers, herbicides, fungicides, insecticides, plant growth regulators and pesticides to produce a large proportion of crop per unit area to cover the costs of high property value, extensive farming is practised on low-cost land and therefore does not require high maintenance such as chemical stimulants.

Extensive farming most commonly refers to cereal cultivation and cattle farming in the Interior Plains and the Canadian prairies.

Geography

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Extensive farming is found in the mid-latitude sections of most continents. The nature of extensive farming means it can cope with lower rainfall amounts than that of intensive farming.

Just as the demand has led to the basic division of cropping and pastoral activies, these areas can also be subdivided depending on the regions rainfall, vegetation type and agricultural activity within the area.

Economic Viability

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Subsidies

see Agricultural policy

Infrastructure

Rural Life

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see Rural sociology

See also

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• Intensive farming
• Canadian Wheat Board

Extensive Landwirtschaft | agriculture extensive

Agriculture