Question

Which type of agriculture is capital intensive?

Answer 1

Hint: Agriculture means cultivating the soil, growing crops and raising livestock. It leads to production of produce which is important for animals and humans. It provides food and fabrics. Capital intensive agriculture requires modern techniques and scientific techniques for agriculture.

Complete answer:
Agriculture is the production of crops. It is of two types-

• Subsistence agriculture- In such type of agriculture, the produce is primarily for the consumption of farmers. It is found in less developed countries and is a type of small-scale farming. This kind of farming is practised by a large number of farmers in the country. It is practised in small areas.

• Commercial agriculture- It is a type of farming that uses modern techniques for yielding greater productivity. It involves the use of high yielding seeds, use of chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides to obtain higher yield. Commercial farming is capital intensive as it involves huge capital investment and large lands. The produce from such kinds of agriculture serves as the raw material for several industries. Most of the work in this kind of farming is done by the machines so this is capital intensive.

From the above discussion it is evident that commercial agriculture is capital intensive as it requires larger capital or money investment for the land, good seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, insecticides etc.

Note: An example of commercial farming is plantation farming. In this single crop like tea, sugarcane, coffee, rubber, banana or cotton are cultivated. It requires huge labour and capital. The produce is sent to the factories for processing.