What is the difference between intensive and extensive agricultural systems as they relate to livestock production
Technology has become a dominant part of our everyday lives and our food production system is no exception. Accordingly, since the turn of the 20 th century, the standard approach to production has shifted from extensive production to intensive production as businesses have opted to replace natural services with technology. In this respect, intensive livestock production systems use higher amounts of labour and physical capital [e.g. machines] relative to the land area where production takes place. The physical capital and human labour aim to replace the need for free space, grazing area, and natural sources of water. To replace natural inputs with technological alternatives, it is necessary to rely on inputs produced thousands of kilometres/miles away – a factor that maintains agricultural dependency on fossil fuels. Animal feeding operations [AFOs] and concentrated animal feeding operations [CAFOs] are the most notorious examples of intensive livestock production systems. W