Intensive farming or intensive agriculture 

Agricultural production system characterized by a low fallow ratio and the high use of inputs such as capital, labour, or heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers relative to land area.

This is in contrast to many sorts of traditional agriculture in which the inputs per unit land are lower. With intensification, energy use typically goes up, initially provided by humans, then supplemented with animals, and supplemented or replaced with machines. Agricultural intensification has been the dominant response to population growth, as it allows for producing more food on the same amount of land.

Intensive animal farming practices can involve very large numbers of animals raised on limited land which require large amounts of food, water and medical inputs.Very large or confined indoor intensive livestock operations (particularly descriptive of common US farming practices) are often referred to as factory farming and are criticised by opponents for the low level of animal welfare standards and associated pollution and health issues.

Modern day forms of intensive crop based agriculture involve the use of mechanical ploughing, chemical fertilizers, plant growth regulators or pesticides. It is associated with the increasing use of agricultural mechanization, which has enabled a substantial increase in production, yet has also dramatically increased environmental pollution by increasing erosion and poisoning water with agricultural chemicals.

The methods of modern intensive farming include innovation in agricultural machinery and farming methods, genetic technology, techniques for achieving economies of scale in production, the creation of new markets for consumption, the application of patentprotection to genetic information, and global trade. These methods are widespread in developed nations and increasingly prevalent worldwide. Most of the meat, dairy, eggs, fruits, and vegetables available in supermarkets are produced using these methods of industrial agriculture.