In densely populated East, South and Southeast
Asia, most farmers practice intensive subsistence
agriculture.
• The typical farm is much smaller than elsewhere
in the world.
• Because the agricultural density the ratio of
farmers to arable land—is so high in parts of East
and South Asia, families must produce enough
food for their survival from a very small area of
land.
• They do this through careful agricultural
practices, refined over thousands of years in
response to local environmental and cultural
patterns.
• Intensive subsistence farmers waste virtually no
land.
• Paths and roads are kept as narrow as possible to
minimize the loss of arable land.
• Little grain is grown to feed the animals.