Increasing agricultural productivity
Modern farming seeks to obtain high yields from crops or livestock. This has led to changes in both the organisms being produced and the habitats used for agriculture.
- Specialisation and monoculture: farms may concentrate on one crop or one type of livestock.
- Changes in crop production: cereal crops may be favoured over vegetables.
- Larger fields: hedgerows and stone walls may be removed to make it easier to use large machinery.
- More arable land: wetlands may be drained and ponds filled so that additional land can be farmed.
- Greater chemical input: intensive systems may involve increased pesticide and fertiliser use.
Other changes affecting farmland
Production can also be increased by favouring highly productive vegetation. For example, fast-growing grass may be useful for livestock but supports fewer flowering plant species.
The timing of cultivation can matter as well. Sowing in autumn rather than spring can leave only a short interval between harvesting and ploughing, reducing the period in which birds can feed on recently worked fields.
Exam Tip: If asked how farming reduces biodiversity, identify a particular technique and follow it with the biological consequence. Naming “intensive farming” without explaining what changes is unlikely to gain the full credit.