Final answer:
Modern agriculture, often characterized by the use of a small number of crops and species, is reliant on large amounts of resources like water, energy, and labour to mass-produce commodities. This form of agriculture, known as intensive agriculture, benefits from technologies introduced during the Industrial Revolution. However, its environmental footprint is significant, as it depends on large amounts of oil.
Step-by-step explanation:
Modern agriculture
is often characterized by a small variety of crops and species, heavily dependent on large corporations. These methods are highly intensive, using a significant amount of resources like water, energy, and labor to mass-produce commodities. Most often practiced in agricultural societies, this type of agriculture is known as intensive agriculture. With intensive agriculture, a small number of crops, generally grains or legumes, are continuously cultivated on the same plot of land. It utilizes labor-intensive methods such as plowing, irrigation, and terracing. This mode of cultivation significantly increases crop yields, thereby sustaining larger populations and surpluses that facilitate economic exchanges and trade.
This modern form of agriculture could not have been possible without the advancement in technologies made during the Industrial Revolution, which introduced gasoline-powered farm tools and promoted the cultivation of uniform crops en masse. Modern agriculture also takes a considerable toll on the environment as it's dependent on large amounts of oil. For example, bringing a cow to slaughter can use a hefty amount of oil, although the exact quantity may vary based on many factors including the location, breed, and method of rearing the cow.
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