Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plot of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned while post-disturbance fallow vegetation is allowed to freely grow while the cultivator moves on to another plot.

Intensive farms generally take up a fairly small area of land, but aim to have a very high output, through massive inputs of capital and labour. These farms use machines and new technologies to become as efficient and cost-effective as possible, an example being the Concentrated Animal Feeding Operation.

In intensive subsistence agriculture, the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. 

Farmers use their small land holdings to produce enough for their local consumption, while remaining produce is used for exchange against other goods.

It is characterized by a low fallow ratio, higher use of inputs such as capital and labour, and higher crop yields per unit land area. Most commercial agriculture is intensive in one or more ways.

Techniques include planting multiple crops per year, reducing the frequency of fallow years, and improving cultivars.