Intensive subsistence farming produces only food crop for sustaining the high population and domestic animals. It is characterized by small land holdings which are cultivated by the farmer and his family using simple tools and more labour. Often farming is further intensified by the use of fertilizers and artificial irrigation. This type of farming is mainly observed in areas with high population pressure on land.

One of the main reasons why intensive subsistence farming is still flourishing in India today is the existence of small land holdings and a lack of alternative sources of livelihood. In rural backward areas, owing to ‘right of inheritance’, land holdings have reduced in size with the subsequent division in the later generations. Farmers tend to utilize these small plots for the maximum output which has led to intensive farming where the yield per unit area is high.