Predominates in rich countries. Because they are subsistence farms, they produce little surplus for urban populations. But as cities grow, there is increased pressure to produce surpluses l Farmers can produce more either by increasing the amount of arable land or increasing yields. India, for example, doubled food production between 1970 and 1992 and increased per capita food production by 18 percent. Between 1950 and 1990, the amount of fossil fuels used for farming more than quadrupled.
Human beings are more energy efficient growing food than are mechanical means.
In other words, the caloric energy it takes for a human to grow food energy is considerably less than for machinery. Certainly people living in cities benefit from the technology. Also, those with the capital to buy the seeds, equipment and fertilizer are able to produce surpluses while those without the money are not uneven development. Use of inorganic fertilizers has increased 10 times since 1950. Round-up ready soybeans now account for half of all acreage in the US planted with soybeans.