Subsistence farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family. Low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce a small output.

In Intensive subsistence the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. More than one crop is grown annually, on the same plot, as the climate is favourable and the soil is fertile. Rice is the main crop; other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds.

Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.