Whole System Synergy
Bio-intensive is a whole-system food raising method in which all components must be used together for optimum effect. Merely spacing plants closer is not enough. Farmers experimenting with such intensive spacing in Europe, while not using companion planting and still employing chemical fertilizers, found themselves beset with deteriorating soil fertility. As soil fertility declines, yields diminish, populations of beneficial insects are reduced, and plant resistance is lowered.