Animals have many functions on traditional farms

Traditional farmers are rarely completely self-sufficient. They are generally highly dependent on family and community for labor, other farmers for reciprocal exchange of goods and seeds, and local markets or neighbors for non-agricultural products. They are rarely dependent on distant markets, purchased seeds, pesticides or fertilizers. This means that traditional farmers are not self-sufficient per se, but that their communities generally are.

A low level of inputs refers to traditional farmers low dependence on off-farm products such as fertilizers, pesticides and purchased seeds. They take advantage of natural nutrient cycles, on farm production of fertilizers (dung, mulches, nitrogen fixation) and natural pest control.