Identify from the following, the correct statements with reference to the characteristics of intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by wet paddy cultivation.

(A) Land holdings are very small due to the high density of population.
(B) Farmers work with the help of family labour leading to intensive use of land.
(C) Farm yard manure is used to maintain the fertility of the soil.
(D) The yield per unit area is low, but productivity per labour is high.

Choose the correct answer from the options given below:

The correct answer is (A), (B) and (C) only.

Explanation:
Intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by wet paddy cultivation is a type of farming widely practiced in densely populated regions of monsoon Asia (such as India, China, Japan, Bangladesh, and Southeast Asia). Let us analyze each of the statements to understand why they are correct or incorrect:

Statement (A): "Land holdings are very small due to the high density of population."
This statement is correct. Because of the extremely high population density and the traditional laws of inheritance (which lead to the division of land among successive generations), the size of agricultural land holdings is very small and fragmented.

Statement (B): "Farmers work with the help of family labour leading to intensive use of land."
This statement is correct. Due to the small size of land holdings, machinery is rarely used extensively. Most of the agricultural operations are done manually using intensive human labour, which is primarily supplied by the farmer's family members. This ensures every small patch of land is utilized to its maximum potential.

Statement (C): "Farm yard manure is used to maintain the fertility of the soil."
This statement is correct. Traditional intensive subsistence farming relies heavily on natural fertilizers like farm yard manure, animal dung, compost, and organic waste to restore and maintain the fertility of the soil, ensuring continuous cropping year after year.

Statement (D): "The yield per unit area is low, but productivity per labour is high."
This statement is incorrect. In intensive subsistence wet paddy cultivation, the relationship is actually the opposite. Since the land is used very intensively, the yield per unit area (productivity of land) is very high. However, because the total pressure of population on land is high and a large amount of labour is applied to small plots, the productivity per labour is low.

Thus, statements (A), (B), and (C) are correct, while statement (D) is incorrect. This matches the option (A), (B) and (C) only.