AGRICULTURE

 Introductions :
India is an agriculturally important country as two-thirds of its population is engaged
in agricultural activities.

Types of Farming

• There are various types of farming systems in different parts of India are:

→ Primitive Subsistence Farming: It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. It is done

with the help of primitive tools like hoe, Dao and digging sticks, and
family/community labour. The farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of
the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.

→ Intensive Subsistence Farming: This type of farming is labor-intensive farming,

where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher
production. This method is commonly done where less land holding is available.

→ Commercial Farming: This type of farming is done using higher doses of

modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers,
insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity.

• Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.

→ in this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.

• India has three cropping seasons

→ Rabi - Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in
summer from April to June. Important rabbi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and
mustard.

→ Kharif - Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of
the country and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown
during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton,
jute, groundnut and soybean.

→ Zaid - In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during
the summer months known as the Zaid season. Important crops grown are
watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber,
Vegetables and fodder crops.

Major Crops
• Major crops grown in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee, sugarcane,
oil seeds, cotton and jute, etc.

Page 1
• Rice:

→ Staple food crop

→ Our country is the second largest producer of rice in the world after China.

→ It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high
humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

→ It is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the
deltaic regions.

• Wheat:

→The second most important cereal crop

.
→ it is the main food crop, in north and north-western part of the country
.
→ This rabi crop requires a cool growing season with 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall
and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening.

→ Wheat growing regions are the Ganga-Satluj plains in the north- west and black
soil region of the Deccan.

•Millets:
→ Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.

→ These have very high nutritional value.

• Pulses:
India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.
→ Major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
→ These need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.
→ Major producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Food Crops other than Grains

• Sugarcane:
→ It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop.

Page 2
→ It grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an
annual rainfall between 75 cm. and 100 cm.
→ Major producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu,
Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

• Oil Seeds:
→ The oil seeds covers approximately 12 percent of the total cropped area of the
country.
→ These are used as cooking mediums as well as used as raw material in the
production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.

• Tea:
→ Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture.
→ It is an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British.
→ It requires warm and moist frost-free climate with frequent showers all through
the year.
→ Major producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts,
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

• Coffee:
→ Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality.
→ Its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Horticulture Crops:
→ India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.
→ India produces about 13 percent of the world’s vegetables.

Non-Food Crops

• Rubber:
→ It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical
and sub-tropical areas.

Page 3
→ It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and
temperature above 25°C.
→ It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar
islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.

• Fibre Crops:
→ Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.
→ Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.

• Cotton:
→ It is a kharif crop grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan
plateau.
→ It requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and
bright sun-shine for its growth.
→ Major producing states are – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

• Jute:
→ It grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are
renewed every year.
→ Major jute-producing states West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya.
→ It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.

Technological and Institutional Reforms

• More than 60 percent of India's population depends on agriculture.

• After independence, major institutional reforms such as Collectivization,

consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc. were given
priority.

Page 4
• In 1960s and 1970s, technical reforms such as Green Revolution and White
Revolution also introduced to improve the condition of agriculture.

• In 1980s and 1990s, various provisions for crop insurance, establishment of

Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to the
farmers at lower rates of interest.

• Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some
other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.

• Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced
on
the radio and television.

• Minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for important crops
to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.

Contribution of agriculture to the national economy, employment and output

• In 2010-11 about 52 percent of the total workforce of India was employed by the
farm sector.

• India's GDP growth rate is increasing over the years but it is not generating
sufficient employment opportunities in the country.

Food Security

• The government designed national food security system to ensure the food security
to every citizen:
→ It consists of two components
(a) buffer stock and
(b) public distribution system (PDS)

Page 5
• Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and stocking food
grains, whereas
distribution is ensured by public distribution system (PDS).

• PDS is a programme which provides food grains and other essential commodities at
subsidized prices in rural and urban areas.

• The primary objective of national food security are:

→ Ensure availability of food grains to the common people at an affordable price.
→ The poor should have access to food.
→ Growth in agriculture production
→ Fixing the support price for procurement of wheat and rice, to maintain their
stocks.

Impact of Globalization on Agriculture

• Globalization is present at the time of colonization.
→ During the British period, cotton was exported to Britain as a raw material for
their textile industries.
• After 1990, the farmers in India have been exposed to new challenges under
globalization.
→ The agricultural products of India are not able to compete with the developed
countries because of the highly subsidized agriculture in those countries.
• Genetic engineering is revolutionizing the agricultural production now a days.•
Organic farming is also in fashion these days because it is practiced without
factory made chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides. Hence, it does not affect
environment in a negative manner.
• Indian farmers should diversify their cropping pattern from cereals to high-value
crops which will increase incomes and reduce environmental degradation
simultaneously.

Page 6
 ANSWER KEY (CHAPTER IV AGRICULTURE)
Q.1. Multiple Choice Questions
Ans.
i. Plantation agriculture
ii. Gram
iii. Pulses
Q.2. Answer the following questions in 30 words:
(i) Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical
conditions required for its growth.
Ans. Tea is an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the
British. The tea plant grows well in tropical and subtropical climates
endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and
organic matter. Tea bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all
through the year. Frequent showers evenly distributed over the year
ensure continuous growth of tender leaves.

(ii) Name the staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced.
Ans. Cotton is very important staple crop in India. Major cotton producing
states are Maharashtra. Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

(iii) Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the

government in the interest of farmers.
Ans.
(i) Oilseed Development Programme
(ii) National Pulse Development Project
(iii) Accelerated Maize Development Programme
(iv) Post-Harvest Technology
(v) Oil Palm Development Programme
(vi) Crop Production Programme
(vii) Intensive Cotton Development Programme
(viii) National Agriculture Technology project (Rainfed agro-
ecosystem Programme).
(iv) The land under cultivation has got reduced day by day. Can you
imagine its consequences?
Ans. Consequences of reduction of the land under cultivation day by day are
the following:
(i) India may go from food surplus to deficit.
(ii) India may face food and even problem of some raw material for
agriculture based industries.

Page 7
 (iii) India will force to import certain agricultural items from other
countries. She will have to pay invaluable foreign exchange.
(iv) The poor farmers will become poorer. They will be forced to take
loan from other people, bank or government agencies.
(v) There will be sharp rise in the agricultural articles, produced,
grains and crops.

Q.3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words:

(i) Suggest the initiative taken by the government to ensure the
increase in agricultural production.
Ans.
i. Government has established Indian council of Agricultural
Research (ICAR) to modernize agriculture.
ii. Agricultural universities, veterinary services and animal breeding
centres, horticulture development, research and development in
the field of meteorology and weather forecast, etc. were given top
priority to improve Indian agriculture. Apart from this, improving
the rural infrastructure was also considered essential for the same.
iii. The food corporation of India (FCI) procures food grains from the
farmers at the government announced minimum support price
(MSP). Government used to provide subsidies on agricultural
input such as fertilizers, power and water.
iv. The government is taking essential measures to make investment
in vital agriculture infrastructure, credit linkage and encouraging
the farmers to use latest techniques in the field of agriculture to
increase production.

(ii) How did the partition of the country in 1947 affect the jute
industry?
Ans.
i. India stands at the second place as an exporter after Bangladesh. It
is also due to partition of the country.
ii. Most of the jute mills fall within Indian territory while jute
growing areas have gone to Pakistan.
iii. Pakistan was giving stiff competition to India since 1947. The
place of Pakistan was taken by Bangladesh since 1971.
(iii) Describe the geographical condition required for the growth of rice.
Ans. Rice:It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature, i.e. above 25ºC
and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm. in the areas of
less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation.

Page 8
 Rice is grown in the plans of North and North-Eastern India,
coastal areas and the deltaic regions. Development of dense network of
canal irrigation and tubewells has made it possible to grow rice in the
areas of less rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh
and parts of Rajasthan.

PROJECT WORK

1. Group discussion of the necessity of literacy among farmers.

Hints:
(i) Illiteracy is a curse for everyone including farmer. Without literacy
farmers will be unable to read books, newspapers and other printed
materials. In such position, he will not get knowledge about latest
technological and other developments taking place in the field of
agriculture, cattle-rearing, fishery, etc.
(ii) An illiterate farmer will not know his rights and duties fully. About 70
percent people are farmers in India. Democracy requires well-educated
and well-informed citizens.
(iii) Modern agriculture practices demand ability to read and understand
make use of learning outcome in magazines, projects, programmes and
methodologies developed from time to time by agronomists and
published in magazines, bulletins, periodicals etc.
(iv) It is a branch of science, therefore, sensitivity to understand the
usefulness of new programmes on agriculture is mandatory. It is
possible only when peasants of our country would be literate and
enlightened coincide to the expected extent seminars-nor in paper but
by directing so-called A.C. groomed Scientists / Agronomists from the
farming lobby in fields and making their entitlement 50% of salary only
when farmers consent in their areas they will submit in personnel
department.

2. Solve the puzzle by following your search horizontally and vertically to find
the hidden answers.
1. The two staple food crops of India.
2. This is the summer cropping season of India.
3. Pulses like arhar, moong, gram, urad contain……
4. It is a coarse grain.
5. The two important beverages in India are……
6. One of the four major fibers grown on black soil.

Ans. 1. Rice and Wheat , 2. Kharif, 3. Protein, 4.Maize, 5. Tea and Coffee 6.Cotton

Page 9
 A Z M X N C B V N X A H D Q
S D E W S R J D Q J Z V R E
D K H A R I F G W F M R F W
F N L R G C H H R S B S V T
G B C W H E A T Y A C H B R
H R O K A S S E P H X A N W
J I F S J O W A R J Z H D T
K C F A E G A C O F F E E Y
L T E F Y M T A T S S R G I
P D E J O U Y V E J G F A U
O U M H Q S U D I T S W S P
U O A C O T T O N E A H F O
Y O L F L U S R Q Q D T W I
T M A I Z E G Y K T R A B F
E A K D G D Q H S U O I W H
A Q Z C X V B N M K J A S L

3. On an outline map of India. Show wheat producing areas.

Page 10