Agriculture

Class-10

Agriculture is derived from two Latin words – ager (field, land, soil) and cultura (cultivation)
It can be defined as the cultivation of crop plants or livestock (animal farming). It is a
primary activity which includes farming, fisheries, forestry, horticulture etc. Agriculture also
produces raw materials for various industries. 2/3 of India’s population is engaged in
agriculture.

Types of farming

Primitive Subsistence farming

❖ Small patches of land are used
❖ Trees, plants, grass are cut down and burnt to clear the land for cultivation.
❖ No use of machines or fertilizers. Remaining ash fertilises the soil.
❖ Productivity is low.
❖ Production is done for self-consumption.
❖ Cultivators keep on shifting from one patch of land to another
❖ This type of farming is harmful to the environment.

Intensive Subsistence Farming

❖ It is labour intensive farming
❖ It is practised in high population density areas.
❖ It is practised in well-irrigated areas.
❖ Machine tools and fertilizers are used.
❖ Multiple cropping pattern is adopted.
❖ The yield per unit is high.
Example: Rice and wheat
Regions: Indo-Gangetic plains in Bihar, West Bengal, UP, and parts of Haryana.

Commercial Farming
❖ Crops are raised for markets and earning.
❖ Modern technology is used.
❖ Crop specialisation is a feature.
❖ Cultivators use HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides etc.
Example: Oilseeds, cotton, jute, tea, coffee

Plantation
❖ It is a mix of industry and agriculture.

❖ Large tracts of land are used to grow a single crop for commercial purposes.
❖ It is capital intensive and migrant labourers are employed.

❖ It needs well-developed support of transport and communication network.

❖ Markets play an important role in the feasibility of plantation agriculture.
Example: Banana, rubber, sugarcane, tea etc.

Cropping Pattern
The physical and cultural diversities of India are also reflected in agricultural practices
and cropping patterns in our country. Food crops, fibre crops, fruits, spices, condiments
etc. are examples of the variety of crops. India has three cropping seasons.

Rabi Crops:
❖ Rabi crops are grown in winter and from October to December and are harvested in
summer from April to June.
❖ Such crops get rain due to western temperate cyclones
❖ It is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J & K, Uttarakhand and in UP.
❖ The green revolution has also been an important factor in the growth of Rabi crops in
Northern parts of India like Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of
Rajasthan.
Examples of crops: Wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.

Kharif crops:
❖ It is a monsoon cropping season and begins with the onset of monsoon in India.
❖ It is grown in the month of June and July and harvested in September-October.
❖ Examples of crops: Rice, Bajra, Jowar, oilseeds, cotton, pulses like urad, moong, arhar(tur)
❖ Major rice-growing regions: Assam, UP, Bihar, W. Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Andhra
Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal regions of Odisha, Konkan coast
(Maharashtra).
❖ Three paddy crops: Aus, Aman and Boro paddy crops are grown in a year in Assam, W.
Bengal and Odisha.

Zaid Season
❖ This is a short season that comes in summer in between Rabi and the Kharif Season.
❖ The sowing time lies around March.
❖ Early maturing crops are grown
 Example of crops: watermelon, bitter gourd, fodder crops, moong dal.

Major Food Crops with Geographical Conditions

Rice (Kharif Crop): It is a major staple food crop of the majority of people in India. It
occupies around one-fourth of total crop area grown in India.

Climate: Warm and humid

Rainfall: Above 100cm and standing water required during growth. Different Means of
Irrigation help grow rice in less rainfed areas like Punjab and Haryana.

Temperature: High temperature (above 25° C)

Soil type: Clay, loamy fertile soil with good water retention capacity.

Production area: Plains of North and north-eastern India, coastal areas and delta regions.

Leading producers: West Bengal (India) China (world), India ranks 2nd in the world.

Varieties of Rice: Sabarmati, Padma.

Wheat (Rabi Crop): It is the 2nd most important crop of India. It occupies around 14% of
the crop area in India. The green revolution has made India self-sufficient in wheat
production.

Climate: Cool and bright sunlight

Rainfall: 50 – 75 cm, moderate and evenly distributed rain. Water should not stagnate in
the wheat field.

Temperature: 15° to 20°C with bright sunshine.

Soil type: Well-drained fertile soil rich in humus and mineral content.

Production area: Ganga-Sutlej plain and black soil region. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, Rajasthan.

Leading producers: Uttar Pradesh (India) China (world), India ranks 2nd in the world.

Varieties of Rice: Sonalika, Heera

A comparative study of differences between wheat and rice farming.

 Geological Rice Wheat
Conditions

Crop type Kharif Rabi

Rainfall Above 100 cm 50 – 75 cm

Temperature Above 25° C 15 ° C

Producing regions Plains of North and North and north-west

north- western India

Major Producing West Bengal Punjab

States

Millets

Climate
Crops Soil Leading
Temperature Rainfall Producing
Regions
20 -3 2° C 30 – 100 cm
Jowar • Third important crop of India. Well-drained Maharashtra
• Needs moist area to grow. sandy and (other states:
loamy soil. Karnataka
M.P. Tamil Nadu)
Sandy, shallow Rajasthan
25 - 30° C 45 cm (U.P. Maharashtra,
Bajra black soil
Warm and dry climate Gujrat, Haryana)
Red Black Sandy Karnataka
20 - 30° C 60 – 80 (Tamil Nadu,
cm Loamy
Ragi Shallow black Himachal
• Grows in the dry region.
Pradesh, Jammu
• Has high nutritional value
and Kashmir,
being rich in iron and Arunachal
calcium and micronutrients Pradesh)
Maize:
❖ It is both, food as well as fodder crop.
❖ It provides starch and glucose for industrial purpose.
❖ It is sown as Kharif and in some parts sown as Rabi crop.
❖ Use of modern technology, HYV seeds, fertilizers, irrigation facilities
Temperature: 21° C - 27° C
Rainfall: 50 – 100 cm
Soil: old alluvial soil
Growing states: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh. Bihar, Telangana,
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh
Leading producers: Andhra Pradesh (India) The USA (World)
Varieties: Ganga, Dhawal

Pulses (Kharif crop)

❖ India is the largest producer as well as consumer of pulses.
❖ Major source of protein in vegetarian diet in India.
❖ It is leguminous crop and therefore sown mostly in rotation with other crops.
Climate: cool, dry, cleaner and frost-free climate
Temperature: 20 – 13°C
Rainfall: 50 – 100 cm
Soil type: Well-drained aerated soil, soil health is improved by fixing atmospheric
nitrogen in soil.
Example of Pulses: Arahar, urad, moong
Producing regions: Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka
Leading Producers: Madhya Pradesh (World)

Sugarcane (Cash Crop)

❖ It is grown for commercial and industrial purposes
❖ It is a labour-intensive crop
❖ Sugarcane Products: Jaggery (gur),
khandsari, molasses Climate: Hot, wet-
tropical regions, High-solar radiation
Temperature: 21° to 27°C
 Rainfall: 75 – 100 %, needs irrigation in case of low rainfall
Soil type: well-drained soil
Producing regions: Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Punjab,
Haryana
Leading Producers: Uttar Pradesh (India) Brazil (World)
Tea
❖ Beverage crop
❖ Introduced in India by the British in 1823
❖ Labour intensive and needs abundant cheap and skilled labours.
❖ Tea is processed within the tea garden
.Climate: Tropical and subtropical, warm, moist and frost-free days
Temperature: 20°C to 30° C is the ideal temperature
Rainfall: 150 – 300 cm, evenly distributed showers throughout the year. No waterlogging
Soil type: Deep fertile and well-drained soil, loamy soil acidic in nature, rich in humus and
organic matter
Major regions of production: Darjeeling, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala
Leading producer: Assam (India) China (World)

Coffee
❖ Indian varieties are known all over the world for their good quality products
❖ Varieties Produced: Robusta, Arabica (brought in India from Yemen)
Temperature: 16°C to 28°C
Rainfall: 150 – 250 cm
Soil type: Well-drained forest and loamy soil
Major regions of production: Baba Budan hills and Nigiri hills in Karnataka, Kerala and
Tamil Nadu
Leading Producers: Karnataka (India) Brazil (World)

Major Non-Food Crops with Geographical Conditions

Rubber:
❖ It is obtained from the latex of rubber plant.
❖ Varieties: wild rubber, synthetic (70 – 80% of total use by people), plantation rubber
❖ Uses: auto tyres and tubes, footers, sports goods, mattresses etc.
Climate: Equatorial, tropical and sub-tropical regions
Temperature: High at 25 to 35°C
 Rainfall: Annual rainfall above 200cm throughout the growing period.
Soil type: Loamy soil
Major Producing Regions: Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andaman Nicobar Islands,
Garo hills in Meghalaya
Highest Producer: Kerala (India) Thailand (World) India ranks 4th in the world

Cotton (Fibre Crop)

❖ It is also called universal fibre owing to its worldwide use
❖ India is its original home
❖ It is a raw material for cotton textiles industries
❖ It is a labour-intensive crop
❖ Different categories: Long staple, short-staple, mediums staple
Climate: It is a Kharif crop and needs 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.
Temperature: Hight at 20°C to 30°C
Soil type: Black soil
Maturing time: 6 to 8 months
Producing regions: Maharashtra, Gujrat, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu,
Karnataka, Haryana, Punjab
Highest Producers: Gujrat (India) China (World) India is the 2nd largest producer of
cotton.

Jute: (Fibre Crop)

❖ It is also called ‘Golden Fibre’
❖ Uses: Gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, artefacts
❖ It is losing market as it is costly and also facing competition from synthetic fibres
Temperature: 20 to 30 °C
Rainfall: Plenty of rainfall (150-20 cm)
Soil type: Well-drained fertile soil renewed every year, sandy and loamy soil
Maturing time: 8 – 10 months
Growing regions: Flood-plains, Ganga-Brahmaputra delta region, W. Bengal, Bihar,
Odisha, Meghalaya
Highest Producers: W. Bengal (World)
Highest Exporter: Bangladesh in the world.
Oil Seeds:
❖ Covers approximately 12 per cent of the total cropped area of the country
❖ Uses: edible oil for cooking. Raw material to produce soaps, cosmetics, ointments,
paints etc. Oil cake is used as fertilizer and to feed cattle with fodder.

Crop Season
Groundnut
✓ accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in
the country) Kharif
✓ Gujrat leads followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu
Lin seed Rabi
Mustard Rabi
Sesamum Kharif in North and Rabi in
South
Castor both as rabi and Kharif

Horticulture (cultivation of fruits and vegetables)

Crop Growing regions

Mango India is the Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
leading Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
Orange producer Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)
Banana both tropical Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil
and Nadu
Pineapple temperate Meghalaya
Grapes fruits as well Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra
lichi and guava as vegetables Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
Apple, pears, apricots and like pea, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh
walnuts cauliflower,
onion,
cabbage,
tomato,
brinjal and
potato.
 Technological and Institutional Reforms

Agriculture has been the main mainstay of most of the people in India. Lack of
incorporating techno-institutional changes in the sustained use of land has affected the
growth of agricultural development. Indian agricultural is still more dependent on rain and
natural fertility of the soil. Various technical and institutional reforms need to be introduced
and implemented to make Indian agriculture the support of 60% of the farmer population in
India. Some of such reforms are discussed below.

Institutional Reforms

✓ Collectivisation and consolidation of landholdings.

✓ Abolition of zamindari system
✓ Land Reforms was the main focus of the First Five Year Plan.

Agrarian Reforms

❖ India govt introduced agricultural reforms to improve Indian agriculture in the 1960s and
1970s
❖ The Green Revolution based on package technology and the White Revolution
(Operation Flood) were the strategies adopted to improve agricultural productivity and
milk production.
❖ A comprehensive land development programme was initiated in the 1980s and 1980s.
❖ Gramin banks and cooperative societies were established to extend loan facilities to
farmers at lower interest rates.

Schemes for farmers

❖ Kisan Credit Card (KCC)

❖ Personal Accident Insurance Schemes (PAIS)
❖ Crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease
❖ Subsidy on purchase of seeds, fertilisers etc.
❖ Announcement of minimum support prices (MSP) to procure agricultural products
directly from farmers to check exploitation of farmers by middlemen and speculators.
❖ Use of media like DD Kisan Channel and weather bulletins on radio
❖ Gramin Banks and cooperative societies provide loans to farmers at lower rates of interest.
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