IMPROVEMENT IN FOOD RESOURCES

Food supplies proteins, carbohydrates, fats,

vitamins and minerals, all of which we
require for body development, growth and
health.

Both plants and animals are major sources of

food for us.
 Our population is more than one billion
people, and it is still growing. We will soon
need more than a quarter of a billion tonnes of
grain every year.

But India is already intensively cultivated. As

a result, we do not have any major scope for
increasing the area of land under cultivation.
Therefore, it is necessary to increase our
production efficiency for both crops and
livestock.
However, these revolutions mean that our natural
resources are getting used more intensively and
more chances of causing damage to our natural
resources to the point of destroying their balance
completely. Therefore, it is important that we
should increase food production without
degrading our environment and disturbing the
balances maintaining it.
 Improvement in Crop Yields

Carbohydrates: Fruits, vegetables, cereals,

corn, potatoes, bread, milk, milk products
etc.

Proteins: Pulses like gram (chana), pea (matar),

black gram (urad), green gram (moong), pigeon
pea (arhar), lentil (masoor),
And,Chicken, egg, fish, almond, chicken, oats,
seafood, soybeans, pulses, cottage cheese,
Greek yoghurt, milk, broccoli, and quinoa.
Sources of Fats
Fats are obtained naturally in several foods,
such as butter, cheese, cream, and oilseeds,
including soybean, groundnut, etc

Sources of Vitamins and Minerals

Vegetables and fruits are the main sources of
vitamins and minerals. Some of the vitamins
can also be obtained from meat and fish.

In addition to these food crops, fodder

crops like berseem, oats or sudan grass
are raised as food for the livestock.
Different crops require different

● climatic conditions,
● temperature and
● photoperiods

Photoperiods are related to the

duration of sunlight. Growth of
plants and flowering are dependent
on sunlight. As we all know, plants
manufacture their food in sunlight
by the process of photosynthesis.
INCREASE IN CROP PRODUCTION IN INDIA
IS A RESULT OF 3 PROCESSES:

1. The first is the choice of seeds for

planting.

2. The second is the nurturing of the crop

plants.

3. The third is the protection of the

growing and harvested crops from loss.

• Crop variety improvement

• Crop production improvement
• Crop protection management.
 Crop Variety Improvement

Aim: to find a variety of crops which

can tolerate different environmental
conditions like high soil salinity, water
availability, etc.

And, seeds should produce high yield.

Solution: Farmers should be provided

with such HYV seeds.
There are 2 ways to incorporate desirable
features in crop varieties.

1. Hybridisation: Crossing between

genetically dissimilar plants to produce a
high yielding variety.

Types:
Intervarietal: cross between 2 plants belonging
to different varieties of crops.

Interspecific: Cross between 2 plants belonging

to different species of same genus.

Intergeneric: Cross between plants belonging to

different genera
2. Genetically modified crops: It involves
manipulating of crop for increasing yield,
quality, disease resistance. Etc.

E.g. BT cotton

Factors responsible for Crop Variety

Management:

● Higher yield: To increase the productivity of

the crop per acre.

● Improved quality: Quality considerations of

crop products vary from crop to crop. Baking
quality is important in wheat, protein quality
in pulses, oil quality in oilseeds and preserving
quality in fruits and vegetables.
1. Biotic and abiotic resistance: Crops production
can go down due to biotic (diseases, insects
and nematodes) and abiotic (drought, salinity,
water logging, heat, cold and frost) stresses
under different situations. Varieties resistant to
these stresses can improve crop production.

2. Change in maturity duration: The shorter the

duration of the crop from sowing to
harvesting, the more economical is the variety.
Such short durations allow farmers to grow
multiple rounds of crops in a year. Short
duration also reduces the cost of crop
production. Uniform maturity makes the
harvesting process easy and reduces losses
during harvesting.
3. Wider adaptability: Developing varieties
for wider adaptability will help in stabilising
the crop production under different
environmental conditions. One variety can
then be grown under different climatic
conditions in different areas.

4. Desirable agronomic characteristics:

Tallness and profuse branching are desirable
characters for fodder crops. Dwarfness is
desired in cereals, so that less nutrients are
consumed by these crops. Thus developing
varieties of desired agronomic characters
help give higher productivity.
 Crop Production Management

This involves the control of various

aspects of crop production for the
best yield.

This requires on farming practices

which is dependent of the purchasing
capacity of the farmers. Thus,
production practices can be grouped
at 3 levels:

1. No cost Production
2. Low Cost Production
3. High Cost Production
 Crop Production Management

Nutrition
Cropping Pattern
Management

Irrigation
Nutrition Management
MANURE
MEANING: Manure refers to a fertilizer of natural
origin. It is made up of animal excreta and plant
wastes. It supplies small quantities of nutrients to
the soil

Types:

1. Compost and vermicompost: The process

in which farm waste material, domestic
waste, sewage waste, etc. is decomposed
in pits is known as composting.

The compost is rich in organic matter

and nutrients. Compost is also prepared
by using earthworms to hasten the
process of decomposition of plant and
animal refuse. This is called
vermicompost.
Disadvantages:
Green Manure: A quick growing crop which is cultivated
•Slow in action, microbes required and ploughed under, to incorporate it into the soil for the
to release nutrients microbes purpose of improving its physical structure and fertility, is
require moisture, so seasonal known as green manure, For example, sunn hemp (sanai) -
variation may affect Crotalaria juncea.

•Nutrient ratios are unknown Advantages of Manure:

1. Enriches the soil

with organic
matter and
humus.
2. It increases soil
fertility and
doesn’t cause
long term harm
to soil
3. Helps in recycling
of farm waste
 Fertilizers are commercially produced plant
nutrients. Fertilizers supply nitrogen, phosphorus
and potassium.

Advantages:

1. These are easily available, easy to use and

store.

2. These help in the higher yield of high cost

farming.

3. They are used to ensure good vegetative

growth (leaves, branches and flowers), giving
rise to healthy plants. Fertilizers are a factor in
the higher yields of high-cost farming.
 Disadvantages:

● Sometimes fertilizers get washed

away due to excessive irrigation
and are not fully absorbed by the
plants. This excess fertilizer then
leads to water pollution.

● They provide short term benefits.

● Continuous use of fertilisers can

destroy soil fertility.
Organic farming is a farming system with
minimal or no use of chemicals as fertilizers,
herbicides, pesticides etc. and with a maximum
input of organic manures, recycled farm-wastes
(straw and livestock excreta), use of bio-agents
such as culture of blue green algae in preparation
of biofertilizers, neem leaves or turmeric
specifically in grain storage as bio-pesticides,
with healthy cropping systems [mixed cropping,
inter-cropping and crop rotation.

These cropping systems are beneficial in insect,

pest and wheat control besides providing
nutrients.
 2. Irrigation
Ensuring that the crops get water at the right
stages during their growing season is known as
irrigation.

India has a wide variety of water resources and

a highly varied climate. Under such conditions,
several different kinds of irrigation systems are
adopted to supply water to agricultural lands
depending on the kinds of water resources
available.

These include wells, canals, rivers and tanks.

Wells: There are two types of wells, namely dug
wells and tube wells. In a dug well, water is
collected from water bearing strata. Tube wells
can tap water from the deeper strata. From
these wells, water is lifted by pumps for
irrigation.
Canals: This is usually an elaborate and
extensive irrigation system. In this system
canals receive water from one or more
reservoirs or from rivers. The main canal is
divided into branch canals having further
distributaries to irrigate fields.
River Lift Systems: In areas where canal flow is
insufficient or irregular due to inadequate reservoir
release, the lift system is more rational. Water is
directly drawn from the rivers for supplementing
irrigation in areas close to rivers.

Tanks: These are small storage reservoirs, which

intercept and store the run-off of smaller catchment
areas.

Fresh initiatives for increasing the water available for

agriculture include rainwater harvesting and
watershed management.
3. Cropping Patterns: refers to different ways of
growing crops can be used to give maximum
benefit.

Some ways are as follows:

a) Mixed Cropping: Mixed cropping is growing two

or more crops simultaneously on the same
piece of land. This reduces risk and gives some
insurance against failure of one of the crops.
b) Inter-cropping is growing two or more crops
simultaneously on the same field in a definite
pattern. A few rows of one crop alternate with a
few rows of a second crop, for example, Soybean
+ maize, or finger millet (bajra) + cowpea (lobia).

The crops are selected such that their nutrient

requirements are different. This ensures maximum
utilisation of the nutrients supplied, and also
prevents pests and diseases from spreading to all
the plants belonging to one crop in a field. This
way, both crops can give better returns.
c) The growing of different crops on a piece of
land in a pre-planned succession is known as crop
rotation.

The availability of moisture and irrigation

facilities decide the choice of the crop to be
cultivated after one harvest. If crop rotation is
done properly then two or three crops can be
grown in a year with good harvests.
CROP PROTECTION MANAGEMENT
WEEDS: these are unwanted plants in the
cultivated field. These compete with the
main crop for nutrition.

Method to control: mechanical removal

(uprooting, burning etc).

Xanthium, (gokhroo)

Parthenium
(gajar ghas)
 Insect Pests: Generally insect pests
attack the plants in three ways:
Crop Diseases: can
be caused by various (i) they cut the root, stem and leaf,
pathogens such as
bacteria, fungi and
viruses. (ii) they suck the cell sap from
various parts of the plant, and
They can be
controlled by: (iii) they bore into stem and fruits.
Pesticides
Insecticides
Fungicides
Herbicides
STORAGE OF GRAINS
Storage losses in agricultural produce can be
very high.

Factors responsible for such losses are:

1. Biotic— insects, rodents, fungi, mites and

bacteria,

2. Abiotic— inappropriate moisture and

temperatures in the place of storage.

These factors cause degradation in quality,

loss in weight, poor germinability,
discolouration of produce, all leading to poor
marketability.
These factors can be controlled by proper
treatment and by systematic management
of warehouses.

Preventive and control measures are used

before grains are stored for future use.

● They include strict cleaning of the

produce before storage

● Proper drying of the produce first in

sunlight and then in shade

● Fumigation using chemicals that can

kill pests.
What is the process of growing two or more
crops in a definite pattern?

I. Crop rotation

II. Inter-cropping

III. Mixed cropping

IV. Organic cropping

Animal husbandry is the scientific
management of animal livestock. It
includes various aspects such as
feeding, breeding and disease
control. Animal-based farming
includes cattle, goat, sheep, poultry
and fish farming. As the population
increases and as living standards
increase, the demand for milk, eggs
and meat is also going up. Also, the ANIMAL HUSBANDRY
growing awareness of the need for
humane treatment of livestock has
brought in new limitations in
livestock farming. Thus, livestock
production also needs to be
improved.
 1. CATTLE FARMING

Done for 2 purposes:

1. Milk (milch cattle)
2. Labour for agriculture (draught cattle)

Cattle in India belong to 2 main species:

1. Bos indica (cows)
2. Bos bubalis (buffaloes)
Milk production depends, to some extent, on the duration of the lactation
period (meaning the period of milk production after the birth of a calf). So,
milk production can be increased by increasing the lactation period.

Exotic or foreign breeds (for example, Jersey, Brown Swiss) are selected for long
lactation periods, while local breeds (for example, Red Sindhi, Sahiwal) show
excellent resistance to diseases.

The two can be cross-bred to get animals with both the desired qualities.
Various measures for farm management are as follows:

1. Proper cleaning and shelter facilities for cows and buffaloes are required for humane
farming, for the health of the animals and for production of clean milk as well.

2. Animals require regular brushing to remove dirt and loose hair.

3. They should be sheltered under well-ventilated roofed sheds that protect them from rain, heat
and cold.

4. The floor of the cattle shed needs to be sloping so as to stay dry and to facilitate cleaning.
Cattle suffer from a number of diseases. The
diseases, besides causing death, reduce milk
production. The food requirements of dairy animals are of
A healthy animal feeds regularly and has a two types:
normal posture. The parasites of cattle may
be both external parasites and internal (a) maintenance requirement, which is the
parasites. food required to support the animal to live a
healthy life
The external parasites live on the skin and
mainly cause skin diseases.
(b) milk producing requirement, which is the
The internal parasites like worms, affect type of food required during the lactation
stomach and intestine while flukes damage period.
the liver. Infectious diseases are also caused
by bacteria and viruses.
Animal feed includes:
(a) roughage, which is largely fibre,
Vaccinations are given to farm animals (b) concentrates, which are low in fibre and
against many major viral and bacterial contain relatively high levels of proteins and
diseases. other nutrients.
POULTRY FARMING is undertaken to raise domestic fowl for egg production and
chicken meat. Therefore, improved poultry breeds are developed and farmed to
produce layers for eggs and broilers for meat.

For the improvement of poultry, cross-breeding programmes are done between Indian
(indigenous, for example, Aseel) and foreign (exotic, for example, Leghorn) breeds
Results:
(i) number and quality of chicks

(ii) dwarf broiler parent for commercial chick production

(iii) summer adaptation capacity/ tolerance to high temperature

(iv) low maintenance requirements

(v) reduction in the size of the egg-laying bird with ability to utilise more fibrous
cheaper diets formulated using agricultural by-products.
 Egg & Broiler Production

Broiler chickens are fed with

vitamin-rich supplementary feed for
good growth rate and better feed
efficiency.

Care is taken to avoid mortality and to

maintain feathering and carcass
quality.

They are produced as broilers and sent

to market for meat purposes.
 For good production of poultry birds, good
management practices are important.

These include maintenance of temperature and

hygienic conditions in housing and poultry feed, as
well as prevention and control of diseases and pests.

The ration (daily food requirement) for broilers is

protein rich with adequate fat. The level of vitamins A
and K is kept high in the poultry feeds.
 Poultry fowl suffer from a number of diseases
caused by virus, bacteria, fungi, parasites, as well
as from nutritional deficiencies. These
necessitate:

spraying of
Proper
disinfectants
cleaning,
at regular
sanitation
intervals.

Appropriate
vaccination
Proper Diet
FISH PRODUCTION
 Fish Production

● Fish is a cheap source of

animal protein for our
food.
● Fish production includes
the finned true fish as well
as shellfish such as
prawns and molluscs.

Ways of Obtaining Fish

● One is from natural

resources, which is called
capture fishing.
● The other way is by fish
farming, which is called
culture fishery.
 (i) MARINE FISHERIES

Popular marine fish varieties include pomfret,

mackerel, tuna, sardines, and Bombay duck.

Marine fish are caught using many kinds of fishing

nets from fishing boats.

Yields are increased by locating large schools of

fish in the open sea using satellites and
echo-sounders.

Some marine fish of high economic value are also

farmed in seawater.

As marine fish stocks get further This includes finned fishes like mullets, bhetki, and
depleted, the demand for more fish can pearl spots, shellfish such as prawns (Fig. 15.5),
only be met by such culture fisheries, a mussels and oysters as well as seaweed. Oysters
practice called mariculture. are also cultivated for the pearls they make.
 (ii) INLAND FISHERIES:

It includes fishery in freshwater and brackish

water. Fresh water resources include canals,
ponds, reservoirs and rivers.

While capture fishing is also done in such inland

water bodies, the yield is not high.

HW: Most fish production from

these resources is through
aquaculture.
Fish culture is sometimes done in combination with a rice crop, so that fish are grown in the
water in the paddy field. In such a system, a combination of five or six fish species that do
not compete for food among them are selected.

As a result, the food available in all the parts of the pond is used. As Catlas are surface
feeders, Rohus feed in the middle-zone of the pond, Mrigals and Common Carps are bottom
feeders, and Grass Carps feed on the weeds, together these species can use all the food in
the pond without competing with each other.

This increases the fish yield from the pond.

A major problem in fish farming is the lack of

availability of good quality seed. To overcome
this problem, ways have now been worked out
to breed these fish in ponds using hormonal
stimulation. This has ensured the supply of pure
fish seed in desired quantities.
The management and production of fish is
called

I. Pisciculture

II. Apiculture

III. Sericulture

IV. Aquaculture
BEE KEEPING
The management and production of fish is
called

I. Pisciculture

II. Apiculture

III. Sericulture

IV. Aquaculture