AGRICULTURE

Geography Ch 4
Agriculture refers to the human activity of cultivating
crops and plantation for food and goods such as fibers,
animal feed etc.
Agri means land,
Culture means to cultivate
 Types of Farming
Primitive Subsistence Intensive subsistence Commercial farming
meaning The framing practice in Farming practice of high The framing practice in
which crops are raised for population on land. To which the framer
personal produce enough for local grows crops for the
consumption it is known consumption while purpose of trade it is
as subsistence framing remaining used for called commercial
selling. farming

nature family /community labour Labour intensive Capital intensive

area It is practiced in small area Bigger land holding It is practiced in large

area
productivity Low ,depend only on High ,high doses of bio It is enhanced through
natural fertility of land chemical inputs higher of modern
inputs
Cultivation Traditional methods are Modern means of Machines are used
used, primitive tool like farming
hoe, dao used
Methods of It depends on monsoon Modern irrigation It uses modern
irrigation methods irrigation methods
 Cropping patterns
1. Rabi :- sown from October to December , Harvested in summer
from April to June, Major crops:-wheat, barley, peas, gram ,
mustard.
2. Kharif:- sown in the beginning of the rainy season between
April & May, Harvested in Sep. –Oct. Major crops:-paddy, maize,
jowar, bajra, arhar, moong ,cotton, jute, groundnut etc
3. Zaid :-in between the Rabi & Kharif season,there is ashort
season during the summer months. Major crops:- watermelon,
muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables & fodder crops.
 Major food crops grown in India
• Rice
1. It is a kharif crop, requires high temp. and hih
humidity with annual rainfall above 100cm.
2. India is the second largest producer of rice in
the world after China.
3. It is grown in the plains of north and north –
eastern India, coastal areas and deltaic
regions.
 • Wheat
1. It is a Rabi crop, it requires a cool growing
season and bright sunshine.
2. It requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall
evenly distributed over growing season.
3. It is grown in Ganga-Satlaj plains in yhe
north –west & black soil region of Deccan
Millets
4. Jowar ,Bajra and Ragi are the important
millets grown in India
2. These are known as coarse grains and have
 Maize
1. It is kharif crop
2. It requires temperature between 21*c to 27*
and grows well in old alluvial soil
3. It is used both as food and folder major maize
producing are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh,
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and
Telangana.
 Pulses
1. India is the largest producer and consumer of
pulses in the world. Pulses are the major
source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
2. Pulses are grown in rotation with other crops
so that the soil restore fertility.
3. Major pulses producing states are MP,
Rajasthan, Maharashtra, UP, & Karnataka .
 Food crops other than grains
Sugercane
1. It is tropical as well as sub-tropical crop.It grows well
in hot &humid climate with temp.21* to 29*C &
annual rainfall between 75cm to 100cm.
2. Needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.
3. India is second largest producer of sugarcane only
after Brazil.
4. The major sugarcane producing states are UP,
Maharashtra ,Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Bihar ,Punjab, Haryana.
 Oil seeds
Different oil seeds are grown covering approximately 12% of the total
cropped area of India. Main oil seeds produced in India are:-
• Groundnut : it is a Kharif crop & accounts for half of the major oil seeds
produced in India. Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnuts.
• Mustard: is a Rabi crop.
• Sesamum (til) :is a kharif crop in north & Rabi crop in south India.
• Soyabean:
• Castor seed: it is grown as both Rabi and Kharif
• Linseed:
• Sunflower
Beverage Crops
Tea
1. Tea was introduced by the British in India. It grows well in
tropical and sub-tropical climate with deep and fertile well-
drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.
2. It requires warm & moist frost- free climate all through the
year.
3. Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling &
Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu& Kerala ,and
also Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra
Pradesh, Tripura
4. It is a labour intensive industry,and requires lots of skilled
and unskilled labour.
5. Tea is processed within the garden to restore its freshness.
 COFFEE
• India produced 4% of world’s coffee
production.
• The Arabica variety initially from Yemen is
produced in the country, it is in great demand
all over the world
• Its cultivation was introduced on the Baba
Budan Hills& it is confined to the Nilgiri in
Karnataka, Kerala ,Tamil Nadu.
 Horticulture crops
• India is large producer of horticulture crops such as vegetables and fruits.
• Vegetables: India produce 13 per cent of world’s vegetable production.
Various vegetables are pea, Cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal
and potato.
• Fruits: India produce both tropical as well as temperate fruits. Mangoes
are grown in Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal. Oranges are grown in Nagpur ( Maharashtra) and Cherrapunjee
(Meghalaya).
• Bananas are grown in Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
• Lichi and Guava is grown in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
• Pineapples are grown in Meghalaya.
• Grapes are grown in Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Apples, Pears, apricots and walnuts are grown in Jammu and Kashmir and
Himachal Pradesh.
 Fiber crop
Cotton
1. Position India Is the 3 largest producer of cotton in the
world
2. Geographical conditions requires high
temperature ;light rainfall or irrigation ;210 frost free
days ;bright sunshine; black cotton soil; kharif crop
and requires 6-8 months to mature
3. Major cotton producing states Maharashtra,
Gujarat ,Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh,
Tamil Nadu ,Punjab , Haryana and Uttar Pradesh
 Jute
1. High temperature required during the time of
growth ,
2. Jute grows well on well drained fertile soils in
the flood plains where soils are renewed
every year .
 Non food crops
Rubber
1. Rubber is produced in Kerala , Tamil Nadu and
Karnataka, Andaman and Nicobar island and
Garo hills of Meghalaya
2.Condtions requires hot and humid
climate .rainfall-200 cms .temperature –above
25* c. maximum
3.Rubber is consumed in the manfacture of auto
tyres and tubes and cycle tyres and tubes.
 Institutional reform

• Collectivisation and consolidation of land holdings to make them economically

viable.
• The green revolution based on the use of package technology and the white
revolution to increase milk production are important strategies which were
initiated to improve agriculture.
• Cooperation with farmers and Abolition of Zamindari system.
• Provision of crop insurance to protect the farmers against losses caused by natural
calamities i.e. drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease.
• Establishment of ‘Gramin Banks’ cooperative societies and Banks for providing loan
facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.
• Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Persona) Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some
other schemes introduced by the government for the benefit of farmers.
• Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced
the radio and TV.
Impact of globlisation on Indian agriculture.

• UNDER globalisation, particularly after 1990, the farmers in

India have been exposed to new challenges. Despite being
an important producer of rice, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee
and spices our agricultural products are not able to compete
with the developed countries because of the highly
subsidized agriculture in those countries. Today, Indian
agriculture finds itself at the cross roads. To make
agriculture successful and profitable, proper thrust should
be given to the improvement of the condition of marginal
and small farmers.
 Bhoodan movt.
• The Bhoodan Movement or Land Gift Movement was a
voluntary land reform movement in India, started by
Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1951 at Pochampally village in
Telangana which is now known as Bhoodan Pochampally.
• The mission of the movement was to
persuade wealthy landowners to voluntarily give a
percentage of their land to the landless people.
However, this land could not be sold. In effect, landless
laborers were being given a small plot of land on which
they can settle, as well as grow some of their own food,
so as to give them an incentive to grow their food.
 Extra information

• Silviculture -Cultivating forest trees

• Horticulture -Cultivation of vegetables, fruits, flowers, ornamental plants
• Sericulture -Rearing of silkworms
• Vermiculture -Earthworms
• Apiculture -Honey bee colonies
• Olericulture -Vegetables
• Viticulture -Grapes
• Pomology -Fruits
• Floriculture-Flowering and ornamental plants
• Arboriculture-Cultivation, management, study of individual trees, shrubs,
vines and other woody plants
• Pisiculture -Fish
 Food security
• National Food Security System:
• The main objective of this system is to ensure food availability to all. It also focuses on
increasing the agricultural production and fixing the procurement price. Procurement
price i.e. the price with which government purchase the crop from farmers.
• It consists of two components
– Buffer Stock
– Public Distribution System (i.e. PDS)
• Buffer Stock: Food Corporation of India (FCI), buys foodgrains from farmers with the
assured minimum support price. It then maintain their stock and use this stock in case of
shortage of food.
• Public Distribution System(PDS):
– With this program stored food grains and essential commodities are distributed to poor families at
an affordable prices.
– Based on income, families are divided into two categories Below Poverty Line (BPL) and Above
Poverty Line (APL). Poverty line signifies minimum income needed to get necessities of life such as
food, shelter and clothes. Prices for each category is different.
– The problem with this system is that the number of deserving poor peoples are excluded from BPL
category and some of the rich peoples are placed in BPL category.