Chapter 8 - Agriculture in India 1

commercial farming

- in contrast to subsistence farming, it is practiced to raise crops exclusively for the market to obtain maximum profit - crops grown are usually cash crops that are high in demand - no part of the produce is consumed by the farmer himself

subsistence farming

- practiced in densely populated regions of the world for the sole purpose of the farmers' sustenance and consumption - no surplus left

green revolution introduction

- until 1976, the government of India largely focused on expanding the farming areas - but population was growing at a much faster rate than the food production - there was a need for an immediate and drastic action to increase yield - this came in the form of Green Revolution - "Green Revolution" is a general term applied to successful agricultural experiments in developing countries - it involved the usage of high yielding variety seeds (especially wheat and rice), improved irrigation facilities and increased use of fertilizers, pesticides and modern farm machinery - resulted in a record grain output and established India as one of the world's biggest agricultural producers - the yield per unit of farmland increased by more than 30% between 1947 and 1979 - the crop area under HYV of wheat and rice grew considerably during this period - it also created many jobs, not only for the agricultural workers but also in the industrial sector as it required increased production of farm machineries, fertilizers and other inputs for better yields

agricultural seasons

1. Kharif crops are sown generally at the onset of monsoons rains in June and harvested after the monsoon in October-November; Kharif crops include rice, maize, millets such as jowar, bajra and ragi, sesame, groundnuts, castor-seed, sugar cane, cotton, jute and tobacco 2. Rabi crops are sown at the beginning of the cool season (October-November) and harvested between February and May; they include wheat, barley, jowar, gram, linseed, rapeseed and mustard seed; crops need cool climate during growth period but warm climate during the germination of seed and maturation; availability of rainfall from the western disturbances is a major factor for the substantial production of Rabi crops in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh 3. Zayad or Zaid is the extra crop grown by farmers to supplement their income; the season for these has a short growing period between the harvest of the Rabi crop and the sowing of the Kharif crop; these crops grown mainly from March to June; they require warm dry weather for a long period and longer day length for flowering; its main products are seasonal fruits like watermelon and vegetables like cucumber

other measures of green revolution

1. government encourages increase food production by giving price assurance to farmers and extending to them better, secured credit facilities 2. farmers suffer huge losses when there are bumper harvests, especially of perishable commodities; however with the development of modern infrastructure with adequate storing and processing facilities, much of this wastage is reduced 3. with the initiation of multipurpose river valley projects, new irrigations schemes now provide water to the fields all year round; even remote villages benefit from these schemes; this has encouraged multiple cropping as now water is available despite the vagaries of the monsoon

mixed farming

1. involves raising of livestock and cultivation of crops on the same farm simultaneously 2. cattle or poultry do not incur extra expenditure as they thrive of farm residue; in turn, animal wastes are used as manure in the fields 3. animal products like milk and eggs provide substitute income in case of crop failure 4. modern machinery and good seeds are used to increase the yield 5. it is commonly practiced in densely populated

why is agriculture important in India (first 3)

1. it contributes to the national income: the government a huge ears a huge revenue from agriculture and its allied activities such as cattle rearing, animal husbandry, poultry farming and fishing; Indian Railways along with the state transport system also earn a handsome revenue as freight charges for agricultural products 2. it plays a vital role in generating employment: agriculture and allied activities are the major source of livelihood for nearly half of the Indian population; since agriculture is mainly labor intensive, it provides employment to a large number of people; it is also a source of employment 3. it has become a significant source for earning foreign exchange: India has emerged as a significant agricultural exporter of commodities such as pulses, cotton, rice, tea, coffee, tobacco, spices and sugar; in addition to agricultural products, goods from agro-based industries like jute and cotton textiles also contribute another 20 percent to the country's exports; hence, the agriculture sector is vital for the country's international trade and commerce

extensive agriculture (first 3)

1. kind of farming is practiced in sparsely populated areas where ample land is available for cultivation; thus, the field size is extremely large 2. single-crop cultivation predominates particularly wheat, corn or barely; crop is chosen which best suits the climate and soil of the region 3. total mechanization of the agricultural process makes it a capital-intensive system of farming

problems of agriculture in India (first 4)

1. more than the 60% of the cultivated land depends on the vagaries of monsoon rainfall, seasonal and unequal distribution of rainfall makes it unreliable, which is the chief cause behind the failure of rain-fed crops; irrigation facilities cannot be availed by most Indian farmers 2. soil erosion mostly due to heavy monsoon rains, floods and insufficient vegetation cover has increased the infertility of soil and reduced the yields per hectare 3. ever increasing pressure of population and the need to maximize crop production have led to excessive use of inorganic fertilizers, pesticides and other chemicals that render the soil infertile 4. due to illiteracy prevalent in the villages, the farmers are reluctant to use modern scientific methods of cultivation; many of them do not use new and better quality of seeds, fertilizers and pesticides to ensure good quality crops; they continue to use low-quality seeds and outmoded implements; there is inadequate protection against diseases

intensive agriculture (first 3)

1. practiced chiefly in overpopulated regions of South Asia 2. size of the landholdings or farms is very small because of the large population and the laws of inheritance 3. inputs life fertilizers, pesticides, high yielding variety (HYV) seeds and irrigation are used on a large scale to obtain maximum yield

shifting agriculture (first 3)

1. practiced on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools 2. also called jhumming agriculture where the farmers make a small clearing in the forest, cultivate it for some years and then abandon it when the fertility of the soil diminishes; they then shift to another fresh clearing in the forest 3. also called slash-and-burn agriculture; patch of land is usually cleared by slashing the vegetation; slashed plants are then burnt to produce ash that enhances the fertility of the soil

plantation farming

1. there is a predominance of a single tropical crop e.g. tea, coffee, plantain, spiced, coconut and rubber that are raised on a large scale for the sole purpose of selling in the market 2. plantation crops are raised on large farms know as estates, some extending over 100 acres; small holdings are common in smaller states like Kerala in India and countries like Sri Lanka, where land availability is limited 3. involves a larger number of skilled laborers as well as large capital 4. estates are scientifically managed with great usage of modern techniques and inputs like machineries, fertilizers and pesticides 5. all the processes are done on the same farm, beginning with crop cultivation, harvesting and processing the produced in factories so as to make them ready for the market

extensive agriculture (last 3)

4. crops are raised for the sole purpose of sale in the market, both domestic and international 5. yield per acre is much less compared to yield per person, as population is low while fields are vast 6. common in temperate lands of prairies and steppes and not south Asia; however, some of this is practiced in Punjab and Haryana

intensive agriculture (last 3)

4. double cropping, crop rotation and multiple cropping are also practiced; fields are never left fallow because of the huge demand of for food crops to feed the large population 5. it involves a large labor force to use the inputs effectively; labor is cheap due to dense population; farms are too small for machineries to be effectively used 6. rice is predominantly cultivated crop; other food crops include wheat, millets and pulses; other crops include jute, sugar cane, oilseeds and cotton

shifting agriculture (last 4)

4. it depends upon the monsoons and the natural fertility of the soil; no inputs are provided for a better produce 5. this type of agriculture is unproductive in the long run because it reduces the fertility of the soil after a few years; it is thus, wasteful and harmful to the environment; however, it is still commonly practiced in the tribal areas of MP, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand 6. crops like cassava, millets, yams, manioc, yams, tapioca, upland rice and bananas that are easy to cultivate are grown 7. furthermore, deforestation and burning-induced increase in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere contributes to environmental degradation

why is agriculture important in India? (last 3)

4. it makes provision for food for the ever-increasing population: due to the excessive pressure of population, food production is also increasing at a fast rate; the total food grain production in the country during 2019-20 was estimated to be a record 291.95 million tons which is higher by 6.74 millions tons than the production of food grain achieved during 2018-19; the food grain production during 2019-20 is higher by 26.20 million tons than the previous 5 years' average 5. supply of raw materials to agro-based industries: agriculture not only provides food but also raw materials for manufacturing industries such as textiles, sugar, vegetable oil, jute and tobacco 6. it provides a large market for industrial products: tools or implements, fertilizers, pesticides

problems in agriculture in India (last 3)

5. land fragmentation also has a significant negative effect on farm profit; nearly half the of farms in India are less than 1 hectare; small, uneconomic land holdings do not allow the use of tractors or other agricultural machineries and are hence an obstacle to agricultural productivity 6. system of land tenure is such that most farmers do not own the land cultivated by them; the land belongs to the absentee landlords, most of whom have their focus on collection of maximum revenue and not on the betterment of the land 7. poverty in the farming community along with the absence of a sound credit system that would alleviate this problem, often burdens the farmers with heavy debts; they often fall into the hands of unscrupulous money-lenders; lack of finance also deters them from adopting modern, improvements