Lesson Notes & NCERT Q / A Ch 4 (Agriculture)

1. Types of Farming
The cultivation methods depend upon the characteristics of the physical environment,
technological know-how and socio-cultural practices. Farming varies from subsistence to
commercial type. In different parts of India, the following farming systems are practised.
A) Primitive Subsistence Farming
It is‘slash and burn’ agriculture. Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other
food crops. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for
cultivation. It is known by different names in different parts of the country. It is known
as jhumming in north-eastern states.

 Land productivity is low in this type of agriculture.

 This type of farming depends on monsoon.
 This farming is practised in a few parts of India.
B) Intensive Subsistence Farming

 This type of farming is practised in areas of high population pressure on land.

 It is labour-intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are
used for higher production.
C) Commercial Farming
This type of farming uses higher doses of modern inputs such as high yielding variety (HYV)
seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides to obtain higher productivity.
Plantation is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown on a large area.
Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant
labourers. All the produce is used as a raw material in industries.
Eg: Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Sugarcane, and Banana.

2. Cropping Pattern: India has three cropping seasons:

1. Rabi 2. Kharif 3. Zaid

Rabi Kharif Zaid

Sowing Winter from October Beginning of the rainy season In between the Rabi and
Season to December between April and May the Kharif seasons,
there is a short season
Harvesting Summer from September-October during the summer
Season April to June months known as the
Zaid season (in the
months of March to July)
Important Wheat, Barley, Peas, Paddy, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Watermelon,
Crops Gram and Mustard. Tur (Arhar), Moong, Urad, Muskmelon, Cucumber,
Cotton, Jute, Groundnut and Vegetables and Fodder
Soyabean. crops

3. Major Crops in India: A variety of food and non-food crops are grown in different parts of
India, depending upon the variations in soil, climate and cultivation practices. Major crops grown
in India are:

Rice, Wheat, Millets, Pulses, Tea, Coffee, Sugarcane, oil seeds, Cotton, & Jute.
Detailed discussion about all these crops is given below:
Rice:

1. It is a Kharif crop.
2. It requires high temperature and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
3. India is the second largest producer of rice in the world after China.
4. It is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic
regions.

Wheat:

1. This is a Rabi crop.

2. It requires a cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening.
 3. It requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season.
4. The Ganga-Satluj plains in the north-west and black soil region of the Deccan are two
main wheat-growing zones in India.
5. It is the second most important cereal crop and main food crop, in the north and north-
western part of India.

Millets: 10 different types of millet (Jowar, Bajra, Ragi are most common).

 Sorghum millet. ...Pearl millet. ..Foxtail millet. ..Finger millet. ..Fonio millet. ..Browntop millet. ...
 Little millet. ...Buckwheat millet.

JOWAR CROP FIELD

BAJARA CROP FIELD

RAGI CROP FIELD

 1. Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are the important millets grown in India.
2. These are known as coarse grains and have very high nutritional value.

Jowar Bajra Ragi

3rd most important food crop Grows well on sandy soils It is a crop of dry regions.
with respect to area and and shallow black soil.
production.
It is a rain-fed crop mostly Grows well on red, black, sandy,
grown in the moist areas. loamy and shallow black soils.
Mainly produced in Major producing states Major producing states are
Maharashtra, Karnataka, are Rajasthan, Uttar Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal
Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim,
Pradesh. Gujarat and Haryana. Jharkhand and Arunachal
Pradesh.

Maiz:

MAIZ PLANT

1. It is a Kharif crop.
2. It requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil.
3. It is used both as food and fodder.
4. Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar,
Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.
Pulses:

:
PEAS CROP FIELD

1. India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world.

2. Pulses are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
3. Major pulses grown in India are Tur (Arhar), Urad, Moong, Masur, Peas and Gram.
4. Pulses are mostly grown in rotation with other crops so that the soil restores fertility.
5. Major pulse producing states are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Uttar
Pradesh and Karnataka.

5. Food Crops other than Grains:

Sugarcane:

SUGERCANE CROP FIELD

 1. It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop.
2. It grows well in hot and humid climates with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and annual
rainfall between 75cm to 100cm.
3. It can be grown on a variety of soils.
4. Needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.
5. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after Brazil.
6. Sugarcane is the main source of Sugar, Gur (Jaggery), Khandsari and molasses.
7. The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and 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:

Sunflower

SUNFLOWER PLANT

 Groundnut: is a Kharif crop and accounts for half of the major oilseeds produced in India.
Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnuts.
 Mustard: is a Rabi crop.
 Sesamum (til): is a Kharif crop in the north and rabi crop in south India.
 Castor seeds: It is grown as both Rabi and Kharif crop.
 Linseed: is a Rabi crop.
 Coconut
 Soyabean
 Cotton seeds
 Sunflower
Tea

1. It is also an important beverage crop introduced by the British in India.

 2. The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates with deep and fertile well-
drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.
3. Tea bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year.
4. Tea is a labour-intensive industry.
5. Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West
Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Coffee
Yemen coffee is produced in India and this variety of coffee is in great demand all over the
world. Its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and is confined to the Nilgiri in
Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
Horticulture Crops
India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits. Major crops produced are pea,
cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato. Some of the famous horticulture crops
grown in India are:

 Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West

Bengal Oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala,
Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu.
 Lichi and Guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
 Pineapples of Meghalaya
 Grapes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra
 Apples, pears, apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh

5. Non-Food Crops

Rubber Fibre Cotton Jute

It is an equatorial crop. Cotton, Jute, It is a Kharif crop. It is known as the golden
Hemp and fibre.
Natural Silk are
the four major
fibre crops.
It requires a moist and Cotton, Jute and It requires high It grows well on well-
humid climate with Hemp are grown temperature, light drained fertile soils in the
rainfall of more than in the soil. rainfall, 210 frost-free flood plains. High
200cm and days and bright temperature is required
temperature above sunshine for its for its growth.
25°C. growth.
It is an important Natural Silk is Cotton grows It is used in making gunny
industrial raw material obtained from well in black cotton bags, mats, ropes, yarn,
cocoons of the soil of the Deccan carpets and other
silkworms fed on plateau. artefacts.
green leaves
Mainly grown in Kerala, Rearing of Major cotton- Major jute producing
Tamil Nadu, Karnataka silkworms for producing states are states are West Bengal,
and Andaman and the production of Maharashtra, Gujarat, Bihar, Assam, Odisha
Nicobar islands and silk fibre is Madhya Pradesh, and Meghalaya.
Garo hills of known as Karnataka, Andhra
Meghalaya. Sericulture. Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil
Nadu, Punjab,
 Haryana and
Uttar Pradesh.

6. Technological and Institutional Reforms

a) Agriculture provides a livelihood for more than 60% of its population, so this sector needs
some serious technical and institutional reforms.
b) The Green Revolution and the White Revolution were some of the reforms initiated by people
to improve and modernise the agriculture.
Some Initiatives taken by the Government are:

 Schemes introduced by Government such as Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal

Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS).
 Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers on the radio and
television were introduced.
 The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and procurement
prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and
middlemen.
Exercise Page No 46
1. Multiple choice questions.
(i) Which one of the following describes a system of agriculture where a single crop is
grown on a large area?
(a) Shifting Agriculture (b) Plantation Agriculture
(c) Horticulture (d) Intensive Agriculture
(ii) Which one of the following is a Rabi crop?
(a) Rice (c) Millets (b) Gram (d) Cotton
(iii) Which one of the following is a leguminous crop?
(a) Pulses (c) Millets (b) Jowar (d) Sesamum
2. Answer the following questions in 30 words.
(i) Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical conditions required
for its growth.
Ans: One important beverage crop is tea.
1. The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates endowed with deep and fertile
well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.
2. 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.
3. Tea is a labour-intensive industry. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.
4. Tea is processed within the tea garden to restore its freshness.
(ii) Name one staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced.
Ans: Rice is a major staple crop of India. It is grown in the following regions.

1. Plains of North 2. North East India 3. Coastal Areas 4. Deltaic Regions

(iii) Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in
the interest of farmers.
Ans: Various institutional reform programmes introduced by the Government are
1. MSP (Minimum Support Price) 2. Subsidy on Fertilisers
3. Crop insurance 4. Establishment of Grameen banks to provide low-interest loans

(iv) The land under cultivation has got reduced day by day. Can you imagine its
consequences?
Ans: 1. Shortage of food 2. The rise in prices of food
3. Imports increase will put stress on the economy. 4. Rise in Unemployment
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:
1. The Government of India embarked upon introducing agricultural reforms to improve Indian
agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s.
2. The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White Revolution
(Operation Flood) were some of the strategies initiated to improve a lot of Indian agriculture.
3. But, this too led to the concentration of development in a few selected areas. Therefore, in
the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development programme was initiated, which
included both institutional and technical reforms.
4. Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, the
establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to
the farmers at lower rates of interest were some important steps in this direction.
5. 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.
6. Moreover, special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced
on the radio and television.
7. The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and procurement
prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.
(ii) Describe the impact of globalisation on Indian agriculture.
Ans:
1. Globalisation is not a new phenomenon. It was there at the time of colonisation.
2. In the nineteenth century, when European traders came to India, at that time too, Indian
spices were exported to different countries of the world and farmers of south India were
encouraged to grow these crops.
3. Till today, it is one of the important items of export from India. Under globalisation, particularly
after 1990, the farmers in India have been exposed to new challenges.
4. Despite being an important producer of rice, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, jute and spices, our
agricultural products are not able to compete with the developed countries because of the highly
subsidised agriculture in those countries.
5. Today, Indian agriculture finds itself at the crossroads. To make agriculture successful and
profitable, proper thrust should be given to the improvement of the condition of marginal and
small farmers.

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