Agriculture (Class X - Geo-4)

4. Agriculture

Importance of Agriculture

•      Agriculture, for decades, had been associated with the production of basic food crops. Two-third of the population is engaged in agricultural activities.

•      Agriculture is a primary activity, which produces most of the food we consume.

•      At present, besides farming, it includes forestry, fruit cultivation, dairy, poultry, mushroom, bee keeping, raw materials for industry etc. Today, marketing, processing, distribution of agricultural products etc. are all accepted as a part of modern agriculture.

•      Thus, agriculture may be defined as the production, processing, marketing and distribution of crops and livestock products.

•      Agriculture plays a crucial role in the life of an economy.

•      It is the backbone of our economic system.

•      Agriculture not only provides food and raw material but also employment opportunities to a very large proportion of population. 

•      At present, in different parts of India, the following farming systems are practiced.

Types of Farming

Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand of produce, labour and level of technology, farming is divided into TWO main types:

1. Subsistence Farming: 2. Commercial Farming
   
   

• Practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
• Low levels of technology and small amount of labour is used.
•  Output of subsistence farming is used for the existence of the farmer’s family.

Subsistence Farming : 2 types

Primitive Subsistence Farming & Intensive Subsistence Farming

Primitive Subsistence Farming – 2 types

Shifting Cultivation & Nomadic Herding

Shifting Cultivation

Ø  A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and the trees are burnt.

Ø  The ashes are mixed with the soil to make the soil  fertile.

Ø  Crops like maize, yarn, potatoes and cassava are grown.

Ø  After one or two times of crop, the soil loses its fertility.

Ø  The land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot.

Nomadic herding

Ø  Herders move from one place to another with their animals for fodder and water.

Ø  Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared.

Ø  Practised in the semi arid and arid regions of Sahara.

Ø  Examples are the nomadic Bhotiyas and Gujjars of the Himalayas.

Intensive Subsistence Farming

•      In very densely populated countries like India and China, farmers use their small land holdings to produce enough for their own consumption, while the little remaining produce is used for exchange against other goods.

•      The cultivators use simple tools to produce the crop.

•      These farmers try to obtain maximum yield from the available lands by intensifying cultivation techniques, including the preparation of paddy fields which can be used year after year.

•      Such fields are found in densely populated parts of India. They may also intensify by using manure, artificial irrigation and animal waste as fertilizer.

Commercial Farming

•      Crops are grown, animals are reared for sale in market.

•      The area of cultivation is very large.

•      Amount of human labour is very less.

•      Most of the work is done by machines.

•      Higher doses of modern inputs like HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity.

•      The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one region to another.

•      For eg; Rice is a commercial crop in HY and PJ, but Orissa it is a subsistence crop.

Plantation Agriculture

ü  Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.

ü  In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.

ü  Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.

ü  All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries.

ü  Eg: tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, cotton are grown.

ü  Tea in Assam and North Bengal, Coffee in Karnataka are some of the important plantation crops.

ü  Since the production is mainly for market, a well-developed network of transport and communication connecting the plantation areas, processing industries and market plays an important role in the development of plantations.

Cropping Pattern

Rabi Season:

Crops sown in winters and harvested in summers

Some of the important crops are wheat, peas, gram and mustard

State growing rabi crops are PJ, HY, HP, JK, UK and UP

Khariff Season:

Crops grown with the onset of monsoons and harvested in September or October

States- WB, coastal regions of OR, AP, TN, KL, MH

Important crops- rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean

Zaid Season:

It falls in between the rabi and khariff seasons

Its a short season during summer months

Water melon, muskmelon, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops etc.

Major Crops

Rice:- Dvpt. Of dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells made it possible to grow rice. (Pjb & HR)

Temperature: above 25 degree, Rainfall: above 100cm

Soil: Alluvial, Second largest producer-India after China

Most important cereal crop; Assam, WB, UP, BI, AP, OR,TN, KL, MH

Wheat:- The Ganga-Satluj plains of north-west, The black soil region of the Deccan (2 major zones)

Cool and moist climate, 50-75 cm of annual rainfall.

Soil: black and loamy, main food crops in North & North western parts of India

Wheat producing states – PJ, HR, BI, RAJ, parts of MP

Important Millets – Jowar (MH), Bajra (RAJ), Ragi (KA)

Jowar is third most imp. Food crop with respect to area and prodn. MH is the largest producer.

Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. Raj.is the largest producer.

Ragi is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy soils. KA is the largest producer. Ragi – is rich in iron, calcium & other micronutrients

Maize – is a crop is used both as food and fodder. It is a kharif crop requires temperature between 21-27 degree, it grows well in old alluvial soil.

States – KA, UP, BR, An.P,MP

Major Pulses –  India is a the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world. These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.Tur, Urad, Moong, Masur, Pea, Gram

It grows both in Kharif and Rabi season

It is a leguminous crop because it help in restoring soil fertility by utilizing nitrogen from the air.

States – MP, UP, RAJ, MH, KA

Food Crops other than Grains

Sugarcane:- It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and humid climate. It can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting. India is the second largest producer after Brazil. The main products are sugar, gur (jaggery), khandsari and molasses. UP, MH, KA, TN, AP, Bi, PJ, HR (states)

Oil Seeds:- India is the largest producer. About 12% of the total cropped area of the country is used for the cultivation of oilseeds. Main oil seeds are ground nut, mustard, coconut, sesamum, soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed, sunflower et. Oil seeds are edible and used as cooking. Seeds are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments. Now Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut.

Tea:- Tea cultivation is a an example of plantation agriculture. It is also an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British. Tea bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour. Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, WB, TN, KL,HP,Uttaranchal, Meghalaya, AP, Tripura. India is the leading producer as well as exporter of tea in the world.

Coffee:- India produces 4% of the world’s coffee production. It is good in quality. Arabica variety is in great demand in all over the world. Its cultivation is confined in Nilgir in KA,KL and TN.

Horticulture crops:- India is the  largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. India produces 13% of the world’s vegetables. It stands first in the production of pea and cauliflower, second in onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and fourth in potato.

Non Food Crops

Rubber:-  It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions. It is also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas. It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm.temperature > 25degree. Rubber is an important industrial raw material. It is mainly grown in KL,TN,KA and Andaman and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya. India ranks 5 among the world’s natural rubber.

Fibre crops:- Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.

Cotton:- India is believed to be the original home of cotton plant. It is one of the main raw materials for cotton industry. India is the third largest producer of cotton in the world. Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau. It requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sun shine for its growth. MH, GJ, MP, KA, AP, TN, PJ, HR, UP are the leading producers.

Jute:- It is known as the golden fibre. It grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains. High temperature is required. WB, Bi, Assam, Or, Meghalaya are the major producing states. It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts. Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials particularly nylon.

Technological and Institutional Reforms

Steps  taken immediately after independence:

Technological Reforms:

Green Revolution in agriculture and White Revolution in milk were introduced

Tractors, harvesters, threshers and tube wells etc.and technological devices were introduced

For better production, fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides were also produced

The government also announced the minimum support price which checks the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.

Institutional Reforms:

Collectivisation and consolidation of all small holdings

Abolition of the Zamindari system

Various other land reforms like ceiling on land holdings were introduced

Provision for crop insurance against droughts, flood or cyclone

Establishment of Grameen banks and cooperatives and banks for providing loan to farmers

Kissan credit cards, personal accident insurance scheme were also introduced by the government

Special weather bulletins for farmers were introduced in T.V and Radio

Bhoodan – Gramdan

Vinoba Bhave undertook padyatra to spread the concept and message of gramswarajya. Many people took inspiration from him and donated land and villages to the landless people.

One of the donators was Mr. Ram Reddy, who offered 80 acres of land to be distributed among 80 landless villagers. This act was known as Bhoodan.

Some zamindars, owners of the many villages offered to distribute some villages among landless. It was known as Gramdan.

This Bhoodan-Gramdan movement initiated by Vinobha Bhave is also known as the Blood-less revolution.

Contribution of Agriculture to National Economy, Employment and Output

Ø  Various organisations established to modernise agriculture are:

Ø  Establishment of ICAR (Indian Council of Agricultural Research) and Agricultural universities

Ø  Providing Veterinary Services and Animal breeding centres

Ø  Horticulture development

Ø  Research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast were given priority for improving Indian agriculture

Ø  Apart from this, improving the rural infrastructure was considered essential for the same.

Why and Indian farmer does not want his son to become a farmer?

Production of land is low, Infrastructure is not properly developed, Cost of crop in the market is low or not sufficient enough to run a family for the whole year. Adequate irrigation facilities are not available, Govt.does not take proper initiatives for the welfare of farmers.

Food Security

The remote areas of our country are more prone to natural disasters and uncertain food supply.

In order to ensure availability of food to all sections of society our govt. Carefully designed a national food security system. It consists of two components (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system.

PDS is a program which provides food grains and other essential commodities at subsidised prices in rural and urban areas.

FCI is responsible for procuring and stocking food grains, whereas distribution is ensured by PDS.

The FCI procure food grains from the farmers at the govt.announced MSP.

The govt. used to provide subsidies on agriculture inputs such as fertilizers, power and water.

Consumers are divided into two categories: BPL and APL, with the issue price being different for each category.

How to Ensure Food Security?

Each district and block can be made self sufficient in food grain prdn.if govt.provides proper agricultural infrastructure, credit linkages and also encourages the use of latest techniques.

Instead of concentrating only rice and wheat, the food crop with a better potential in that particular area must be encourage.

Creation of necessary infrastructure like irrigation facilities, availability of electricity etc.may be attract private investments in agriculture.

The focus on increasing food=grain production which should be on a sustainable basis and also free trade in grains will create massive employment and reduce poverty in rural areas.

There has been gradual shift from cultivation of food crops to cultivation of fruits, vegetables, oil-seeds and industrial crops.

With the growing population of India, the declining food production puts a big question mark over the country’s future food security.

Impact of Globalisation on Agriculture

In the 19^th century, Indian spices were exported to different countries of the world and farmers of South India were encouraged to grow these crops.

Cotton was exported to Britain as a raw material for their textile industries.

Farmers have been exposed to new challenge after 1990. Agricultural productions are not able to complete with the developed countries because of the highly subsidised agriculture in these countries.

The Green Revolution has caused land degradation due to overuse of chemicals, drying aquifers and vanishing biodiversity.

Conclusion:

Indian farmers should diversify their cropping pattern from cereals to high-value crops. This will increase incomes and reduce environmental degradation simultaneously. Because fruits, medicinal herbs, flowers, vegetables, bio-diesel crops like jatropha and jojoba need much less irrigation than rice or sugarcane. India’s diverse climate can be harnessed to grow a wide range of high-value crops.