Agriculture Index Note Book Questions and Answers

1. Compare the farming practices of India

Primitive Subsistence Farming: Intensive Subsistence Commercial Farming
Farming
 This type of farming is  This type of farming is  This type of farming is
practiced on small patches of practised in areas of high practised in areas of low
land. Primitive tools and population pressure on population density.
family/community labour are land.  Crops are grown in large scale
used in this type of farming.  Farmers and his family for commercial purposes, and
 The farming mainly depends produce mainly cereal for export to other countries.
on monsoon and natural crops for subsistence of  It is capital intensive
fertility of soil. Crops are the family and for local requiring high application of
grown as per the suitability market. modern inputs.
of the environmental  It is a labour intensive  Farm sizes are large for use of
condition. agriculture. modern machineries and for
 This is also called ‘slash and  Farm sizes are small and large scale production.
burn’ agriculture. This type uneconomical due to  Farmers earn huge profits
of farming produces cereals fragmentation of land from commercial agriculture
and food crops just enough holding on account of due to sale of crops.
to sustain the family. ‘right of inheritance’.  Modern inputs like high-
 After a couple of seasons, the  Farmers try to take yielding variety (HYV) seeds,
patch is left fallow and a new maximum output from the chemical fertilisers,
patch of land is prepared for limited land in absence of insecticides and pesticides are
farming. This allows the alternative source of used to obtain higher
earlier patch of land to livelihood. productivity.
replenish its fertility through  Farmers use high dose of  Wheat, cotton, sugarcane,
the natural process. biochemical inputs and oilseeds, tea and coffee are
irrigation to increase grown.
productivity.  This type of farming is mainly
 Cereals like rice, wheat, practised in Punjab, Haryana,
millets are mainly grown. Gujarat, Maharashtra and
Western Uttar Pradesh

2 Distinguish between the major cropping seasons in India

Season Crop Sown Harves Major Major

t
Type Period crops Areas
 Period

Rabi Winter Oct to April Wheat, Barley, Punjab, Haryana,

Himachal Pradesh,
Dec to
crops Pea, Gram Jammu & Kashmir,
June Mustard Uttarakhand and
Uttar Pradesh

Kharif Monsoon onset of Sep to Rice , Maize, Assam, West

Bengal, coastal
crops monsoo Jowar, Bajra,
Oct regions of Orissa,
n Tur , Moong, the Konkan coast,
Urad, Cotton, Uttar Pradesh and
Bihar
Jute,Groundnut
And Soyabean
Zaid Summer March June- Watermelon, These crops are
grown on irrigated
crops July Muskmelon,
lands of Punjab,
Cucumber, Haryana, Himachal
Vegetables And Pradesh, Kerala etc
Fodder Crops

Graphic Organiser-Major crops of India

3 What is plantation farming? What are its main characteristics? Name some plantation
crops.
Ans. Plantation farming is a type of commercial agriculture in which a single crop is grown on a
large area. This type of farming is mainly prevalent in the tropical and sub-tropical areas. In
India plantation farming was introduced by the British.
The main characteristics of Plantation farming are as follows:
(i) A single crop is grown on a large area covering large tracts of land.
(ii) Capital intensive inputs are used.
(iii) Use of managerial staff and technical know-how
(iv) Cheap, local and migrant laborers are employed.
(v) Require well-developed network of transport and communication
(vi) Produces special market-oriented products.
(vii) Interdependence of plantation areas, processing industries and markets plays an important
role in the development of plantation farming
In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc, are the main plantation crops

4 Mention important technological and institutional reforms introduced in India after

independence
Ans. After independence following technological and institutional reforms were introduced to
strengthen the agriculture
Collective farming was introduced.
• Land holdings were consolidated
• Co-operative movement were started in Indian agriculture
• Zamindari system was abolished,
• ‘Land reform’ was introduced in First Five Year Plan
• Green Revolution was started in the 1960s and 1970s to improve farm output. Use of new
technology and HYV seeds was encouraged. Green revolution produced very good
results; especially in Punjab and Haryana.
• White Revolution (Operation Flood) was introduced to increase milk production.

5 Explain the features of comprehensive land development programme initiated

during 1980s and 1990s.
Ans. Comprehensive land development programme included both institutional and technical
reforms. Following reforms were introduced: -
• Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease,
• 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.
• Kissan Credit Card (KCC) was introduced for easy availability of inputs.
 • Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the
Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.
• Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced on
the radio and television.
The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices
for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen

6 Describe the contribution of agriculture to the national economy.

 Ans.Agriculture and allied activities share in providing employment and livelihood to the
population continues to be more than 50% per cent in 2018 and contributes around 17-18
percent to the country's GDP.
• Besides food grains, it also produces raw material for various important industries of our
country. Cotton and jute textiles, sugar, vanaspati, edible oil, plantation industries (viz.
tea, coffee, rubber) and agro-based cottage industries are regularly collecting their raw
materials directly from agriculture.
• Agriculture and agro-based exports account for a substantial proportion of our total
export earnings. Tea, coffee, sugar, tobacco, spices, buffalao meat,cashew-nuts etc. are
the main items of our exports and constitute about 50 per cent of our total exports.
•
7 Explain the challenges of Indian agriculture.
OR
Why the GDP growth in agriculture sector has remained stagnant throughout decades.
Ans.Production of food-grains heavily depends on monsoon. As a result output fluctuates year
after year
• Inequality in land distribution and fragmentation of land holdings
• Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture causing a downfall in the
employment in agriculture
• The problem of disguised unemployment pushes the wage rates below the subsistence
levels.
• Subsidy on fertilisers is decreased leading to increase in the cost of production.
• Import duty has been reduced on agricultural products which lead to large inflow of
foreign agro products in the country.

MAP WORK
(a) Major areas of Rice and Wheat.

(b) Largest / Major producer states of

  Sugarcane-Uttar Pradesh,
 Tea-Assam
 Coffee-Karnataka,
 Rubber-Kerala,
 Cotton-Gujarat
 Jute-West Bengal.

Topics

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