Agriculture

Prepared By- Manowara Chowdhury

 Agriculture
Ques- Why should we think about agriculture?
Int/Ans - India is an agrarian country.
-2/3rd population engaged in agriculture and primary activity.
-Besides food grains , it also produces raw material for industries.
AGRICULTURE AND FARMING
Terminology- The term agriculture derived from Latin word ‘Ager’-
Land/field and cultura meaning cultivation. Thus it means Cultivation of
land, nowadays also includes animal husbandry , forestry , pisciculture
etc
Farming- Latin(Firma- fixed agreement or contract)
It is place where farming is practiced. It covers the implementation of
agriculture like small scale , intensive , mechanized etc. Includes
techniques like transplanting, pruning, tilling , crop rotation etc
 Differentiation
Parameters Agriculture Farming
Definition Science and practice of growing of crops Activities involved in growing of crops
and rearing of animals. and rearing of livestock.
Division Farming , Husbandry , Pisciculture , Farming is a division of agriculture
sericulture etc.
Field Production ,research Implementation of agricultural activities
development,philosophies,operations etc. like techniques,inputs,machineries based
on physical environment,technical know-
how etc.
Example Genetic engineering,Plant breeding,mono- Cultivation,large- small scale,
cropping,mixed cropping,production of intensive,mechanized,transplanting,tilling
resistence crops etc. ,crop rotation etc.

* Agriculture is a research,development( of agri ) ,production of crops whereas farming is a practice/implementation.

Importance of agriculture- Feeding,livelihood,GDP(Export + livelihood),fodder,Raw material(Agro-based industries) et

 Types of Farming
Factors- Old age activities , cultivation methods have been changed depending on
the – 1. Physical Environment( % of cultivable land, wide climatic range , soil , long
growing seasons)
2. Technological Know-how 3. Socio- cultural practices e.g- Shifting agriculture.
Rank- Thus farming varies and India is the largest producer of the
tea,sugarcane,coarse grains and some oilseeds,2nd largest in rice,jute,jowar and
bajra,3rd largest in tobacco and 4th in wheat , cotton and silk (Find the other
countries position)
 Types

Types of
farming

Subsistence
Primitive (for Commercial
existence/survival)

Shifting Plantation
Intensive Extensive
(Large pop (Small pop
small lands) large lands)
Primitive Subsistence Farming
 Primitive /Shifting/ Jhumming/S & B
Characteristics/Features/Practices
• Practiced on small patch of land
• Primitive tools like hoe,dao,digging sticks etc.- No use of technology,use of
modern tools.
• Family or community labors
• Dependency on monsoon
• Relied on soil fertility
• Based on environmental conditions.
Method- Book
Clear the land , Left to regain its fertility
Areas – Hilly areas of N.E,(areas having abundant water and forest),Assam ,
Arunachal Pradesh , Mizoram , Chhattisgarh and Nagaland(Tribes involved).
Names – Milpa in Mexico , Ladang in Indonesia , Shifting/Slash and Burn/
Jhumming in India.( local names also)
Intensive Subsistence Farming
 Subsistence
Intro-
• Mostly carried out in India
• Sub. Agr types in which crops grown are consumed by the farmer’s family.
• No crop specialization
• Varied crops grown to fulfill the needs.
Intensive Subsistence
Characteristics/Features/Practices
Intensively cultivated to produce variety of crops from small piece of land.(Avg size)
• Countries where land is limited( small size and pop,demand for ind and stlmnt)
• Used for High population
• High doses of bio-chemicals( Fertilisers,pesticides),HYV seeds,Irrigation etc for high productivity
• Growing more than one in the same field
• Labour intensive- due to small size of land modern machineries are not possible(everywhere),pop involved in agri,affordability)
• Total production is less , per hectare is high
• Mechanization is limited.
• Areas- Punjab,Haryana,West Bengal etc.
Problems – ‘Law of inheritance’ leading to division of land for successive generations. Max output and pressure on land.
Extensive Farming
 Extensive Subsistence

Characteristics/Features/Practices
• Generally practiced in those regions where land is abundant.
• Population is sparse or small-less pressure on land
• Less population involved-developed countries, and involved in sector
sectors- secondary and tertiary
• Use of modern technology due to big size of land(Developed Cs)
• Less labour as most of the process are machinery dependent
• Per hectare is less and total productivity is very high(Cultivates only
the needed amount and due to large land total productivity is high)
Areas – Himalayan areas, Northern states, sugar belts in U.P
 Plantation/Commercial Agriculture(Diff)
Tea Plantation Banana Plantation
 Plantation /Commercial Agriculture(Diff)
Characteristics/Features/Practices
• Profit- To earn money or gain profit, this type is practiced.
• Usage of higher doses of modern inputs e.g- HYV seeds , Fertilizers , insecticides , Pesticides in order to obtain higher
productivity. (mod inputs diff mod machineries)
• Capital Intensive- Requires huge amount of money for investment in terms of machinery , skilled labour , latest
technology,inputs,storage etc. Tea bushes life
• Latest Technology- Always incorporate latest technology for higher production and qualitative crops for more profit and
market competition
• Skilled Labour- It requires skilled labour as plantation needs machinery based work and process which requires different
skills. To fulfill these requirements, need skilled labour
• Production- Large scale production for market and profit (Produced used in industries as raw materials)
• Large Area/Land type- This type of agriculture always practiced in large areas for huge production and to use modern
machinery ,.cyclic crops not possible – two-three crop, total prod high not concept of hectare prod
• Crop Specialization- This form goes for one crop type for large production and influenced by market demand like
Tea,Coffee,Rubber etc. *** three tier
• Commercialization varies from region to region(Rice in Bengal-staple and Punjab) and crop to crop(Banana in Kerala and
Rice in Punjab, Coffee- Karnataka,Coconut,Banana-Kerala)
• Transportation- Raw material,Finished goods,Export,labour,Skilled labours
• Places/Areas – Parts of North India , Hills of South India ,North-eastern states etc.
Crops- Tea,coffee,rubber,sugarcane,banana etc ( Tea in Assam & N. Bengal, Coffee in Karnataka)
Interface of agriculture(Plantation) and Industry
Industry- Machinery, Skilled labour,Markets,Developed
transportation,Modern technology,Huge Investment etc.

Factors help in development of plantation

- Proximity(Nearness) to market
- Developed network of transportation and communication( r.m,f.gds,labour
commute)
- Processing Industries- final products of plantation are used as raw material
in respective industries.
- Skilled Labour
- Banking Facilities
- Storage facilities etc.
 CROPPING SEASON
Physical and climatic diversity reflects on agricultural practices and
cropping patterns. India has 3 cropping patterns.

Cropping Season

Kharif Zaid
Rabi
 Differentiation
Parameters Kharif (Summer) Rabi (Winter) Zaid (Shortest- interval b/w K
and R)
Seasons Sown with the onset of monsoon & Sown in winter from October to In b/w K and R , a short season
harvested in September and October December , harvested in Summer during the summer months( Mar
from April/May to June to May).
Crops Rice,Maize,Jowar,Bajra,Moong,Cotton Wheat,Barley,Pea,Gram & Mustard. ( Watermelon,muskmelon,cucumb
,Jute,Groundnut etc.( Tropical) Sub-tropical) er,vegetables,fodder crops
* (Sugarcane almost takes year to
grow so does not come under any
of the seasons)

Areas of production(* Rice growing – Assam,W.B,Coastal North and N.Wn-P,H,H.P,J&K,U.K,UP ( Across India
learn ranking areas first) region of Orissa,Andhra Wheat & other Rabi )
Pradesh,T.N,k,M.
*Assam,W.B,Orissa- 3 crops of Paddy
in a year- Aus,Aman & Boro (creates
pressure)
Factors ( Helps in) Monsoon , Fertile soil, Climatic Precipitation- Western disturbances, C.C- Mild Climatic conditions
conditions fertile soil deposited by rivers, Green
revolution and Climatic conditions.
 Crops
With varied types of relief, soil , climate & long growing season Indian farmers
grow almost each & every crop.

Types of Crop

Plantation Crops (
Food Crops ( Rice,Wheat,Millets Tea,Rubber, Coffee etc. )
etc.) Cash Crops ( Cotton, Jute etc. )

Food Crops- R,W,M and pulses are the main food crops. Pulses are rich in Proteins form an important of Indian diet. G.R
leads to tremendous production. ¾ th of total cropped area under food crops.
Cereal – any grass that produces an edible starchy grain used
as food( wheat,rice,oats,corn,rye,barley etc).Difference b/w rice and
Paddy,processing

Paddy Rice
Crop Temperature Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas

Rice 25°C & above(high Above 100 Heavy 1. First staple food Plains of North and North
humidity n bright cm dumat, crop. Eastern India, coastal plains
sunshine) alluvial,m 2. India is a second and deltaic regions. Punjab,
ore clayey largest producer Haryana, W.UP and parts of
content after China. Rajasthan

Wheat Sowing: 15C- 17C 50-75cms Light 1. Second imp. Ganga-Sutlej plains in North
Harvesting: dumat,black Cereal crop. west. Black soil region of
20C-25C No rains n loamy • Cereal- Any grass deccan.
Cool growing rather that produces an States: Punjab, Haryana, UP,
season bright edible grain. Bihar Rajasthan and parts of
sunshine(rip • A grass such as MP.
ening) wheat,oats,corn,t
he starchy grains
of which are used
as food
Rice growing areas
Wheat
Wheat growing areas
Crops : Temperature Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas
Millets

Jowar(Sorg 18C-32C 30-60cms Sandy, Red, 1. 3rd most important food Maharastra,
hum) shallow Black crop. Karnataka, Andhra
2. It is a rain-fed crop Pradesh, and
grown in moist areas n Madhya Pradesh
hardly needs irrigation

Bajra(Pearl 20C-25C 40-50cms Well drained Food of poor in India Rajasthan, UP,
millet) Sandy and Maharashtra,
shallow black Gujarat and HR.
soils
Ragi(Finger 20C-25C 50-100 Red, Black, Rich in iron, calcium. Other Karnataka, T.N,UP,
millet- cms Sandy, Loamy micro nutrients and Bihar, AP, and MP.
Nachni) and shallow roughage.
black soils * Millet – Various cereal
grasses cultivated as a food
grain crop or as fodder.
Millet
Various cereal grass cultivated as a food grain crops or as fodder( Thick crop- coarse ,high
protein,nutritional,heavy on stomach).Ex-Jowar,Bajra,Ragi,Maize etc

Jowar
Bajra
Ragi
Crop Temp Rainfall soil Spl features/other Areas
conditions

Maize 21C-27C 60-110 Old alluvial Use of HYV fertilisers and Karnataka,U.P,
cms.can be irrigation leads to increasing Bihar,A.P,M.P
grown in production.
40cm Used both as food and
fodder
Maize
Pulses-edible seeds of certain pod bearing plants

• India-largest producer and consumer

• Being leguminous, all helps in restoring soil fertility except arhar.
• Tur,urad n moong- kharif,Masur,peas and gram-rabi
• Geo conditions-Temp-20-30C
• Need less moisture ,survive even in dry conditions.
• Low to moderate rainfall(50-70cm)
• Harvesting –matures in 4 to 5 months.
• Areas- Punjab,Haryana,u.p,Maharashtra,Rajasthan and Bihar.
Crop Tempera- Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas
ture
Sugarcane 21C-27C 75- Variety of 1. Tropical as well sub-tropical UP, Maharashtra,
100cms soils like crop. Karnataka, TN, AP, Bihar,
alluvial 2. Grows well in hot and Punjab and Haryana
and Black. humid climate.
3. Need manual labour from
sowing to harvesting.
4. India II largest producer
after Brazil.
5. Raw material for sugar
jaggary, khandsari and
Molasis.

6. Energy cane is a cane selected

to have more fiber than
sucrose in its composition,
initial conception of fuel cane
in Puerto Rico in second half
of 1970s- bioenergy crops(Bio-
fuel)
Sugarcane
Sugarcane growing areas
OIL Seeds:
1. India is the largest producer of Oil seeds (2015 2nd)
2. 12% of total cropped areas in country.
3. Main oilseeds- groundnut,mustard,coconut,sesamum,soyabean,castor,linseed (flax seeds) and
sunflower etc
Groundnut:
 Kharif crop
 Half of major oil seeds production.
 Areas: Guj, Andhra Pradesh, TN, KR, Maharashtra.
Linseeds and Mustard: Rabi crops.
Sesame/Sesamum:
 Kharif in North and Rabi in South India.
Castor: grown as Rabi as well Kharif
Economic Value
Edible and used as cooking medium
Extracted oil used as raw material for paints,varnishes,soaps,perfumes,cosmetics and ointments etc
Oil cake –by product used as cattle feed
Also as organic fertilisers
 Oilseeds

Castor Coconut

Linseed Mustard Soybean/Soya bean

Sunflower Sesame
Bev.Cr Temperatur Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas
op e
Tea(plant 20-30C 150-300cms Deep well 1. It is tropical and sub-tropical Assam, hills of
ation) drained fertile crop. Darjeeling and
soil that is rich 2. Warm and moist, frost free Jalpaiguri in west
in humus ,iron climate all through the year. Bengal, TN and
content.and 3. Frequent shower ensures growth Kerela. HP, UK,
organic matters of tender leaves. Meghalaya,
4. Labour intensive-needs cheap Andhra Pradesh
and skilled labour and Tripura.
5. Largest producer(2nd after china)
6. Exhaustive crop,frequent use of
fertiliser
Coffee 15-28C 150-200 Alt-1100- 1. India produces 4% of total 1. Even today
Bright sunlight Cms well 2400mt world’s coffee. cultivation is
and warm distributed. Well drained 2. Arabica from Yemen is produced confined to
weather Cannot tolerate fertile soil,high 3. British introduced systematic Nilgiris
frost humus cultivation in 1830. (Kar,kerala and T.N)
4.Cultivation introduced in Baba
Budan hills ,Karnataka.
Tea Plantation
Coffee Plantation
 Horticulture : Cultivation of fruits and vegetables and flowers
• Largest producer of fruit and veg - 2nd largest after china 2015
• 13% w’s veg
• Tropical and temperate fruits.

Pear, Apples, Apricots,

Tropical Fruits
Mangoes: Maharashtra, AP, UP
and Walnuts: Jammu and
and WB Kashmir, and HP
Oranges: Nagpur, Cherrapunjee.
Bananas: Kerela, Mizoram,
Maharashtra, and TN.
Lichi and Guava: UP and Bihar
Pineapples: Meghalaya.
Grapes: AP and Maharashtra
Non-Food Temper Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas
Crop ature
Rubber 25C and More than Red 1. Equatorial crop,can Kerala(90%),TN,
above 200 cm soils,alluvial grow in tropical and Karnataka,
and laterite. sub-tropical Andaman Nicobar
2. Industrial raw material. Islands and Garo
3. 5th among the world’s hills of Meghalaya.
natural rubber Rubber belt of
producers. 400km W.G to
kanyakumari
Rubber Plantation

Tapping
Fibre Temper Rainfall Soil Special Feature Areas
Crop ature
Cotton 25C and 75- Black 1. Raw material for textile Maharashtra,
above,abun 100cms(req soils,alluvial industry. Gujarat, MP,
dant uires rain in (loamy)also 2. 3rd largest producer.(2nd Karnataka, AP, TN,
sunshine time of after china 2015) Punjab, Haryana
sowing and 3. Light rainfall or irrigation. and UP.
growing) 4. 210 frost free days.
5. Kharif crop and requires 6-8
months to mature
Jute 25C and 100- Well drained 1. Golden fibre. West Bengal, Bihar,
above 150cms fertile soils 2. Used to make gunny bags, Assam, Orissa and
that renewed mats, ropes, yarn, carpet Meghalaya,ganga-
annually and other artefacts br valley
3. Losing market to
synthetic(high cost)
4. 2nd largest producer
Cotton
Jute

Processed
Major Crops
Factors responsible for low productivity in India
a. Over crowding in agriculture ( 70% dependent)
b. Problem of Inputs- Finance,seeds,fertilizers,marketing,transportation
etc.
c. Size of landholding- Small , Law of inheritance. Thus can’t be used for
scientific , improved implements.
d. Poor techniques – Old & inefficient methods , less technology.
e. Irregular monsoon
 Technical & Institutional Reforms

• 1950s- Collectivisation,consolidation of
holdings,Cooperation,Abolition of zamidari were given priority to
bring about institutional reforms which leads to Land Reforms- main
focus on Ist Five year plan.
 Land Reforms- Ceiling of lands and redistribution, Law of inheritance-
fragmentation leads to consolidation
• 1960’s and1970’s: Agricultural reforms- Green revolution
( Package Technology/Components- two crops and few pockets) and
White revolution(Operation Flood)
• 1980’s and 1990’s: Comprehensive Land Development Programme
 Comprehensive Land Development programme

Technological Reforms Institutional Reforms

Tools Insurance: Crop insurance (
Fertility drought,flood,cyclone,disease,fire,pests)
Irrigation- MPP,Productivity- Finance:
Sprinklers,drip system Grameen Banks
Roads Co-operative societies
Agricultural inputs- HYV seeds, Loan facilities- banks providing loans at lower interest(NABARD)
Machinery – special banks
 Schemes:
 Kissan Credit Card
 PAIS
* Bhoodan & Gramdan(Book) Special weather bulletins
Agricultural programmes - Exclusive agrl channels and
programmes,Agrl seminars
Public Procurement systems & Agricultural price commission- to
check exploitation of farmers by middle men (Q- suicide & harsh
Life- Debt trap) MSP,Govt. agencies like FCI,Purchase agrl
produce
Agricultural Universities & Research centres
 Efforts to Modernize Agriculture
Agr is backbone for GDP but declining .Thus GOI made efforts to modernise agr.

Establishment of Indian council of Agricultural Research (ICAR)

Agricultural Universities
Veterinary services and animal breeding services.
Horticulture development
Research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast
Improvement in rural Infrastructure-banks , roads , connectivity to the markets , Electricity or power etc
Beej Bhandar
Call Centres
Mobile Testing Labs
Challenges to Indian Farmers

International competition- demand and Price

Reduction in Public investment esp. in
irrigation, power, rural roads, market and
mechanization
Decreased subsidy on Fertilizers
Reduction in import duties.
Illiteracy
Lack of resources and capital
 FOOD SECURITY
Availability , Accessibility and Affordability of food to all section of
society.

Access to food which provides minimum nutritional level.

Components of F.S
- Buffer Stock
- PDS
Rest from Book
Thinkline

• Why do we experience kharif season in Northern and rabi in Southern part

of India?
• Differentiate between Intensive and extensive subsistence farming
• Glossary- Cereal – any grass that produces an edible starchy grain used as
food( Wheat,oats,corn etc).
• Millet- Various cereal grass cultivated as a food grain crops or as fodder(
Thick crop,high protein,nutritional).
• Condiment- Something used to flavor food.
• NABARD- 1982,KCC- 1988
• First state agricultural university- 1960 Pantnagar
• ICAR- 1929