Agriculture — I

Class 10

Answer the following questions:

Question 1(a)

What is meant by the term 'agriculture'?

Answer

Agriculture is defined as the cultivation of the soil in order to grow crops and rear
livestock.

Question 1(b)

Why is agriculture said to be the backbone of the Indian economy?

Answer

Agriculture is said to be the backbone of the Indian economy as:

i)Two-thirds of its population depends on agriculture.

ii) It provides employment to about 65% of labour force.

iii) It provides food for the people, supplies raw material for agro based industries
and the large market for industrial goods.

Question 1(c)

Mention any three problems of agriculture in India.

Answer

Three problems of agriculture in India are-

1. Indian agriculture is dependent to a large extent on the monsoons,

which are uncertain, irregular and unequally distributed.
2. Majority of land holdings in India are very small which cannot promote new
improved scientific methods of agriculture.
3. Mainly subsistence agriculture with old inefficient techniques is practiced in
India.

Question 1(d)
State three advantages of cooperative farming.

Answer

Three advantages of cooperative farming are-

1. It allows small farmers to pool together their resources and buy inputs at
bulk rates and increase volume of products to open new markets.
2. It enables producers to negotiate for better prices, diffuse risks and share
knowledge, skills and labour.
3. It improves the quality of life of member-farmers. Shared responsibilities,
whole selling, producing or maintaining shared resources, lightens the work
load of the farmers.

Question 2(a)

What is meant by Green Revolution?

Answer

Green revolution is regarded as the greatest revolution in the country which helped to
transform the economy from food scarcity to food self-sufficiency.

It is a term used for describing the manifold increase in India's farm production and
productivity, particularly in the case of major cereal crops like wheat consequent to the
adoption of the 'New Agricultural Strategy' since the late-sixties.

Question 2(b)

State any two characteristics of Green Revolution.

Answer

Two characteristics of Green Revolution are-

1. Use of large capital and technological inputs.

2. Adoption of modern scientific methods of farming.

Question 2(c)

State any three negative impact of Green Revolution in India.

Answer

Three negative impact of Green Revolution in India are-

1. Land degradation due to overuse of fertilizers and pesticides

2. Drying aquifers
3. Vanishing biodiversity
Question 2(d)

What was the impact of Green Revolution on Indian agriculture?

Answer

Green Revolution had the following impact on Indian agriculture -

1. It enabled Indian agriculture to change from subsistence to commercial and

market- oriented.
2. It led to the development of intensive agricultural production system that
increased production and paved the way for self-sufficiency in respect of
food grains.
3. The adoption of new technology under Green Revolution created more
employment opportunities in agriculture sector.
4. It enabled the farmers to obtain increasing returns from agriculture by
greater utilisation of agricultural inputs.
5. It increased rural prosperity.

Question 3(a)

Give two points of difference between Extensive and Intensive farming.

Answer

Extensive farming Intensive farming

Farms are huge in size. Farms are small in size.

It is highly capital intensive. It is labour intensive system.

Question 3(b)

State any two advantages of Commercial farming.

Answer

Two advantages of commercial farming are-

1. Small land holdings are consolidated to make large farms. Since the land holdings
are large and they give a considerable output.
2. Scientific methods and new technologies can be implemented and thus
quantity and quality of crops can be improved.
3. Since the crops are growing mainly for sale this improves the
economic condition of the farmers.
 Question 3(c)

i)What type of farming is practised in areas where population is sparse and

land is in plenty?

in plenty

ii) Name two areas in India where such type of farming is practised.

Answer

i) Extensive farming is practised in areas where population is sparse and land is in

plenty.

ii) Extensive farming is practised in Punjab and Haryana.

Question 3(d)

Give a reason for each of the following:

(i) Plantations are managed by large multinational companies.

(ii) Fields are rotated instead of crops in shifting cultivation.

(iii)In extensive agriculture, yield per hectare is low but total yield is large.

Answer

(i) Plantations are managed by large multinational companies because plantation

crops are grown on large farms which are modern, scientific and self-contained
units. Enormous capital investment is required to set up a plantation and a large
number of labourers are employed.

(ii) Crops are not rotated in shifting agriculture because the people who practice
shifting agriculture have become habitual of consuming specific crops. Hence,
when the fertility of the current field is lost, they shift to another field instead of
changing their crops.
In extensive agriculture, yield per hectare is low but total yield is large because it is
practised in areas with large land holdings, using less labour and less chemical
fertilizers and pesticides.

Question 4(a)

Give two points of difference between plantation and mixed farming.

 Answer

Plantation farming Mixed farming

Only one crop is cultivated using modern Two or more crops are grown
scientific methods. together.

Crops and animals are raised

Only crops are cultivated.
simultaneously.

Question 4(b)

Give any two effects of globalisation on Indian agriculture.

Two effects of globalisation on Indian agriculture are-

1. Indian markets have been thrown open to the world. Consequently, India can
export its agricultural products to the other countries and also import foreign
products.
2. Reduction in import duties on agricultural products have proved detrimental to
agriculture in India.

Question 4(c)

Mention any three measures taken by the government to boost agricultural production.

Answer

Three measures taken by the government to boost agricultural production are-

1. Various land reforms have been introduced. Zamindari and all

intermediaries have been completely abolished.
2. Creation of irrigation infrastructure and its optimum utilisation has been
given greater importance.
3. The Government of India provides subsidy on fertilizers to ensure
adequate availability of fertilizers to farmers at reasonable rates.

Question 4(d)

Agriculture in India is a gamble on the monsoon. Explain.

 Answer

Indian agriculture is dependent to a large extent on the monsoons, which are

uncertain, irregular and unequally distributed. Nearly 55% of the net sown area
continues to depend on rainfall rather than irrigation. Hence, agriculture in India is
a gamble on the monsoon.

Question 5(a)

How is shifting cultivation carried out?

Answer

In shifting cultivation, a patch of land is cleared by cutting and burning of the

stumps. The ash is spread on the field as manure. After the land is cleared of trees,
seed are sown in the ground and the land is cultivated. Neither ploughing of the soil
nor any other agricultural practices are followed in this type of agriculture.

After 2-3 years, when the fertility of the soil is lost, the fields are abandoned and
allowed to regain its fertility. The farmers move to a fresh piece of land and the same
process is repeated.

Question 5(b)

Where is shifting cultivation practised in India? State any one disadvantage of shifting
cultivation.

Answer

Shifting cultivation is practised in Assam, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Himalayan

region, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh.

The disadvantage of shifting cultivation is that it accelerates soil erosion and causes floods
and silting in the lower reaches of the riverine flood plains.

Question 5(c)

State any two steps being taken by the government to discourage shifting cultivation.

Answer

Two steps being taken by the government to discourage shifting cultivation are-

1. The Government is promoting Intercropping as an alternative to shifting

cultivation.
2. The Government is promoting large scale plantations of fast growing timber
varieties to help in restoration of land and creation of wealth for the land
owners.
Question 5(d)

What is subsistence farming? Mention two features of subsistence farming.

Answer

Subsistence farming is characterised by small and scattered land holdings and use
of primitive tools, like hoe and digging sticks by family members. As the farmers are
poor, they do not use fertilizers and high yielding variety of seeds in their fields.

Facilities like irrigation and electricity are generally not available to them. These
factors result in low productivity. Most of the food production is consumed by the
farmers and their families.

Two features of subsistence farming are-

1. Land holdings are small and scattered.

2. The farmers use traditional methods of agriculture.

Question 6(a)

What is Organic farming?

Answer

Organic farming is a unique production management system which promotes and

enhances agro-ecosystem health, including biodiversity, biological cycles and soil
biological activity, and this is accomplished by using on-farm agronomic, biological
and mechanical methods in exclusion of all synthetic off-farm inputs.

Question 6(b)
What is Cooperative farming?

Answer

Cooperative farming refers to an organisation of farmers where farmers pool their

resources in certain areas of activity. Each member farmer owns his land
individually but carries out all the farming activities jointly with other farmer
members. But profit is distributed in the ration of land owned by each member farme
Question 6(c)

What are the main characteristics of organic farming?

Answer

The main characteristics of organic farming are-

1. It protects the long term fertility of the soil by maintaining organic matter
levels, and creating optimised conditions for biological activity within the soil.
2. It provides crop nutrients indirectly using relatively insoluble nutrient sources
which are made available to the plant by the action of soil micro-organisms.
3. It maintains nitrogen self sufficiency through the use of legumes and
biological nitrogen fixation as well as effective recycling of organic
materials including crop residues and livestock manures.
4. It prevents weeds, diseases and pests by relying primarily on crop rotations,
natural predators diversity, organic manuring, resistant varieties and limited
thermal, biological and chemical intervention.

Question 6(d)

State why is organic farming gaining popularity in recent times.

Answer

Organic farming is gaining popularity in recent times because people have become
aware of their benefits. They contain no chemical pesticides and fertilizers and are
grown naturally with manure or compost and only natural pesticides and insecticides
are used.

Children are more susceptible than adults to diseases caused by chemical pesticide
residues in food and so parents prefer to give them organic foods. Another
advantage is that organic foods do not contain growth hormones or antibiotic
residues. Animals are often given growth hormones and antibiotics in animal feeds
which are directly passed into animal foods like meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy
products and from foods to the consumers. In organic farming these practices are
banned and animals feed outside in natural surroundings.