Distinguish between: Primary, Secondary and Tertiary activities

Primary activities are those that are Secondary activities are Tertiary activities are
involved with the extraction or connected with the production concerned with providing
production of natural resources. of finished goods by processing support services.
the raw materials obtained
from nature.
They include activities like They include the manufacture They include transport, trade,
agriculture, fishing, food gathering, or production of things like banking, insurance, education,
hunting, lumbering and herding. bread, textiles, automobiles hospitality, health services,
and so on. advertising, and so on.

Intensive subsistence farming and shifting agriculture.

Intensive subsistence farming is a type of In shifting cultivation, a form of primitive

farming in which a farmer cultivates a small plot subsistence farming, a small area of a forest is
of land using simple tools and a large amount of cleared by cutting down all the trees and the
labour. Crops are grown mostly for subsistence. area is burned.
Farmers use manure, irrigation systems and better The ashes are mixed with the soil to make it
quality seeds, to get maximum yield from the land. more fertile and this land is used for growing
They usually grow more than one crop on the crops. After a couple of years, when the land
same plot. becomes less fertile, it is abandoned. Later,
another such area is identified and cleared for
cultivation.
In India it is practised in the northern plains and Shifting cultivation is practised mainly in the
the delta regions of rivers like Godavari and thick forests of north-east India, South-East Asia
Krishna. It is also practised in the river basins and and the Amazon Basin.
delta regions of South-East Asia and East Asia.
Rice is the chief crop grown here.

Mixed farming and Ranching

Mixed farming refers to the cultivation of food Ranching refers to raising livestock for meat or
crops, fodder crops and the rearing of livestock at wool on privately owned land along with the use
the same time, on the same land. of some public land. No food or fodder crops are
grown here.
Mixed farming is mainly practised in Europe, The practice is common in Australia, western USA
eastern USA, Argentina, South-East Australia, and Tibet. In India, ranching is prevalent, to
New Zealand, West Africa and South Africa. some extent in the hilly regions that are rich in
pastures.
Wheat Crop and Rice Crop

Wheat is a staple crop. It requires moderate Rice is one of the major food crops of the world.
temperature (10 to 25°C) and rainfall (about 50 It is the staple food of most people in the tropical
to 75 cm) during the growing season and bright and sub-tropical regions. This crop needs high
sunshine at the time of ripening and harvest. temperatures of about 25°C, high humidity and
an annual rainfall of above 100 cm.
In India, it is grown in winter. It thrives best in It grows best in alluvial clayey soils which can retain
well-drained loamy soil. water.
It is grown on a very large scale in China, India, China leads in the production of rice followed by
Russia, USA, France and Australia. India, Indonesia and Bangladesh.

Answer in brief.
Q.1) Define agriculture. What are the factors that influence agriculture?

 Agriculture refers to the cultivation of soil for growing crops, and the rearing of livestock for
food, wool and other products.
 Climate, soil, relief and other factors such as availability of irrigation facilities, size of land
holdings, transport facilities, nearness to the market and availability of agricultural loans, are
some of the factors that influence agriculture.

Q.2) Mention the various processes involved in cultivating a crop.

 Several important processes have to be completed by a farmer in order to get a good

harvest.
 The farmer has to plough the field, sow the seeds, irrigate the land, apply fertilisers, guard
the crop from pests, weed out unwanted plants, harvest, store, and transport the crop to the
market for selling it.

Q.3) What is meant by trans humance?

 In the mountainous regions of north India, the nomadic tribal people like Gujjars, Bakarwals,
Gaddis and Bhotiyas migrate from the plains to the mountains in summer and get back to
the plains in winter.
 Similarly, in the tundra belt the herders move from the south to the north during summers
and get back to the south during winters.
 This seasonal migration of the herders along with their cattle is called trans humance.

Q.4) Briefly explain the climatic conditions suitable for the cultivation of tea.

Tea requires a cool, frost-free climate with abundant rainfall. It also needs well drained loamy soils and
gentle slopes. It is a labour- intensive crop and requires a large number of skilled labour to pluck the tea
leaves.
Answer in detail.

Q.1) What is commercial farming? What are its main types?

In commercial farming the farmer cultivates crops and rears animals for commercial purposes,
that is, for selling. The main aim of the farmer here is to make profit. Most of the work is done
by machines and the areas under cultivation, as well as the capital involved, are huge.
Commercial farming includes commercial grain farming, plantation farming, mixed farming and
ranching.
● Crops like wheat and maize are grown on a large scale under commercial grain farming. The
farms are huge, spread over hundreds of hectares, and are thinly populated. Massive
machines like seed drillers, combine harvesters and threshers are used.
● Under plantation farming, vast lands are brought under a single crop. Large amounts of capital,
cheap but skilled labour, scientific techniques, efficient transport network, and managerial and
marketing skills are employed.
● Mixed farming refers to the cultivation of food crops, fodder crops and the rearing of livestock
at the same time, on the same land. These activities are complementary to each other in this
kind of farming, and are carried out to improve profitability
● Ranching refers to raising livestock for meat or wool on privately owned land along with the
use of some public land.

Q.2) What does the term agricultural development mean? What is the objective of agricultural
development? How is it brought about?

 Agricultural development refers to the efforts taken to increase agricultural production to

meet growing demand and the resultant growth in output.
 Agricultural development can be brought about by the use of scientific inputs in
agriculture, such as improvement in irrigation facilities and the use of fertilisers and high-
yielding varieties of seeds.
 Mechanisation of agriculture (use of machines like tractors, seed drillers, weeders, sprayers,
harvesters and so on) is also another feature of agricultural development.
 Agricultural development strives to enhance food security, that is, the availability,
accessibility and affordability of food to all people at all times.

Q.3) What are some important features of agriculture in India?

 Around 60% of Bharat’s population is directly or indirectly involved in agriculture.

 The size of an average land-holding in India is rather small. The small size of holdings in India
is a result of fragmentation and sub-division of farms.
 For such small plots of land to be profitable, very intensive methods of cultivation have to be
practised—large quantities of fertilisers and high-quality seeds have to be used and the land
has to be irrigated. These inputs require the kind of money most Indian farmers do not have.
As a result, the bulk of farmers in India struggle to make a decent livelihood.
 Many Indian farmers still follow primitive methods of agriculture. They are still dependent on
the timely arrival of the Monsoons for the success of their crops. They still plough the land
manually, or with the help of bullocks. They rarely have access to improved seeds, and the
 price of artificial fertilisers is often beyond their means.
 Rural indebtedness is another unfortunate feature of Indian agriculture. Marginal farmers
and landless labourers often take money on loan from local money lenders at exorbitant
rates of interest. They can almost never return the money and they end up losing their land
and working as bonded labourers.

Q.4) What was the Green Revolution?

1. The Green Revolution refers to the sharp increase in food production that took place in India
during the 1960s as a result of the steps taken by the government to improve agricultural
productivity. Some of these steps were:
● After independence, many irrigation projects were started which reduced the dependence of
farmers on the monsoon.
● Fragmented pieces of land were consolidated, or joined, to make them bigger and more
viable.
● Better quality of seeds, pesticides and fertilisers were made available to the farmers at low
rates.
● District officers trained the farmers in newer and better methods of cultivation.
● Farmers were given loans from nationalised banks at low rates of interest.
As a result of the Green Revolution India became largely self-sufficient in the production of food
crops. In fact, India has become one of the largest producers of wheat, edible oil, potato, spices,
rubber, tea, fruits and vegetables in the world.
However, some of the methods used for the Green Revolution could have a negative impact on
the farming system in India, in the long run. For example, over irrigation and the overuse of
fertilisers has destroyed the land in some parts of India. Also, many of these inputs are too
expensive for the small farmers, and can sometimes push them deeper into debt.

Q. Briefly explain the concept of the white revolution in the context of dairy farming.
 The rearing of cattle on a large scale to meet the demand for milk and other products is
called dairy farming.
 Scientific methods are employed, and heavy capital investment is usually required for dairy
farming.
 It is mainly practised in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Denmark and the
Netherlands in Europe.
 In India, a white revolution began with the setting up of cooperative societies for dairy
farmers.
 It started in Gujarat with Amul (Anand Milk Union Limited) and soon spread to the other
states.