Chapter 4- Agriculture

Agriculture also called farming or husbandry is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi, and other life forms
for food, fiber, biofuel and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key development in the
rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that
nurtured the development of civilization. The study of agriculture is known as agricultural science.
IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA:
 Nearly two-third of India's population is dependent on agriculture.
 Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian economy
 Agriculture accounts for 26% of the gross domestic product.
 Agriculture ensures food security for the millions and raw materials for Industries.
 Agriculture's share in providing employments and livelihood to the population continues to be as
high as 63 percent in 2001.
Types of Farming
Types of farming and their applicability depend on several factors which include the physical
environment, technological progress along with socio-cultural practices. Types of farming vary from
subsistence type to commercial types of arming and in different parts of India, depending on various
climates and physical factors, different types of farming are practiced.
Primitive Subsistence Farming
Also known as slash-and-burn agriculture, primitive subsistence farming is widely practiced in small
patches with the help of primitive tools like dao, hoe, and digging sticks. There is a lot of involvement
from family and community labor.
1. The process is simple where a patch of land is selected and cleared. The crops are grown on this
land. Once, the fertility of the soil decreases, people shift to a new land and also the old patch to
get replenished with the required nutrients so that it can be used again in the next season.
2. No modern equipment or advanced farming techniques are deployed in this type of farming
leading to low land productivity. Primitive subsistence farming is also known as jhumming in
northeast India.
Intensive Subsistence Farming
1. This is a labor-intensive type of farming where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation
techniques are used to achieve higher production.
2. This farming is common in areas where less land holding is available.
Commercial Farming
1. Here, high doses of modern inputs like insecticides, fertilizers, pesticides, and high-yielding variety
(HYV) seeds are used to achieve higher productivity. Rice is an example of a commercial crop
cultivated in states like Haryana.
2. The plantation is also a type of commercial farming where a crop is grown over a large area. Tea,
rubber, sugarcane, and coffee are examples of plantation crops in India.
Cropping Pattern
There are cropping seasons in India.
1.Rabi 2.Kharif 3. Zaid
Rabi Kharif Zaid

Sowing October to April-May (Beginning of the rainy

season December (Winter) season)
Between the Rabi and Kharif
seasons (March to July)
Harvesting April to June
September- October
season (Summer)

Important Wheat, gram, Paddy, jowar, bajra, maize, types of Watermelon, cucumbers,
crops barley, mustard, dals- moong, urad, tur, jute, cotton, muskmelon, vegetables,

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 Rabi Kharif Zaid

and peas soybean, groundnut fodder crops.

Major Crops
In India, a number of major crops are grown based on the soil types, climate, and cultivation processes.
Major crops in India are as follows:
1. Rice 2.Wheat 3. Millets 4.Pulses
5. Tea 6.Coffee 7.Sugarcane 8.Jute
Rice
1. It is a staple food crop. India is the second largest producer of rice after China.
2. A type of Kharif crop, rice is grown in regions with high humidity having an annual rainfall of over 100
cm and elevated temperatures of over 25°C
3. It is cultivated in north and northeast India, coastal regions, and the deltaic regions.
Wheat
1. It is the second most important cereal crop and is the main food crop of north and northwest India.
2. It requires a cool climate season with 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall to grow and bright sunshine
during the time of ripening.
3. The two most wheat-growing regions of India are – the Ganga Satluj plains of the northwest and the
black soil regions of the Deccan. Punjab, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and
Rajasthan are the wheat-producing states of India.
Millets
1. Jowar, bajra, and ragi are the most prominent and important millets cultivated in India.
2. Jowar is a rain-fed crop grown in the states of Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and
Karnataka.
3. Bajra is cultivated on sandy soils and shallow black soils. They are mainly produced in Maharashtra,
Gujarat, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Haryana.
4. Ragi grows best on black, red, sandy, loamy, and shallow black soils. Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh are the major ragi-producing states.
Maize
1. It is a Kharif crop that grows well in old alluvial soil. It requires a temperature, of 21°C to 27°C to
grow.
2. Karnataka, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Madhya Pradesh are the major
maize-producing states.
Pulses
1. India is the largest producer as well as the largest consumer of pulses in the world.
2. Pulses require less moisture and can even survive in dry conditions.
3. They are a major source of protein in a vegetarian diet and are produced in Maharashtra, Karnataka,
Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Food Crops other than grains
Sugarcane
1. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane in the world (after Brazil).
2. It can be classified both as a tropical and subtropical crop.
3. It is cultivated in regions with hot and humid climates with temperatures ranging from 21°C to 27°C
and rainfall between 75 cm and 100 cm.,4. Major producers of sugarcane in India are Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana.
Oil Seeds
1. In 2008, India was the second largest producer of groundnut in the world (after China).
2. 12% of the total cropped area of the country is utilized to grow different oil crops. The major oil
seeds that are produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sunflower, cotton seeds, soybean,
sesamum (til), castor seeds, and linseed.

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3. Oil crops have multiple uses. They can be used as cooking mediums as well as raw materials for the
production of soap, ointments, and cosmetics.
4. Groundnut is a labor-intensive crop while linseed and mustard are rabi crops. Sesamum is a kharif
crop in North India and a rabi crop in South India.
Tea
1. 1. In 2008, India ranked third among the largest tea producers in the world after China and Turkey.
2. 2. A type of plantation agriculture, tea is an important beverage crop that was introduced in India by
the British.
3. It is a labor-intensive industry and requires a warm and moist frost-free climate with frequent
showers all throughout the year.
4. Major tea-producing states are Assam, West Bengal (hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts),
Kerela, and Tamil Nadu.
Coffee
1. India is famous for its good quality coffee all around the world. As per data collected in 2008, India
produced around 3.2% of the world’s total coffee production.
2. It is cultivated mainly in the Nilgiri hills in Karnataka, Kerela, and Tamil Nadu.
Horticulture Crops
 In 2008, India was the 2nd largest producer of fruits and vegetables after China. Around 13% of the
world’s vegetables are produced in India.
 India is home to both tropical and temperate fruits.
 Major fruits-producing states:
 Banana: Mizoram, Kerela, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra
 Mango: Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal
 Orange: Meghalaya (Cherrapunjee), Maharashtra (Nagpur)
 Lichi & Guava: Uttar Pradesh and Bihar
 Apples: Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh
Non-Food Crops
Rubber
1. India is the 4th largest natural rubber producer in the world.
2. Rubber is mainly an equatorial crop, but under certain conditions, it can be grown in sub-tropical and
tropical conditions.
3. It requires a humid and moist climate an annual temperature of 25°C and annual rainfall of more
than 200 cm.
4. Rubber is grown in Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Meghalaya (Garo Hills), and Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
Fiber crops
Major fiber crops are grown in India: Silk, Cotton, Jute
Silk
1. It is obtained from the cocoons of silkworms that feed on the leaves of mulberry plants. The process
of cultivation of silkworms to obtain silk is called sericulture.
2. Assam, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh are the largest, of silk in India.
Cotton
1. In 2008, India was the second largest producer of cotton in the world (after China).
2. A type of Kharif crop, it grows well in the drier parts of black cotton soil prevalent in the Deccan
plateau.
3. It requires a climate of elevated temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days, bright sunshine, and
proper irrigation. It takes around 6-8 months to mature.
4. Major cotton-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.
Jute
1. Known as golden fiber, it requires an elevated temperature to grow.

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2. It grows on the well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains which get replenished and renewed every
year.
3. Jute is used to produce different products like gunny bags, yarn, ropes, mats, and other artifacts.
4. West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Bihar, and Meghalaya are major jute-producing states.
Technological and Institutional Reforms
Agriculture is the source of livelihood for more than 60% of India’s population. After achieving
independence from the British, several reforms such as consolidation of holdings, cooperation, abolition
of zamindari, collectivization, etc. were introduced and prioritized.
1. During the 60s and the 70s, The Green Revolution and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) were
adopted to improve the agriculture sector.
2. In the 1980s and the 1990s, a comprehensive land development program that consisted of both
technical and institutional reforms was introduced. Some of the major initiatives that were
undertaken were the establishment of Grameen banks, providing crop insurance against natural
calamities like floods, cyclones, drought, fire, and disease, and giving loans to farmers at lower
interest rates through cooperative societies and banks.
3. Schemes like Kisan Credit Card (KCC), and Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) were
introduced by the Indian government to help the farmers.
4. Government initiatives like minimum support prices, and remunerative and procurement prices for
important crops provide protection to farmers from possible exploitations from speculators and
middlemen.
Contribution of Agriculture to the National Economy, Employment, and Output
1. 52% of the total Indian workforce was employed in the farming sector in 2010-11.
2. Major initiatives like the establishment of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR),
agricultural universities, horticulture development, animal breeding, and veterinary services,
development in meteorology, and weather forecasting have all been given priority to improve the
agricultural sector.
3. However, even though the growth rate of India’s GDP is increasing, it is not generating sufficient
employment opportunities in the country.
Food Security
1. If any part of the population does not have access to food, then it is regarded as a failure of food
security. In India, remote areas are highly prone to natural disasters and uncertainty in food supply.
2. The government has designed a national food security system that is composed of two components-
buffer stock and public distribution system (PDS)
3. Food Corporation of India (FCI) looks after the procurement and stocking of food grains while PDS is
responsible for distribution.
4. The FCI procures food grains from farmers at the minimum support price (MSP) declared by the
government. The PDS is responsible for supplying these food grains at subsidized rates in rural and
urban areas.
Impact of Globalization on Agriculture
1. The start of globalization in the early 1990s exposed India to numerous challenges. Despite being a
major producer of rice, jute, tea, coffee, spices, and other products, India was unable to compete
with developed countries due to their highly subsidized agriculture.
2. Genetic engineering is a powerful supplement that is helping in creating new hybrid varieties of
seeds which is helping in increasing production and making farming more profitable.
3. Organic farming is also the new norm that it doesn’t use any factory-made chemicals such as
pesticides and fertilizers.

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