Human occupations

Agriculture mainly refers to farming but

today agriculture not only provide us
with food but also the raw materials for
the manufacture of products. This
transformation from a plant to finished
product we eat or use involves three
types of economic activities -
Human occupations
• The work or activities done by the people can
be classified into 3 Sectors – Primary,
secondary and tertiary.
PrimaryActivities
• All activities connected with extraction and
production of natural resources can be
classified under Primary Activities.
• Agriculture, fishing, poultry farming and
mining are examples of primary activities.
Secondary Activities
• All activities connected with the
manufacturing of goods with natural
resources can be classified under Secondary
activities.
• Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and
weaving of cloth are examples of this activity.
TertiaryActivities
• All activities that provide support to the
primary and secondary sectors through
services are classified under Tertiary
activities.
• Transport, trade, Banking, insurance and
advertising are examples of tertiary activities.
 What is Agriculture ?
Agriculture is one of the most important
economic activity in the world .
About 65 %of Indians total population is still
depend on Agriculture .
Agriculture is the cultivation of Plants and
other life forms for food, fiber, bio-fuel,
medicinal and other products used to sustain
and enhance human life.
Agriculture was the key development in the
rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby
farming of domesticated species createdfood
surpluses that nurtured the development of
civilization.
 Meaning of Agriculture
• The word agriculture is the English adaptation of the
Latin word ‘agricultūra’. ‘Ager’ means field and
‘cultūra’ means cultivation; in the strict sense
‘agricultūra’ means "tillage of the soil".

• Agriculture was developed at least 10,000 years ago,

and it has undergone significant developments since
the time of the earliest cultivation.
•The Agriculture falls under the Primary sector activity.
Agricultural Activities include:
• Growing crops,
• fruits, vegetables and
• flowers
• Rearing of livestock
 Agricultural Activities
Apple Orchard

Paddy fields

Sunflower Farm

Brinjal Farm Rearing of livestock

 Arable land
• The right type of soil and climate are vital for any
kind of agricultural activity.
• The land on which crops are grown is known as
arable land.
• Geographically, arable land is an agricultural term,
meaning land that can be used for growingcrops.
• Of the earth's 57.5 million square miles of land,
approximately 7.65 million square miles are arable.
However, arable land is currently being lost rapidly
due to deforestation.
Percentage of arable land in countries across the globe
50 per cent of persons in the world are engaged in agricultural
activity.
Two-thirds of India’s population is stilldependent on agriculture.
Cultivation of grapes

Breeding and rearing for fish .

 Agriculture system (IPO)
• Agriculture or farming can be called a system. Now let us look at theinput,
process and output of thissystem.
Inputs:- Seeds
Fertilizers
Machinery
Output:- Crops
Labour
Wool (Rearing livestock)
Process/Work:- Ploughing
Dairy Products (Dairy farm)
Sowing
Poultry products (Poultry farm)
Irrigation
Weeding
Harvesting
 Seeds Fertilizers Machinery Labour

Ploughing Sowing Irrigation Harvesting

Crops Wool Dairy Product PoultryProduct

 Types of Farming
• Farming is practiced in various ways acrossthe
world depending upon:
• The geographical conditions of the area,
• Demand for the product,
• Labour available
• Level of technology
Classification of Farming
• Based on these factors farming can be broadly
classified into 2 categories,
Namely Subsistence Farming and Commercial Farming
It can be further classified as.
 Subsistence farming
• Subsistence farming is
practiced to meet the
needs of the farmer’s
family.
• Low levels of technology
and household labour are
used to produce a small
output.
Subsistence farming can be
further classified as:
• Intensive subsistence
• Primitive subsistence
farming
 Intensive subsistence:
• The farmer cultivates a small plot of
land using simple tools and more
labour.
• More than one crop is grown
annually, on the same plot (double
cropping) , as the climate is
favourable andthe soil is fertile.
• Rice is the main crop; other crops
include wheat, maize, pulses and
oilseeds.
• Intensive subsistence agriculture is
prevalent in the thickly populated
areas of the monsoon regions of
south, southeast and eastAsia.
 Primitive subsistencefarming –
It is practiced on a small piece of land with
the help of primitive tools
It Includes:

• Shifting cultivation

• Nomadic herding
Shifting cultivation
 Nomadic herding:
• Nomadic herding is practiced in the semi-arid and
arid (dry) regions of Sahara, Central Asia andsome
parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and
Kashmir.
• In nomadic farming, herdsmen move from place to
place with their animals for fodder and water, along
a definite route. The nomads move from place to
place due to the restraints of the climate and land.
• Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly
reared by the nomads. These animals provide milk,
meat, wool, hides and other products to the
herders and their families.
• In the drier parts of
Asia, especially
Southwest Asia, most
rural people make a
living by raising
livestock. Many are
nomads who move
with their herds of
animals over large
territories, constantly
seeking good supplies
of grass and water.The
people live simply and
carry their tents and
belongings with them.
They rear animals such
as goats, sheep,
camels, and yaks.
 Commercial Farming
• Crops are grown and
animals are reared for sale
in the market, that is, for
commercial purposes,
while in Subsistencefarming
crops are grown mainly for
the farmer’s family needs.
•The area cultivated and the
amount of capital invested is
large

•Most of the workis done

by machines
Commercial Grain Farming
 Mixed Farming
• In mixed farming the land is used for growingfood
and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

• It is practised in Europe, eastern USA,Argentina,

southeast Australia, New Zealand and SouthAfrica.
• Mixed farming is the combining of twoindependent
agricultural enterprises on the samefarm.
• Atypical case of mixed farming is the combination
of crop enterprise with dairy farming, that is, crop
cultivation with livestockfarming.
• Mixed farming may be treated as a special case of
diversified farming.
• This particular combination of enterprises,support
each other and add to the farmer’sprofitability.
• The cropping system comprises of one or more
crops. Most farmers follow cropping patterns that
involves:

• Sequential cropping
• Mixed-cropping
• Relay cropping.

• Mixed cropping involves the simultaneousgrowing

of two or more crops intermingled on the same
land.
 Plantation Agriculture
• Plantations are a type of commercial farming system where
single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber,banana
or cotton aregrown.

• Large amount of labour and capital arerequired.

• The produce may be processed on the farm itself or in nearby

factories.

• The development of a transport network is essential forsuch

farming.

• Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the

world - Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and
Sri Lanka.
•

Coffee Plantation

Tea Plantation

Sugarcane Plantation
RubberPlantation
Major Crops
 Rice
• Rice is the major food crop of the
world.

• It is the staple diet of the tropical

and sub-tropical regions.

• Rice needs high temperature, Rice Crop

high humidity and rainfall.

• It grows best in alluvialclay soil,

which can retain water.

• China leads in the production of

rice followed by India, Japan, Sri
Lanka and Egypt. RiceGrain
 Wheat Wheat Crop
• Wheat requires moderate
temperature and rainfall during
growing season and bright
sunshine at the time ofharvest.

• It thrives best in well drained

loamy soil.

• Wheat is grown extensively in

USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia,
Ukraine, Australia and India. In
India it is grown inwinter.
Wheat Grain
 Millets
• Millets are known as coarse
grains and can be grown on
less fertile and sandy soils.

• It is a hardy crop that needs

low rainfall and high to
moderate temperature and
adequate rainfall.

• Jowar, bajra and ragi are

grown in India, Nigeriaand
China.
 Maize
• Maize requires moderate
temperature, rainfall and
lots of sunshine.

• It needswell-drained
fertile soils. Maize Plant
Maize Grain

• Maize is grown in North

America, Brazil, China,
Russia, Canada, India,
and Mexico.
 Cotton
• Cotton requires high temperature,
light rainfall, two hundred and ten
frost-free days and bright sunshine
for its growth.

• It grows best on black andalluvial

soils.

• China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil

and Egypt are the leading
producers of cotton.

• It is one of the main raw materials

for the cotton textileindustry.
 Jute
• Jute was also known as the
‘Golden Fibre’.

• It grows well on alluvialsoil

and requires high
temperature, heavy rainfall
and humid climate.

• This crop is grown in the

tropical areas.

• India and Bangladesh are the

leading producers of jute.
 Coffee Coffee Berries

• Coffee requires warm and

wet climate and well
drained loamy soil.

• Hill slopes are more

suitable for growth of this
crop.

• Brazil is the leading

producer followed by
Columbia and India.
Coffee Seeds
Tea
Agricultural Development
Farming in India
Farming in India

Farming in U.S.A
• Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term
production of milk, which is processed (either on
the farm or at a dairy plant, either of which may be
called a dairy) for eventual sale of a dairyproduct.
• Although any mammal can produce milk, commercial
dairy farms are typically one-species enterprises. In
developed countries, dairy farms typically consist of
high producingdairy cows.
• Other species used in commercial dairy farming
include goats, sheep, and camels.
• In Italy, donkey dairies are growing in popularity to
produce an alternative milk source for humaninfants.[1]