Agriculture in India - 1

.
Importance of agriculture in India
Agriculture broadly means – man’s management of the environment to produce food.
Agriculture is the most important occupation in India.
The word agriculture is derived from two Latin words- 'ager' meaning land and 'culture' meaning cultivation.
Agriculture plays an important role in the Indian economy.
Over 60% of India's land is arable and 70% of the rural families are engaged in this occupation for their
livelihood.
Agriculture contributes about 14% of total GDP and 12% share of the country's export.
Agriculture sector contributes around 55% of GDP in 1950-51.
India has a vast expanse of agricultural land due to rich fertile soil and a good network of perennial rivers.
In support, India has suitable climatic conditions, good amount of sunshine throughout the year.
Agriculture is the single largest private sector occupation and provides employment to 2/3 rd of country's
workforce, directly or indirectly.
Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy.
Salient feature of Indian agriculture
Always depend on monsoon, which is uneven and large scale irrigation serve only 1/3 of crop area.
India’s vast relief, varying climate and soil conditions produce a variety of crops.
More than 2/3rd of the total cropped area is taken up by cultivation of food crops because we have feed our
large population.[preponderance of food crops]
Three crop seasons – Kharif, Rabi, Zayad or Zaid
a) Kharif season
Ground prepared in April – May, seeds are sown in June on arrival of rain.
Harvesting in November. [ Major crops – rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton. Sesame, groundnut, pulses and jute ]
b) Ravi season
Ground prepared – end of October or beginning of November . Harvesting in March.
Major crops – wheat, barley, jowar, gram, oilseeds and tobacco.
c) Zaid season
Summer crops , major crops - Cucumber, pumpkin, tomato, bitter gourd
Green revolution
The Green Revolution was a period that began in the 1960s during which agriculture in India was converted into a modern
industrial system by the adoption of technology,
Under the intensive agriculture development programme [IADP] several measures were adopted simultaneously.
The following measures were adopted
• Use of high yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds
• Irrigation
• Use of insecticides and pesticides
• Consolidation of holdings[ joining together]
• Land reforms
• Rural electrification
• Improved rural infrastructure
• Supply of agricultural credit
• Use of (chemicals) fertilizers
• Opening of agricultural universities
Make India self sufficient in food production.[ Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh ]
Problems of Indian agriculture
Intensive farming, increasing population and the practice of dividing and subdividing land for
inheritance are some of the drawbacks of our agriculture. A lot of time and labour is wasted in taking
care of smaller holdings.
Irrigation too becomes difficult. A lot of fertile land wasted in raising boundaries.
In villages due to population growth generation by generation land is divided.
Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Rajasthan consolidation of holdings.[fragmented]
Poor quality of seeds , to solve this problem the government of India established the National Seeds
Corporation of India in 1963. [ to supply improved seeds to farmers]
Lack of proper use of manure and fertilizer
Pests and diseases, biocides [pesticides, herbicides and weedicides] are used to save the crops from
diseases.
Traditional upbringing, old method
Heavy rain causes heavy soil erosion
Erratic nature of rainfall
Floods and droughts
.
With increasing population and limited land, our agriculture is mostly subsistence
[जीवन निर्वाह] type.
In India, average yield of crops is much lower as compared to other countries because
of the reasons stated above.
However, the government is now taking various measures and is giving high
incentives, especially in the form of heavy subsidies for using chemical fertilizers.
Types of farming in India
Indian agriculture can be divided into the following categories
a) Subsistence farming
Subsistence farming is a self-sufficient farming in which the farmers grow enough food to feed
himself and his family.
The farmers have small land and do not use fertilizers and thus the yield is low.
The output is mostly for local requirements with little or no surplus trade.
The land holdings are small and scattered.
The farmer uses simple and primitive tools with traditional method of agriculture.
A good amount of hand labour is required.
1) Primitive type
Farmers use simple tools and primitive techniques to grow food for their own use.
.
2) Shifting agriculture or slash and burn or jhooming
3) Crop rotation
Crop rotation is the practice of planting different crops sequentially on the same plot of land
In order to control of weeds pests, diseases and more economical utilization of soil fertility.
Also used to check soil erosion, increase net profit and mitigate the risk of weather changes.
Leguminous crops [फलीदार पौधा]are grown alternatively with wheat, barley and mustard.
b) Commercial farming
The Commercial farming meaning is that where farmer producing crops on a large scale for sale in market.
With modern technology
Two types of commercial farming
1) Intensive commercial farming
Intensive farming is a system of farming that involves higher input of labour, increased use of fertilizers, pesticides,
high quality seeds, etc.
It requires good amount of irrigation.
Rice and wheat are the main crops that are grown in intensive farming.
Advantages
High crop yield
Farmers can easily monitor the land.
More than one crop can be grown in the same field.
Practised in countries where the population reduces the size of land holdings.
Punjab, Haryana, UP, WB etc. and China, Japan etc.
2) Extensive commercial farming
A system of agriculture in which relatively small amounts of capital or labour investment are
applied to relatively large areas of land.
At times, the land is left fallow to regain its fertility.
It is mostly mechanized as labour is very expensive or may not be available at all.
It usually occurs at the margin of the agricultural system, at a great distance from market or on
poor land of limited potential.
It is practised usually in the terai regions of north India.Crops grown are sugarcane, rice and
wheat.
c) Plantation Farming
Plantation farming is an extensive system of agriculture in which single cash crop is cultivated on
a large scale in an estate.
Crops like tea, coffee, rubber, spices, etc. are grown under plantation farming mainly for profit.
This type of farming is practiced in vast lands extending from a few hectares to thousands of
hectares.
Only one type of crop is cultivated like rubber, bananas, tea, coffee, cocoa, tobacco, etc.
Modern methods, techniques and machineries are used for growing crops.(vi) Huge capital is
invested in buying machineries, fertilizers, pesticides and building factories for processing of
crops.
Due to the large size of the plantation, large numbers of labourers are required to tend to the crops
and work in the nearby processing factories.[ facilities for labourers ]
The plantation crops earns a good amount of foreign exchange as they are exported in huge
quantities.
Practiced in Assam, WB, Nilgiri, Anaimalai and Cardamon hills
d)Mixed Farming
Mixed farming is a type of farming in which a farmer conducts different agricultural practices
on a single farm to increase income through different sources.
It is a combination of growing crops and rearing of cattle simultaneously.
In it along with farming other occupations carried out are- poultry farming, dairy farming, bee
keeping, sericulture, piggery, goat and sheep rearing,
The main benefit of this type of farming is that it ensures a steady income for the farmers
because if any one business or farming fails, the other means can support.
Fodder crops for their cattle along with food crops.
e) Single crop plantation
Growing just one crop species in a field at a time.
Common in tropical countries because there is no fear of cold.
f) Organic farming
Our one of the basic need is food.
Many new ways and methods are being introduced in this field to harvest and cultivate the best
quality crop with increased production.
Hence organic farming is an agricultural method where in the following techniques are used –
Crop rotation- A technique of growing various kinds of crops in the same area, according to
different seasons.
Green manure-Refers to the dying plants that are uprooted and stuffed into the soil in order to
use them as nutrient for the soil to increase its fertility.
Biological pest control-A method in which living organisms are used to control pests without or
with limited use of chemicals.
Compost Highly rich in nutrients, this is a recycled organic matter used as a fertilizer in the
agricultural farm.
Indian Agriculture reforms
land reforms launched in the first five-year plan, in 1951, aimed to abolish 'Jamindari' system.
Consolidate land holdings-i.e. combining adjacent small fields into single large farms and encouraging individual
land owners to do co-operative farming.
Agricultural reform in the 1960s and 1970s known as the Green revolution involved the use of High Yielding
Varieties (HVV) of seeds.
Developing large scale irrigation facilities to allow the farmers to grow two crops a year.
Operation Flood, launched m 1970 started the White revolution in India and made our country self- sufficient in
milk. It was achieved entirely through the cooperative structure.
The government launched a comprehensive land development programme in 1980s & 1990s, by providing
insurance covers to farmers against damage to crops and setting up of rural banks and cooperative societies to
provide them loans.
The government also started broadcasting radio and television programmes to educate farmers about the new
techniques of agriculture and give them prior warning about the weather conditions.
To stop the exploitation of farmers by middlemen the government announced the minimum support prices of all the
major crops.
The government also launched personal benefit schemes for farmers, like Kisan Credit Card and Personal accident
insurance scheme.
National agricultural policy
Agriculture is one of the most important backbones of Indian economy.
Proper policy for agricultural sector is essential to improve the living standards and the welfare of the people.
The Government of India announced the National Agricultural Policy on July 28, 2000.
It was formulated under the provisions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).
The primary objectives of the NAP, 2000 are:
Achieve a growth rate in excess of 4 percent per annum in the agricultural sector.
Focus on the domestic markets and maximise profits from the export of agricultural products.
To provide insurance protection to farmers.
Increase private sector engagement and development of infrastructure.
Contract farming and land leasing to promote private sector participation.
Modernizing agricultural sector.
Checking environmental degradation.
Agricultural research and training.
Title and Content Layout with List
• Add your first bullet point here
• Add your second bullet point here
• Add your third bullet point here
Title and Content Layout with Chart
Series 1 Series 2 Series 3

4.4 4.5
4.3

3.5

3
2.8
2.4 2.5

2 2
1.8

Cat eg or y 1 Cat eg or y 2 Cat ego r y 3 Cat eg or y 4

• Second bullet point here Class 1 82 95

• Third bullet point here Class 2 76 88

Class 3 84 90
Two Content Layout with SmartArt
• First bullet point here
• Second bullet point here
Group A • Third bullet point here

Group C Group B
Add a Slide Title - 1
Add a Slide Title - 2
Add a Slide Title - 3
Add a Slide
Title - 4
 Click icon to add picture

Add a Slide
Title - 5
 Click icon to add picture

Add a Slide Title -