GEOGRAPHY (X) LESSON-4 AGRICULTURE ( LESSON NOTES)

GEOGRAPHY (X) LESSON-4

AGRICULTURE

(LESSON NOTES)

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v INTRODUCTION:

Ø Agriculture is an oldest economic activity. It include in the primary sector. India is an agricultural country because-

§  Two-third of its population is engaged in agricultural activities

§  Agriculture is a primary activity and produces most of the food and food grains.

§  It produces raw materials for our various industries, e.g., cotton textile, sugar industry.

§  Agricultural products, like tea, coffee, spices are exported and earn foreign exchange.

v TYPES OF FARMING

Ø Cultivation methods have changed significantly depending upon the characteristics of physical environment, technological know-how and socio-cultural practices. There are many types of farming-

v SUBSISTENCE FARMING:

Ø The farming which is done mainly to feed their family members is called as subsistence farming. It has two sub division-

1. PRIMITIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING

§  The type of farming which is practiced on small patches of land by using simple tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/ community labor is called as primitive subsistence farming.

§  Slash and burn agriculture (Shifting cultivation) is the primitive subsistence farming in which the farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their families. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation.

§  Land productivity is low as the farmer does not use fertilizers or other modern inputs.

§  This type of shifting allows nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through natural processes. It is known by different names as-

INDIA	WORLD
Jhumming- NE states	Milpa -Mexico and Central America, ‘
Dipa-Chhatisgarh	Conuco’ in Venzuela,
‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya Pradesh,	‘Roca’ in Brazil, ‘
‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh, ‘‘, ‘ ‘	Masole’ in Central Africa,
, ‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Orissa	‘Ladang’ in Indonesia
Kumari’ in Western Ghats,	,‘Ray’ in Vietnam
Valre’ or ‘Waltre’ in South-eastern Rajasthan
Khil’ in the Himalayan belt,

 

    2. INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING:

Ø The subsistence farming which practiced in areas of high population with high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation to take maximum output from the limited land by raising 2-3 crops in a year from the same land is known as intensive subsistence farming.

v COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE:

Ø The farming in which the crops are mainly grown for commercial purposes is known as commercial farming.

Ø It is practiced on large pieces of land by using machines and modem technology.

Ø There is higher use of modem agricultural inputs, e.g., HYV seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, etc.

Ø The degree of commercialization varies from one region to another. Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab, while in Odisha it is subsistence crop. E.g., plantation agriculture.

v PLANTATION AGRICULTURE:

Ø When a single crop is grown on a large area with modern techniques is known as plantation.

Ø Plantation is carried out on large estates by huge capital investment and migrant laborers and modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity.

Ø The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. So a good network of transportation and communication is required.

Ø In India some states produced these crops by plantation as Tea plantation In Assam and Bengal, Coffee plantation in Karnataka, Rubbar- Kerala, Bamboo in North east states etc.

v CROPPING SEASONS:

Ø RABI CROPS (Winter crops): 

§  Sown in winter—October to December.

§  Harvested in summer—April to June.

§  Important crops: wheat, barley, mustard, peas, gram, etc.

Ø KHARIF CROPS (Crops of the rainy season): 

§  Sown—onset of monsoon (June-July).

§   Harvested— September-October.

§  Important crops: rice, maize, millets, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean.

Ø ZAID SEASON: 

§  It is a short cropping season during summer months mainly between March-April and June-July.

§   Main crops—watermelon, musk melon, cucumber etc.

·       Sugarcane take almost one year to grow.

v MAJOR CROPS

Sl. No.	crop and crop season	climatic requirements	Production states
1	Rice- Kharif season	Temperature avg=25 0C Rain fall =100-150 cm Alluvial soil	W.Bengal, UP,  Andhra Pradesh, Punjab,  Tamil Nadu, kerala
2	Wheat –rabi season	Temperature avg=10 -15 0C Rain fall =50-75 cm Alluvial loamy soil	Punjab , Haryana , UP, Bihar, Rajastan
3	Maize- Kharif	Temperature avg=21-27 0C Alluvial soil	Bihar, UP, MP,  Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
4	Sugarcane –kharif season	Temperature avg=21-27 0C Rain fall =75-100 cm Alluvial clayey soil	UP, Maharashtra,  Karnataka, TamilNadu,  Andhra Pradesh, Punjab,
5	Tea – Both kharif and rabi season	Temp= 20- 30 Rain= 150-300 cm Well drained soil Warm-frost free days	Assam, W.Bengal,  TN, Kerala.
6	Coffee- kharif season	Temp=15-25 Rainfall=150-200cm well drained soil	Karnataka, Kerala, TN.
7.	Rubber- both kharif and rabi season	Temp=25c Rain fall=100cm Well drained soil	Kerala, T.N.,  Karnataka, Meghalaya,  Andaman and Nicobar.
8	Cotton- kharif season	Temp= 25c Rainfall=100 cm 210 frost free daya Black soil	Maharashtra, Gujarat,  M.P.,Punjab, Haryana.
9	Jute-Kharif season	Temp=25-30c Rainfall=150-200cm Well drained fertile siol	W.Bengal, Bihar,  Assam,,Orissa, Meghalaya.

 

v RICE

Ø It is the most important food crop (Kharif crop) of India. India holds second position in rice production after China.

Ø It required high temperature of 25° C and above and high humidity with annual rainfall of 100 cms .

Ø In states like Assam, West Bengal and Orissa, three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These are called as Aus, Aman and Boro.

Ø  Four major regions of rice cultivation are —

1.                  Plains of North, India;

2.                  Plains of North-Eastern India;

3.                  Coastal areas; and

4.                  Deltaic regions. Irrigated rice is produced in Punjab, Haryana, Western UP and Rajasthan.

v WHEAT 

Ø It is the second most important cereal crop of India. It is the main food crop.

Ø It required cool and moist growing season. Bright sunshine at the time of ripening.

Ø For wheat 50 to 75 cm rainfall is enough to grow.

Ø There are two Wheat growing zones in India as

1.                  The Ganga-Sutlej plains in the North-West and

2.                  Black soil region of the Deccan.

Ø The major wheat producing states are Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

 

v MILLETS 

Ø They are called coarse grains. They have high nutritional value, important part of the diet for poor people. Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are important millets. These are rain-fed crops.

§  Ragi: It is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. It is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage. Leading producer is Karnataka, followed by Tamil Nadu. Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Uttaranchal, Sikkim etc. are other important producers.

§  Jowar is the third most important food crop with respect to area and production. It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in the moist areas which hardly needs irrigation. Maharashtra is the largest producer of jowar followed by Karnataka, AndhraPradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

§  BAJRA- It grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. Rajasthan is the largest producer of bajra followed by Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

v MAIZE CROP :-

Ø It is a crop which is used both as food and fodder. It is a kharif crop but in some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season also.

Ø It requires temperature between 21° C to 27° C and moderate rainfall between 50-100 cm.

Ø It grows well in old alluvial soils.

Ø Maize production in India has increased due to factors like—use of modem inputs such as HYV seeds; use of fertilisers; and use of irrigation facilities.

Ø Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

v PULSES

Ø India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.

Ø These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.

Ø Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.

Ø These are leguminous crops so help in restoring soil fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air.

Ø Major pulse producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Ø Major pulses that are grown in India are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram etc.

v SUGARCANE

Ø It is a tropical as well as subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and humid climate. Temperature: 21°C to 27°C.

Ø Annual rainfall between 75 cm and 100 cms. Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall.

Ø It can be grown on a variety of soils. It needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting.

Ø India is the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.

Ø Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana are the major producing states of sugarcane. Sugarcane is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggery), khandsari and molasses.

v OILSEEDS:

Ø India is the largest producer of oil seeds in the world. Nearly12% of the total cropped area is under oilseed production.

Ø Six major oilseeds produced in India—Groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor-seeds, linseed, sunflower and cotton-seeds.

Ø Most of these oilseeds are edible and are used as cooking mediums. Some are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.

§  Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country. Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of groundnut followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat and Maharashtra.

§  Linseed and mustard are rabi crops. Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south India. Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop

v TEA

Ø It grows well in tropical and subtropical climates.

Ø It requires deep, fertile, well drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.

Ø It requires warm and moist frost free climate round the year. Frequent showers evenly distributed through the year ensure continuous growth of tender leaves.

Ø Tea is a labour intensive industry. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.

Ø Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

Ø India is the leading producer as well as exporter of tea in the world.

v COFFEE:-

Ø India produces about four per cent of the world’s coffee production

Ø Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality.

Ø The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country. This variety is in great demand all over the world.

Ø Its cultivation in Baba Budan Hills and Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

v HORTICULTURE

Ø Growing of fruits and vegetable is known as horticulture. India is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world.

Ø India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits. Some fruits of particular places have great demand in the world market.

§  Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal,

§  Oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunje, (Meghalaya),

§  Bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu,

§  Lichi and guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,

§  Pineapples of Meghalaya,

§  Apples, pears, apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

Ø India produces about 13 per cent of the world’s vegetables. It is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.

v RUBBER:-

Ø It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas.

Ø It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and temperature above 25°C.

Ø India ranks fifth among the world’s natural rubber producers. It is mainly grown in Kerala, TamilNadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicabar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.

Ø Rubber is an important industrial raw material. It is used to make tyres,  tubes, latex, camelback, belt, footwear etc.

v FIBRE CROPS-

Ø  Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India. The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves specially mulberry. Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture

v COTTON 

Ø India is the natural home of cotton. India is third largest producers of cotton.

Ø It requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.

Ø It is mainly grown in the black soil of the Deccan Plateau region.

Ø Major Cotton producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

v JUTE: 

Ø It is known as the golden fibre. Jute grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every year.

Ø High temperature is required during the time of growth.

Ø West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa and Meghalaya are the major jute producing states.

Ø It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and othe artefacts.

Ø But due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly the nylon.

v TECHNOLOGICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS IN AGRICULTURE:

Ø In India agriculture is practice since thousand years which exhausted the fertility of soil. Even today most of the farmers still depend upon monsoon and natural fertility for agriculture. It provides livelihood to 60 % of population. So there is requirement of technological and institutional reforms in agriculture.

Ø Institutional and Technological reforms-

§  Collectivization and consolidation of land holdings to make them economically viable.

§  Cooperation with farmers and Abolition of Zamindari system.

§  Land reforms was main focus in fist five year after independence.

§  1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development programme was initiated, which included both institutional and technical reforms.

§  Grameen banks, cooperative societies were established to providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest . Kissan Credit Card (KCC)

§  Crop insurance were introduced to protect the farmers against losses caused by natural calamities as Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS), PMFBY etc.

§  Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes were introduced for farmers on radio and TV.

§  Announcement of minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for crops to check the exploitation of farmers.

§  To improve the agriculture specially focuses on Green revolution and White revolution (operation flood) in 1960 to 70.

v CONTRIBUTION OF AGRICULTURE

Ø It provides the livelihood to 60% population of India.

Ø It provides the raw materials to many agro based industries as cotton, sugar, and food processing industry.

Ø It contributes nearly 4 % to Indian GDP.

Ø It also played an important role in the international trade.

v BHOODAN

Ø A movement in which the large land owner provide the land to the land less famers. Vinoba bhave was the first personal satyagrahi appointed by Mahtma Gandhi. Initially Shri Ram Chandra offered 80 acres of land to be distributed among 80 lands-less villagers in Pochampalli village of Andhra Pardesh.