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

 

GEOGRAPHY(VIII)-LESSON-4

AGRICULTURE

(LESSON NOTES)

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v ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

Ø Activities which are related to earning livelihood are called economic activities. There are three types of economic activities:

§  PRIMARY ACTIVITIES- The activities that are related directly to the extraction and production of natural resources, is a primary activity. Agriculture, fishing and gathering are examples of primary activities.

§  SECONDARY ACTIVITIES-The activities which increased the value of primary products by manufacturing process are called as secondary activities. All industries come in the secondary sectors.

 

§  TERTIARY ACTIVITIES-The activities which provide the service to increase the production in primary and secondary sectors, are called as tertiary activities. Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of tertiary activities.

v AGRICULTURE

Ø Agriculture is a primary activity. Growing of crops, raising livestock, forestry and fishing all come under agricultural activities. Nearly half of world population and 2/3rd of India’s population is engaged in agricultural activities.

 

Ø The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land. There are different factors which affect the agriculture activity

§  Favourable topography

§  Fertile soil

§  Climate

v FARM SYSTEM

Ø A farm system consists of Input, process and output.

Ø INPUT-

§  Physical input- Rainfall, Sunshine, Temperature, Soil, Slope

§  Human input- Storage, Labour, Machinery, Chemicals

 

Ø PROCESS- It involved ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting during the cropping season.

Ø OUTPUT- Production pf crops-wheat or rice

 

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 labour 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. It is known by different names-

·      Jhumming -North-East India

·      Milpa -Mexico

·      Roca - Brazil.

·      Ladang – Malaysia

§  Nomadic herding-The type of farming in which herdsmen move from place to place with their animals according to seasons for fodder and water. Mostly Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared. It practised in semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.

2.    INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING:

§  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 market is known as commercial farming.  It is practiced on large pieces of land by using machines and modem technology. It involves commercial grain farming, mixed farming and plantation.

Ø Commercial grain farming- When the grain are grown for commercial purpose in large scale with modern inputs e.g. HYV seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, etc. It is done mainly grown in temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.

Ø Mixed farming -When the land d is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock. It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Ø  PLANTATION AGRICULTURE:

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

§  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.

§  A good network of transportation and communication is required.

§  Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the world. Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka are some examples.

v  v MAJOR CROPS

Sl. No.	Crops	Climatic requirements   and soil	Major Producers
1	Rice- Kharif season	Temperature avg=25 0C Rain fall =100-150 cm Alluvial soil	China leads in the production of rice followed by India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt.
2	Wheat –rabi season	Temperature avg=10 -15 0C Rain fall =50-75 cm Alluvial loamy soil	USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India.
3	Maize- Corn	Moderate Temperature Alluvial soil	North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.
4	Millets-Course grain (Ragi, Jowar, Bajara)	Moderate rainfall  less fertile and sandy soils	India,Nigeria, China and Niger.
5	Tea – beverage crop	cool climate and well distributed high rainfall, well-drained loamy soils and gentle slopes.	Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka
6	Coffee- beverage crop	warm and wet climate and well drained loamy soil. Hill slopes	Brazil is the leading producer followed by Columbia and India.
7	Cotton- kharif season	Temp= 25c Rainfall=100 cm 210 frost free days Black soil	China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt
8	Jute-Golden fibre	High Temp High Rainfall Well drained fertile soil	India, Bangladesh

 

v AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

Ø Agricultural development refers to the effort to increase farm production to meet growing demand of increasing population.

Ø It can be achieved in many ways such as increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds.

 

Ø Mechanisation, a part of agricultural development, means using more machines than human labour.

v AGRICULTURE IN THE DEVELOPING COUNTR& A DEVELOPED COUNTRY

 

FARMING IN INDIA	FARMING IN USA
A typical Indian farm is about 1.5 hectares in area,	A typical USA farm is about 250 hectares.
In India, however, obsolete methods are used	In the USA, farmers use very modern methods for agriculture.
A farmer in India generally works as a “peasant”	USA, he works as a complete businessman.