Agriculture in India: Types of farming and practices - PDF

India is an agriculturally important country. through natural processes; land productivity Two-thirds of its population is engaged in in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer agricultural activities. Agriculture is a primary does not use fertilisers or other modern act...

India is an agriculturally important country. through natural processes; land productivity Two-thirds of its population is engaged in in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer agricultural activities. Agriculture is a primary does not use fertilisers or other modern activity, which produces most of the food that inputs. It is known by different names in we consume. Besides food grains, it also different parts of the country. produces raw material for various industries. Can you name some such types of farmings? Can you name some industries based on It is jhumming in north-eastern states like agricultural raw material? Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland; Moreover, some agricultural products like tea, Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district coffee, spices, etc. are also exported. of Chhattishgarh, and in Andaman and Nicobar Islands. TYPES OF FARMING Jhumming: The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in is known as ‘Milpa’ in Mexico and Central our country. Over these years, cultivation America, ‘Conuco’ in Venzuela, ‘Roca’ in methods have changed significantly depending Brazil, ‘Masole’ in Central Africa, ‘Ladang’ upon the characteristics of physical in Indonesia, ‘Ray’ in Vietnam. environment, technological know-how and In India, this primitive form of cultivation socio-cultural practices. Farming varies from is called ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya subsistence to commercial type. At present, Pradesh, ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh, in different parts of India, the following ‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Odisha, farming systems are practised. ‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or ‘Waltre’ in South-eastern Rajasthan, ‘Khil’ in the Primitive Subsistence Farming Himalayan belt, ‘Kuruwa’ in Jharkhand, and This type of farming is still practised in few ‘Jhumming’ in the North-eastern region. pockets of India. Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/ community labour. This type of farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown. It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation. This type of shifting allows Nature to replenish the fertility of the soil Fig. 4.1 Reprint 2024-25