Agriculture 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  Rinjha lived with her family in a small village Plantation is also a type of commercial at the outskirts of Diphu in Assam. She enjoys farming. In this type of farming, a single crop watching her family members clearing, is grown on a large area. The plantation has slashing and burning a patch of land for an interface of agriculture and industry. cultivation. She often helps them in irrigating Plantations cover large tracts of land, using the fields with water running through a capital intensive inputs, with the help of bamboo canal from the nearby spring. She migrant labourers. All the produce is used loves the surroundings and wants to stay as raw material in respective industries. here as long as she can, but this little girl In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, has no idea about the declining fertility of banana, etc., are important plantation crops. the soil and her family’s search for fresh a Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in patch of land in the next season. Kar nataka are some of the important plantation crops grown in these states. Since Can you name the type of farming Rinjha’s the production is mainly for market, a well- family is engaged in? developed network of transport and Can you enlist some crops which are grown communication connecting the plantation in such farming? areas, processing industries and markets plays an important role in the development Intensive Subsistence Farming of plantations. This type of farming is practised in areas of high population pressure on land. It is labour- intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production. Can you name some of the states of India where such farming is practised? Though the ‘right of inheritance’ leading to the division of land among successive generations has rendered land-holding size uneconomical, the farmers continue to take maximum output from the limited land in Fig. 4.2: Banana plantation in Southern the absence of alternative source of livelihood. part of India Thus, there is enormous pressure on agricultural land. Commercial Farming The main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity. The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one region to another. For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop. Can you give some more examples of crops which may be commercial in one region and may provide subsistence in another region? Fig. 4.3: Bamboo plantation in North-east A GRICULTURE 31 Reprint 2024-25 CROPPING PATTERN water melon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops. Sugarcane takes You have studied the physical diversities and almost a year to grow. plurality of cultures in India. These are also reflected in agricultural practices and Major Crops cropping patterns in the country. Various A variety of food and non food crops are types of food and fibre crops, vegetables and grown in different parts of the country fruits, spices and condiments, etc. constitute depending upon the variations in soil, climate some of the important crops grown in the and cultivation practices. Major crops grown country. India has three cropping seasons in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, — rabi, kharif and zaid. coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute, Rabi crops are sown in winter from October etc. to December and harvested in summer from April to June. Some of the important rabi Rice: It is the staple food crop of a majority of crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and the people in India. Our country is the second mustard. Though, these crops are grown in largest producer of rice in the world after large parts of India, states from the north China. It is a kharif crop which requires high and north-western parts such as Punjab, temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and with annual rainfall above 100 cm. In the areas Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are of less rainfall, it grows with the help of important for the production of wheat and irrigation. other rabi crops. Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops. However, the success of the green revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan has also been an important factor in the growth of the above- mentioned rabi crops. Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean. Some of the most important rice- Fig. 4.4 (a): Rice Cultivation growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, T amil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Recently, paddy has also become an important crop of Punjab and Haryana. In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These are Aus, Aman and Boro. In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season. Some of Fig. 4.4 (b): Rice is ready to be harvested in the the crops produced during ‘zaid’ are field 32 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 India: Distribution of Rice A GRICULTURE 33 Reprint 2024-25  Rice is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions. Development of dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells have made it possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan. Wheat: This is the second most important cereal crop. It is the main food crop, in north and north-western part of the country. This rabi crop requires a cool growing season and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It Fig. 4.6: Bajra Cultivation requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly- distributed over the growing season. There Bajra grows well on sandy soils and are two important wheat-growing zones in the shallow black soil. Major Bajra producing country – the Ganga-Satluj plains in the States are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, north-west and black soil region of the Deccan. Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. Ragi is The major wheat-producing states are a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh. Maize: It is a crop which is used both as food and fodder. It is a kharif crop which requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil. In some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season also. Use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have contributed to the increasing production of maize. Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Fig. 4.5: Wheat Cultivation Millets: Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India. Though, these are known as coarse grains, they have very high nutritional value. For example, ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage. 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. Major Jowar producing States are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh Fig. 4.7: Maize Cultivation and Madhya Pradesh. 34 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 India: Distribution of Wheat A GRICULTURE 35 Reprint 2024-25 Pulses: India is the largest producer as well sowing to harvesting. India is the second as the consumer of pulses in the world. These largest producer of sugarcane only after are the major source of protein in a vegetarian Brazil. It is the main source of sugar, gur diet. Major pulses that are grown in India are (jaggary), khandsari and molasses. The major tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and sugarcane-producing states are Uttar gram. Can you distinguish which of these Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil pulses are grown in the kharif season and Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, which are grown in the rabi season? Pulses Punjab and Haryana. need less moisture and survive even in dry Oil Seeds: In 2018 India was the second conditions. Being leguminous crops, all these largest producer of groundnut in the world crops except arhar help in restoring soil after China. In rapeseed production India was fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air. Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation third largest producer in the world after with other crops. Major pulse producing states Canada and China in 2018. Different oil seeds in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, are grown covering approximately 12 per cent Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. of the total cropped area of the country. Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, Food Crops other than Grains mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, Sugarcane: It is a tropical as well as a castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and subtropical crop. It grows well in hot and sunflower. Most of these are edible and used humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to as cooking mediums. However, some of these 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75cm. are also used as raw material in the and 100cm. Irrigation is required in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments. regions of low rainfall. It can be grown on a Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts variety of soils and needs manual labour from for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country. Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu in 2019–20. 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. Tea: Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture. It is also an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British. Today, most of the tea plantations are owned by Indians. The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter. Tea Fig. 4.8: Sugarcane Cultivation bushes require warm and moist frost-free Fig. 4.9: Groundnut, sunflower and mustard are ready to be harvested in the field 36 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 climate all through the year. Frequent showers evenly distributed over the year ensure continuous growth of tender leaves. Tea is a labour-intensive industry. It requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour. Tea is processed within the tea garden to restore Fig. 4.10: Tea Cultivation Fig. 4.11: Tea-leaves Harvesting its freshness. Major tea- producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling Horticulture Crops: In 2018, India was the and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil second largest producer of fruits and Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal vegetables in the world after China. India is a Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits. Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, states in the country. In 2018 India was the Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, second largest producer of tea after China. oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee Coffee: Indian coffee is known in the world for (Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, its good quality. The Arabica variety initially Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, lichi and guava brought from Yemen is produced in the of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of country. This variety is in great demand all over Meghalaya, grapes of Andhra Pradesh, the world. Initially its cultivation was Telangana and Maharashtra, apples, pears, introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir today its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in and Himachal Pradesh are in great demand Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. the world over. Fig. 4.12: Apricots, apple and pomegranate Fig. 4.13: Cultivation of vegetables – peas, cauliflower, tomato and brinjal Source: Pocket book of agricultural statistics, 2020, Govt. of India. Directorate of Economics and Statistics. A GRICULTURE 37 Reprint 2024-25  India is an important producer of pea, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil and potato. Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Non-Food Crops Jute: It is known as the golden fibre. Jute grows Rubber: It is an equatorial crop, but under well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood special conditions, it is also grown in tropical plains where soils are renewed every year. High and sub-tropical areas. It requires moist and temperature is required during the time of humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 growth. West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and cm. and temperature above 25°C. Meghalaya are the major jute producing states. Rubber is an important industrial raw It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, material. It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil yarn, carpets and other artefacts. Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Technological and Institutional Reforms islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya. It was mentioned in the previous pages that agriculture has been practised in India for List the items which are made of rubber and thousands of years. Sustained uses of land are used by us. without compatible techno-institutional changes have hindered the pace of agricultural Fibre Crops: Cotton, jute, hemp and natural development. Inspite of development of sources silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India. of irrigation most of the farmers in large parts The first three are derived from the crops grown of the country still depend upon monsoon and in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of natural fertility in order to carry on their the silkworms fed on green leaves specially agriculture. For a growing population, this mulberry. Rearing of silk worms for the poses a serious challenge. Agriculture which production of silk fibre is known as sericulture. provides livelihood for more than 60 per cent of Cotton: India is believed to be the original home its population, needs some serious technical and institutional reforms. Thus, of the cotton plant. Cotton is one of the main collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, raw materials for cotton textile industry. In cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc. 2017, India was second largest producer of were given priority to bring about institutional cotton after China. Cotton grows well in drier reforms in the country after Independence. parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan ‘Land reform’ was the main focus of our First plateau. It requires high temperature, light Five Year Plan. The right of inheritance had rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and already lead to fragmentation of land holdings bright sun-shine for its growth. It is a kharif necessitating consolidation of holdings. crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature. The laws of land reforms were enacted but Major cotton-producing states are– the implementation was lacking or lukewarm. The Government of India embarked upon introducing agricultural reforms to improve Indian agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s. The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) were some of the strategies initiated to improve the lot of Indian agriculture. But, this too led to the concentration of development in few selected areas. Therefore, in the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development programme was initiated, which Fig. 4.14: Cotton Cultivation included both institutional and technical 38 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25  Fig. 4.15: Modern technological equipments used in agriculture reforms. Provision for crop insurance against Satyagraha as one of the foremost drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, satyagrahis. He was one of the votaries of establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative Gandhi’s concept of gram swarajya. After societies and banks for providing loan facilities Gandhiji’s martyrdom, Vinoba Bhave to the farmers at lower rates of interest were undertook padyatra to spread Gandhiji’s some important steps in this direction. message covered almost the entire country. Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Once, when he was delivering a lecture at Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other Pochampalli in Andhra Pradesh, some poor schemes introduced by the Government of India landless villagers demanded some land for for the benefit of the farmers. Moreover, special their economic well-being. Vinoba Bhave weather bulletins and agricultural programmes could not promise it to them immediately but for farmers were introduced on the radio and assured them to talk to the Government of television. The government also announces India regarding provision of land for them if minimum support price, remunerative and they undertook cooperative farming. procurement prices for important crops to check Suddenly, Shri Ram Chandra Reddy stood the exploitation of farmers by speculators and up and offered 80 acres of land to be middlemen. distributed among 80 land-less villagers. This act was known as ‘Bhoodan’. Later he travelled and introduced his ideas widely all Collect information about agriculture, over India. Some zamindars, owners of horticulture, agricultural schemes, etc. from many villages offered to distribute some Farmers’ Portal website https://farmer. villages among the landless. It was known gov.in/FarmerHome.aspx. Discuss about the as Gramdan. However, many land-owners benefits of the information available on chose to provide some part of their land to the portal. the poor farmers due to the fear of land ceiling act. This Bhoodan- Gramdan Bhoodan – Gramdan movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave is also Mahatma Gandhi declared Vinoba Bhave as known as the Blood-less Revolution. his spiritual heir. He also participated in A GRICULTURE 39 Reprint 2024-25  EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES EXERCISES 1. Multiple choice questions. (i) Which one of the following describes a system of agriculture where a single crop is grown on a large area? (a) Shifting Agriculture (b) Plantation Agriculture (c) Horticulture (d) Intensive Agriculture (ii) Which one of the following is a rabi crop? (a) Rice (b) Gram (c) Millets (d) Cotton (iii) Which one of the following is a leguminous crop? (a) Pulses (b) Jawar (c) Millets (d) Sesamum 2. Answer the following questions in 30 words. (i) Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical conditions required for its growth. (ii) Name one staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced. (iii) Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in the interest of farmers. 3. Answer the following questions in about 120 words. (i) Suggest the initiative taken by the government to ensure the increase in agricultural production. (ii) Describe the geographical conditions required for the growth of rice. PROJECT WORK 1. Group discussion on the necessity of literacy among farmers. 2. On an outline map of India show wheat producing areas. 40 CONTEMPORARY INDIA – II Reprint 2024-25 ACTIVITY Solve the puzzle by following your search horizontally and vertically to find the hidden answers. A Z M X N C B V N X A H D Q S D E W S R J D Q J Z V R E D K H A R I F G W F M R F W F N L R G C H H R S B S V T G B C W H E A T Y A C H B R H R T K A S S E P H X A N W J I E S J O W A R J Z H D T K C L A E G A C O F F E E Y L T E F Y M T A T S S R G I P D E J O U Y V E J G F A U O U M H Q S U D I T S W S P U O A C O T T O N E A H F O Y O L F L U S R Q Q D T W I T M U A H R G Y K T R A B F E A K D G D Q H S U O I W H W Q Z C X V B N M K J A S L 1. The two staple food crops of India. 2. This is the summer cropping season of India. 3. Pulses like arhar, moong, gram, urad contain… 4. It is a coarse grain. 5. The two important beverages in India are… 6. One of the four major fibers grown on black soils. A GRICULTURE 41 Reprint 2024-25