Agriculture and Industries - Notes PDF

Agriculture and Industries - Notes Geography Copyright © 2014-2023 TestBook Edu Solutions Pvt. Ltd.: All rights reserved  Download Testbook App...

Agriculture and Industries - Notes Geography Copyright © 2014-2023 TestBook Edu Solutions Pvt. Ltd.: All rights reserved  Download Testbook App Agriculture and Industries Agriculture: Agriculture is the most fundamental form of human activity and includes not only the cultivation of crops but also the domestication of animals. Agriculture is practised under multiple combinations of physical and socio-economic conditions, which gives rise to different types of agricultural systems. Based on methods of farming, different types of crops are grown and livestock raised. The following are the main agricultural systems and their characteristic features. Subsistence Agriculture: Subsistence agriculture is one in which the farming areas consume all, or nearly all, of the products locally grown. It can be grouped into two categories — Primitive Subsistence Agriculture and Intensive Subsistence Agriculture. Primitive Subsistence Agriculture: Primitive subsistence agriculture or shifting cultivation is widely practised by many tribes in the tropics, especially in Africa, South and Central America, and Southeast Asia. The vegetation is usually cleared by fire, and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil. Shifting cultivation is thus also called slash and burn agriculture. The cultivated patches are very small and cultivation is done with very primitive tools such as sticks and hoes. After some time (3 to 5 years), the soil loses its fertility, and the farmer shifts to other parts and clears other patches of the forest for cultivation. The farmer may return to the earlier patch after some time. One of the major problems of shifting cultivation is that the cycle of jhum becomes less and less due to loss of fertility in different parcels. It is prevalent in tropical regions under different names, e.g., Jhuming in Northeastern states of India, Milpa in Central America and Mexico, and Ladang in Indonesia and Malaysia. Different Names of Shifting Cultivation Intensive Subsistence Agriculture: SUBJECT | Geography 1 of 6  Download Testbook App This type of agriculture is found largely in densely populated regions of monsoon Asia. There are two types of intensive subsistence agriculture: Intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by wet paddy cultivation: This type of agriculture is characterised by the dominance of the rice crop. Land holdings are very small due to the high density of population. Farmers work with the help of family labour leading to intensive use of land. The use of machinery is limited, and most agricultural operations are done by manual labour. Farmyard manure is used to maintain the fertility of the soil. In this type of agriculture, the yield per unit area is high but per labour productivity is low. Intensive subsistence agriculture dominated by crops other than paddy: Due to differences in relief, climate, soil, and other geographical factors, it is not practical to grow paddy in many parts of monsoon Asia. Wheat, soybean, barley, and sorghum are grown in northern China, Manchuria, North Korea, and North Japan. In India, wheat is grown in the western parts of the Indo-Gangetic plains and millets are grown in the dry parts of western and southern India. Most characteristics of this type of agriculture are similar to those dominated by wet paddy except that irrigation is often used. The Europeans colonised many parts of the world and introduced other forms of agriculture such as plantations, which were mainly profit-oriented large-scale production systems. Mixed Farming: This form of agriculture is found in the highly developed parts of the world, e.g., Northwestern Europe, Eastern North America, parts of Eurasia, and the temperate latitudes of the Southern continents. Mixed farms are moderate in size and usually the associated crops are wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, fodder, and root crops. Fodder crops are an important component of mixed farming. Crop rotation and intercropping play important roles in maintaining soil fertility. Equal emphasis is laid on crop cultivation and animal husbandry. Animals like cattle, sheep, pigs, and poultry provide the main income along with crops. Mixed farming is characterised by high capital expenditure on farm machinery and building, extensive use of chemical fertilizers and green manures, and the skill and expertise of the farmers. Plantation Agriculture: Plantation agriculture, as mentioned above, was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in the tropics. Some of the important plantation crops are tea, coffee, cocoa, rubber, cotton, oil palm, sugarcane, bananas, and pineapples. The characteristic features of this type of farming are large estates or plantations, large capital investment, managerial and technical support, scientific methods of cultivation, single crop specialisation, cheap labour, and a good system of transportation that links the estates to the factories and markets for the export of the products. The French established cocoa and coffee plantations in West Africa. The British set up large tea gardens in India and Sri Lanka, rubber plantations in Malaysia, and sugarcane and banana plantations in the West Indies. Spanish and Americans invested heavily in coconut and sugarcane plantations in the Philippines. The Dutch once had a monopoly over sugarcane plantations in Indonesia. Some coffee fazendas (large plantations) in Brazil are still managed by Europeans. Today, ownership of the majority of plantations has passed into the hands of the government or the nationals of the countries concerned. SUBJECT | Geography 2 of 6  Download Testbook App Do You Know? The slopes of hills are used for tea plantations because of favourable geographical conditions. Extensive Commercial Grain Cultivation: Commercial grain cultivation is practised in the interior parts of semi-arid lands of the midlatitudes. Wheat is the principal crop, though other crops like corn, barley, oats, and rye are also grown. The size of the farm is very large; therefore, entire operations of cultivation from ploughing to harvesting are mechanised. There is low yield per acre but high yield per person. Areas of Extensive Commercial Grain Farming Dairy Farming: Dairy is the most advanced and efficient type of rearing of milch animals. It is highly capital intensive. Animal sheds, storage facilities for fodder, feeding, and milking machines add to the cost of dairy farming. Special emphasis is laid on cattle breeding, health care, and veterinary services. It is highly labour-intensive as it involves rigorous care in feeding and milking. There is no off-season during the year as in the case of crop raising. It is practised mainly near urban and industrial centres which provide neighbourhood markets for fresh milk and dairy products. The development of transportation, refrigeration, pasteurisation, and other preservation processes have increased the duration of storage of various dairy products. There are three main regions of commercial dairy farming. The largest is North Western Europe, the second is Canada, and the third belt includes South Eastern Australia, New Zealand, and Tasmania. SUBJECT | Geography 3 of 6  Download Testbook App Areas of Dairy Farming Mediterranean Agriculture: Mediterranean agriculture is highly specialised commercial agriculture. It is practised in the countries on either side of the Mediterranean Sea, Europe, and North Africa from Tunisia to the Atlantic coast, southern California, central Chile, southwestern parts of South Africa, and south and southwestern parts of Australia. This region is an important supplier of citrus fruits. Viticulture or grape cultivation is a speciality of the Mediterranean region. The best quality wines in the world with distinctive flavours are produced from high-quality grapes in various countries in this region. The inferior grapes are dried into raisins and currants. This region also produces olives and figs. The advantage of Mediterranean agriculture is that more valuable crops such as fruits and vegetables are grown in winter when there is great demand in European and North American markets. Do You Know? Pomology – The study of growing fruits. Olericulture – science of vegetable growing. Floriculture – refers to the cultivation of flowers. Sericulture – refers to the rearing of silkworms. Viticulture – The study of grape cultivation. Co-operative Farming: SUBJECT | Geography 4 of 6  Download Testbook App A group of farmers forms a co-operative society by pooling in their resources voluntarily for more efficient and profitable farming. Individual farms remain intact and farming is a matter of cooperative initiative. Co-operative societies help farmers to procure all important inputs of farming, sell the products on the most favourable terms, and help in processing quality products at cheaper rates. The Co-operative movement originated over a century ago and has been successful in many western European countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy, etc. In Denmark, the movement has been so successful that practically every farmer is a member of a co-operative. Collective Farming: The basic principle behind this type of farming is based on social ownership of the means of production and collective labour. Collective farming or the model of Kolkhoz was introduced in the erstwhile Soviet Union to improve upon the inefficiency of the previous methods of agriculture and to boost agricultural production for self-sufficiency. The farmers used to pool in all their resources like land, livestock, and labour. However, they were allowed to retain very small plots to grow crops to meet their daily requirements. Types of Industry There are various types of industries. The major categories of industries are: On the basis of Raw material On the basis of Ownership On the basis of Work or Functions On the basis of Size On the basis of Manufactured Products On the basis of Raw Material: Different types of industries use different types of raw materials. Raw material is an object which is used to prepare new objects like cotton is used to make cotton clothes. On the basis of the raw materials used, industries are classified as: Agriculture-based Industries: These industries use the products available from farming and cattle livestock. Some of the agriculture-based industries include the sugar industry, vegetable oil and ghee, food processing products, cotton clothes, milk products, leather products, etc. Mining-based Industries: These industries use raw materials which are extracted from the earth's crust. The solid natural, extracted mineral is known as iron ore. Iron ore is used to extract iron which is used in the Iron and Steel Industry. Similarly, various ores and mines extraction industries fall into this category. Ocean-based Industries: These industries use products as raw materials that are extracted from the ocean depths. These include the conservation of oceanic edible products, fish oil preparation, salt extraction, etc. Forest-based Industries: These industries use forest products as raw materials. These include the paper industry, industries based on herbs, furniture industries, etc. SUBJECT | Geography 5 of 6  Download Testbook App On the basis of Ownership: Public or Government Industries: These are also known as public industries. The government runs these industries; some examples include Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, Bokaro Iron and Steel Plant, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited, etc. Private Industries: These industries are run by a single individual or a group of persons, like Tata Iron and Steel Company, Birla Cotton Mill, Hero Cycle, etc. Mixed or Composite Industries: This sector includes industries that are run by the government and an individual or group of individuals, like the Maruti industry. Co-operative Sector Industries: These industries are run by either raw material producers or raw material suppliers, or both. One such example is Amul or Anand Milk Union Limited. Amul is run by the owners of livestock and milk suppliers. Sugar mills in Maharashtra are also examples. On the basis of Functions: Basic Industries: These include industries that prepare raw materials for other industries, like the iron and steel industry, and petrochemical industry. Consumer Industries: The products produced by these industries are directly used by the consumer, like the soap industry, sugar industry, fruit conservation industry, etc. On the basis of Size: The size of an industry is judged by the size of the organisation, the amount of capital invested, the number of people employed, and the quantity of production. On this basis, there are four types of industries: Rural or Cottage Industries: Most of the work in such industries is done by hand. These use less technology or machines. Investment is also very low in such industries. These are traditional industries and are run by a family and its members. Some examples include pottery, handloom, jewellery making, and toys, etc. Micro or Small Scale Industries: These industries invest small amounts of capital, which is more than cottage industries. The number of workers is also fewer. Low technology is used, and there is less machinery. These include the fan industry, making machinery parts, etc. Medium Scale Industries: These industries have a bigger setup than micro industries but are smaller than small industries. More capital is invested in them as compared to micro industries. Large Scale Industries: These industries have a large amount of capital and use high levels of machinery and technology. Workers are also large in number. These firms work continuously. These include Tata Iron and Steel Company making rail engines, etc. SUBJECT | Geography 6 of 6