Geography Agriculture Notes

AGRICULTURE – GEOGRAPHY CHAPTER-4 ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS Q1. A1.

WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF AGRICULTURE IN THE INDIAN ECONOMY? The importance of agriculture in the Indian economy is 1. India is an agriculturally important country. 2. Two-thirds of its population is engaged in agricultural activities. 3. Agriculture is a primary activity, which produces most of the food that we consume. 4. Besides food grains, it also produces raw material for various industries.

Q2. A2.

Mention the three characteristics on which the Indian agriculture had been practiced? Main three characteristics of Indian agriculture is 1. Physical environment 2. Technological know-how 3. Socio-cultural practices. 4. Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type.

Q3. A3.

What are the five types of farming? 1 .Primitive subsistence farming 2. Slash and burn farming 3. Intensive subsistence farming 4. Commercial farming 5. Plantation agriculture

Q4. A4.

Write a short note on Primitive subsistence farming. 1. This type of farming is still practiced in few interior parts of India. 2.It is practiced on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, Dao and digging sticks, & family community labour. 3.This type of farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown. Write a short note on Slash and burn agriculture. The following are the characteristic features of slash and burn agriculture 1.It is‘slash and burn’ agriculture. 2. Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family. 3.When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation. 4. This type of shifting allows Nature to replenish the fertility of soil through natural processes. 5.Productive is low as farmer uses natural fertilizers & simple tools

Q5. A5. .

Q6. A6.

What are the local names of the shifting cultivation? 1. It is jhumming in north-eastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland; 2. Pamlou in Manipur, 3. Dipa in Bastar district of Chattishgarh, and in Andaman and Nicobar 4. ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya Pradesh, 5. ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh 6. Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Orissa,

7. ‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or ‘Waltre’ in South-eastern Rajasthan, 8. ‘Khil’ in the Himalayan belt, 9. ‘Kuruwa’ in Jharkhand, The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture is known by other name in different parts of the world such as 1. ‘Milpa’ in Mexico and Central America, 2. ‘Conuco’ in Venzuela, ‘Roca’ in Brazil, 3. ‘Masole’ in Central Africa, 4. ‘Ladang’ in Indonesia, 5. ‘Ray’ in Vietnam. Q7. A7.

Write a short note on Intensive subsistence farming? 1. This type of farming is practiced in areas of high population pressure on land. 2. It is labour intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production.

Q8. A8.

Why there is an enormous pressure on the agricultural land? 1. The ‘right of inheritance’ leading to the division of land among successive generations has rendered land-holding size uneconomical, 2. The farmers continue to take maximum output from the limited land in the absence of alternative source of livelihood. 3. Thus, there is enormous pressure on agricultural land.

Q9. A9.

What are the main characteristics of commercial farming? The main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of higher doses of modern inputs,

Q10.

Can you give some more examples of crops which may be commercial in one region and may provide subsistence in another region? The degree of commercialization of agriculture varies from one region to another. For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but in Orissa, it is a subsistence crop. Sugarcane is the commercial crop in Tamil Nadu but rice is the staple crop.

A10.

Q11. A11.

Write a note on the plantation farming. 1. Plantation is also a type of commercial farming. In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.(MONOCULTURE) 2. The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. 3. Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant laborers. All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries. 4. Example: In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc. are important plantation crops. Other examples are Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in Karnataka. 5. Production is for the market so a well developed network of transport & communication connecting plantation areas, processing industries & markets plays an important role in development of plantation.

Q12. A12.

Explain the three crop pattern season. The three crop pattern seasons are Kharif, Rabi and zaid.

A) KHARIF i) ii) iii)

iv) v)

Kharif crops are sown with the onset of Monsoon in different parts of India 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 soya bean. Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions Of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan Coast) along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Recently, paddy has also become an important commercial crop of Punjab and Haryana. In states like Assam, West Bengal and Orissa, three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These are Aus, Aman & Boro B) RABI i) Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June. ii) Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. iii) Though, these crops are grown in large parts of India, states from the north and northwestern parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh are important for the production of wheat and other Rabi crops. iv) Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops. v) 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 Rabi crop. C)

i) ii) iii)

ZAID

In between the Rabi and the Kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season. Some of the crops produced during ‘Zaid’ are watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops. Sugarcane takes almost a year to grow.

Q13. Explain how the growing population is a serious threat to the Indian agriculture? A13. As agriculture is practiced in India for centuries this has resulted in: a) Sustained uses of land without compatible techno-institutional changes that has hindered the pace of agriculture development. b) Even though new sources of irrigational are available still many farmers depend on monsoon, natural fertility for agriculture. c) Thus for the growing population it is a very serious threat.

Q14. A14.

What were the initiatives taken by the government of India in the 1 st five year plan towards agriculture? Why it was not properly implemented? 1. Collectivization 2. Consolidation of holdings 3. Cooperation and 4. Abolition of zamindari These were the provisions of Land reform as per first 5 year plan but right to inheritance has fragmented the land holdings needed for consolidation So, the law on land reform was not implemented properly.

Q15. A15.

Mention the two reforms initiated by the government of India in the year 1960s & 1970s? 1. in 1960 & 70 Green revolution was introduced based on package technology 2. White revolution (operation flood), but it had its impact only in few areas.

Q16.

Mention the comprehensive institutional and technological reform introduced by the government in the year 1980s? In 1980, 90, a comprehensive institutional and technological reform introduced: 1 .Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, 2. Establishment of grameen bank, for providing loan facilities at low interest. Kissan credit card (KCC), personal Accidental Insurance scheme (PAIS), 3. Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced on radio and television. 4. Government announced minimum support price, remunerative and procurement price to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen

A16.

Q17. A17.

Why Vinobha Bave’s movement is called as Blood less Revolution? 1. It was a movement where the landless peasants received the agricultural land from the land owners without any revolt or rebellion. 2. Many of the land owners and zamindars donated lands and villages to the landless peasants 3. As per Gandhiji’s concept of gram swarajya, Vinobha Bhave was able to reach the villagers.

Q18. A18.

What does the GDP of agriculture shows? Why it is serious concern? 1. Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy but its share in the GDP show a declining trend from 1951 and its share in providing employment and livelihood is high (63%) in 2001. 2. The decline in the share of agriculture in GDP is serious concern Because: any decline and stagnation in agriculture will lead to decline in other spheres of economic development. What are the efforts made by the Indian government to improve upon the agricultural development? Concrete efforts are made by government of India to

Q19. A19.

Q20. A20.

1. modernize agriculture 2. Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), 3. agricultural universities, 4. veterinary services and animal breeding centre's, 5. horticulture, 6. research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast were given priority for improving Indian agriculture, 7. improving rural infrastructure Describe the international challenges faced by the Indian farmers due to globalization? 1. At present, Indian farmers are facing a big challenge from international competition 2. Indian government is going ahead with reduction in the public investment in agriculture sector particularly in irrigation, power, rural roads, market and mechanization. 3. Subsidy on fertilizers is decreased leading to increase in the cost of production. 4. Moreover, reduction in import duties on agricultural products has proved detrimental to agriculture in the country. 5. Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture causing a downfall in the employment in agriculture