Agriculture Notes

Notes of Chapter 4 Agriculture Class 10 Geography

1. Types Of Farming 

2. Cropping Pattern 

3. Major Crops

     • Food crops

     •  Non food crops

4. Technological and institutional reforms 

5. Food security 

6. Impact of globalisation on agriculture 

Introduction 

Agriculture:- The art of cultivating the field and the rearing of livestock is referred to as agriculture.

 It is a primary activity which produce most of the food grains, raw materials for industries and products like tea, coffee and spices to be exported.

1. Types of farming

a) Primitive subsistence farming 

b) Intensive subsistence farming 

c) Commercial farming 

A. Primitive subsistence farming 

The farming in which primitive tools like hoe, dao are used with the help of family or community labour is referred to as primitive subsistence farming.

Features

➡️ It depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil, therefore land productivity is very low. 

➡️ It is also known as slash and burn agriculture as --- The farmers cut the trees and burn them into ashes and then sow the seeds therein. 

➡️ The farmers leave this land after harvesting and move to find a fresh patch of land. 

➡️The crops are grown only for the survival of the farmers, and not for the sale. 

B.Intensive subsistence farming 

The farming method which is also done for the survival of the community members  only but with the help of irrigation and biochemical inputs. 

Features

➡️ It is practised in areas with high population pressure on land. 

➡️In this farming system, land productivity is much better than that of primitive farming method. 

C. Commercial Farming 

The farming method in which crops are grown for earning profits by selling it is known as commercial farming. 

Plantation 

It is a type of commercial farming in which  a single crop is grown on a large area .

E. G:- Tea, coffee, sugarcane etc are the major plantation crops in India. 

Features

➡️Very high dose of fertilisers,HYV seeds, insecticides and pesticides are used. 

➡️ In this farming method, Land productivity is very high. 

➡️ It requires intensive labour and large patches of land. 

➡️ It gets connected with the industries through the well developed network of transportation and roads. 

2. Cropping Pattern 

There are three patterns of cropping which can also be referred to as cropping season. 

a) Rabi 

    Sown -- In winter (Oct-- Dec) 

    Harvested -- In summer (April --June) 

    Region --- North and northwestern parts of India (Punjab, Haryana, UP etc) 

    Examples -- Wheat, Barley, peas, gram etc. 

Note -- Green Revolution and western temperate cyclone are keyfactors in the growth of Rabi crops. 

b)  Kharif 

   Sown -- With the onset of the monsoon 

    Harvested -- Sept to oct

     States --- West Bengal ,Assam, Odisha etc. 

     Examples --- Paddy, Jowar, Bajra ,Maize🌽 ,Cotton, Jute etc. 

Note -- In Assam ,West Bengal and Odisha three crops of paddy(Aman,Boro,Aus) are grown in a year.

c) Zaid 

  The short season during the summer months between Rabi and Kharif seasons is known as Zaid season. 

e. g:- Watermelon 🍉 ,Muskmelon, cucumber etc. 

3. Major Crops

Food Crops 

a) Rice (Kharif) 

➡️ It is the staple food crop of a majority of Indian.

Geographical Requirement 

Temperature -- Above 25 degree Celsius 

Rainfall -- Annual rainfall ☔ above 100 cm. 

 Note -- In the areas of less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation. 

Regions -- Northern plains, North-eastern states, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.

b) Wheat (Rabi) 

➡️ This is the second most important cereal. 

Geographical requirement 

Temperature : cold during the growing season and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening. 

☔ Rainfall :  50-75 cm

Wheat growing zones 

a) The Ganga-Satluj plains in the north-west. 

b) Black soil region of the Deccan. 

States -- Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar etc. 

c) Millets 

They are coarse grains but they have very high nutritional value.

e. g :- Jowar,  Bajra and Ragi

Jowar

➡️It is the third most important food crop in India with respect to area and production. 

➡️ It is a rain-fed crop which means it entirely depends upon rainfall and hardly requires any irrigation. 

States -- Maharashtra, Karnataka etc. 

Bajra

➡️It grows well on sandy and shallow black soils. 

States -- Rajasthan, UP, Maharashtra etc. 

Ragi

➡️ This is a crop of dry regions .

➡️This grows well on red, black, loamy and sandy soils. 

➡️ Ragi is very rich in iron, calcium and roughage etc. 

d) Maize(Kharif)🌽 

➡️It is a crop used as both food and fodder. 

Geographical requirement 

Temperature : 21 to 27 degree Celsius 

Soil : Old alluvial soil 

Note -- It is a kharif crop but in some states it is grown in rabi season also. 

e. g: Bihar

States -- Karnataka, UP, Bihar etc.

e) Pulses 

➡️ India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world. 

➡️ These are the major sources of protein in a vegetarian diet. 

➡️Major pulses grown in India are arhar, urad, moong, masur ,peas and gram. 

Features 

a. Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.

b.  They help in restoring soil fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air. 

c. Therefore these crops are mostly grown in rotation with other crops. 

d. Major Pulses producing states are MP, UP,Rajasthan etc. 

Food crops other than grains

a) Sugarcane

➡️ It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop.

Geographical requirement :

Temperature: 21°C to 27°C 

 Rainfall :75cm to 100cm. Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall. 

 ➡️ It is the main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses. 

➡️ The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka etc. 

b) Oil Seeds

 ➡️ Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut,mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower. 

Use : a) Most of these are edible and used

as cooking mediums. 

b) They are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.

Groundnut

➡️It is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country. 

➡️Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut.

d) 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.

Climate :warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year.

Soil :  deep and fertile well-drained soil,  Rainfall : Frequent showers evenly distributed over the year

Labour : It requires abundant,cheap and skilled labour.

States:Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts.

d) Coffee 

➡️ Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality. 

➡️The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country. 

➡️This variety is in great demand all over the world.

➡️ Intially its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills .

e) Horticulture Crops

India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.

Fruits                   States

 Mangoes --- Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh

oranges --- Nagpur and Cherrapunjee 

Bananas  --  Kerala, Mizoram

 lichi and guava --  UP and Bihar

Pineapples  -- Meghalaya

Grapes -- Andhra Pradesh, Telangana

Apples, pears ---  J&K and Himachal Pradesh 

Vegetables 

➡️India produces about 13 per cent of the

world’s vegetables.

 ➡️It is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato.

Non-Food Crops

a) Rubber

Geographical requirement 

 Rainfall : More than 200 cm

 Temperature : above 25°C.

➡️Rubber is an important industrial raw

material for making tyres etc. 

➡️ It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil

Nadu etc. 

b) Fibre Crops: Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.

The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil, the latter is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms. It feeds on green leaves specially mulberry. 

Notes -- Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.

Cotton(kharif)

➡️Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry.

Soil : Drier parts of the black cotton soil 

Temperature : High temperature

Rainfall : Light rainfall or irrigation

 States :Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh etc. 

Jute:

➡️It is known as the golden fibre.

Soil : well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains. 

Temperature :High temperature is required during thetime of growth. 

States :West Bengal, Bihar, Assam,

Odisha and Meghalaya are the major jute

producing states. 

Use: It is used in making gunny

bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets etc.

Loss : Due to its high cost, it is losing

market to synthetic fibres and packing

materials, particularly the nylon.

4. Technological and Institutional reforms 

#Land Reforms after independence 

a. Collectivisation

b.  Consolidation of holdings 

c. Abolition of Zamindari

#Further reforms

The laws of land reforms were enacted but it was not implemented strictly. The government of India made following agricultural reforms to improve agriculture. 

a.  Green Revolution 

b. White Revolution (Operation flood) 

These were limited to a few selected areas. 

#Comprehensive land development programme 

a.  Provision for crop insurance against natural calamities. 

b. Setting up of Grameen Banks.

c. Kisan credit card (KCC) 

d. Personal accident insurance scheme (PAIS) 

e.  Special programmes on Radio and TV for awareness about agriculture. 

Bhoodan - Gramdan Movement 

This movement was initiated by Vinoba Bhave (spiritual heir of Gandhiji). 

In this movement many rich landlords donated their land as well as villages to landless people. 

Note- This movement is also known as blood-less revolution. 

#Contribution of agriculture to the National economy

Agriculture's share in GDP --- declining from 1951.

Effects of decline 

It will lead to decline in other spheres of the economy. 

#Steps taken by the government to modernize agriculture 

a. Setting up of ICAR(Indian Council of Agricultural Research) 

b.  Vetenary services and animal breeding centre. 

c.  Horticulture development 

d.  Research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast. 

6. Impact of globalisation on agriculture 

History 

Globalisation is not a new phenomenon.

a.  European's arrival 

       European traders came to India to take spices to the different countries of the world.This encouraged the farmers of south India to grow these crops. 

b. In British period

       During the British period cotton belts of India attracted the British .They took Cotton as raw materials to their textile industry. 

c.  Champaran movement 

The champaran movement was started because farmers of that region were forced to grow indigo. 

After 1990

After 1990, farmers in India were not able to compete with the developed countries in agriculture due to -----------highly subsidised agriculture in those countries.