AGRICULTURE IN INIDA

NAME:P.RAMYA SREE

CLASS: FINAL YEAR

GROUP: B.COM [C.A]
ROLLNO: SSBN185209
MEDIUM: ENGLISH
SUBJECT: COMMERCIAL GEOGRAPHY
PROJECT: AGRICULTURE

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INTRODUCTION :-

The word 'Agriculture' is derived from the Latin word 'Ager' means Land or field and
'Culture' means cultivation. It means the science and Art of producing crops and
livestock for economic purpose. Agriculture is an art of raising plant life from the soil
for the use of mankind. Agriculture is the mile stone in the history of human
civilization, due to agriculture man settled at particular place. Agriculture is one of the
oldest and prime activities of the human being. It has remained an important source of
land. In spite of growing industrialization and urbanization in the world, nearly fifty
percent working population still engaged in agriculture. In developing Countries
agriculture sector has been a major source of employment and it has contributed to the
national economy. The basic aim of agriculture is to raise stronger and more fruitful
crops and plants and to help them for their growth by improving the soil and supplying
the water. Agriculture is a backbone of Indian economy. In India about sixty four
percent of the total population is dependent on agriculture for their live food. The

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agriculture activities in the world are closely controlled by Physical Factors. Indian
agriculture is not an exception for this, today India is facing two main problem
concerned with agriculture. The first is meeting the increasing demand of food and
other is supplying agro products for ever increasing population and the second is
uneven development of agriculture and changing pattern of agriculture land use. India
tried to be self sufficient in agriculture through the five year plans. After independence
by taking systematic efforts due to the unique importance, agriculture gets more and
more attention in every five year plans and top priority is given for the development of
agriculture in our Country. The study of land and agriculture from the geographical
point of view gained more importance after 1950. At the beginning of 1970 and later
on the green Revolution brought of remarkable change in the field of agriculture, due
to this India become not only self sufficient in food grains but it could also expert a
small quality of it. The process of agriculture development is not properly channelized
because of uneven rainfall, unavailability of basic infrastructure facilities and
unbalance allocation of resources. The green revolution is succeed only in the areas of
irrigation. In spite of lot of efforts by Government, the small farmers could not get the
benefit of it. This creates a large gap between small and big farmers and imbalanced is
created. To reduce this gap. Systematic planning is required for this purpose it is
necessary to have the detailed information of the region. The research in agriculture
geography in the region can be useful to solve the problems of the region and helpful
in planning for agriculture development. The present exposition has an attempt to
study the Sindhudurg District for the better planning and development of agriculture.
Agriculture land use is an important indicator of an appropriate use or misuse of land.
The analysis of general land use, agriculture regionalization and cropping pattern helps
to denote the intensity and status farming in an area. The study shall be entitled
changing pattern of Agriculture land use in Sindhudurg district: A Geographical
analysis. It shall be an empirical micro study which relates to agriculture land use and
changing pattern. The selection of topic and region is influenced by different
considerations. Firstly this study relates to region, popularly known as 'Konkan',

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consists of Thane, Mumbai, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg district. Geographically

all the district are synonymous to each other, to insert the accuracy and objectivity in
the study, the study will be restricted with Sindhudurg district of Konkan region only.
The region has not been studied in-depth by any researcher from the agricultural point
of view secondly, this region remains still untouched of land use planning and
development. The review of literature, on the aspects of land use and changing pattern
of agriculture land use and cropping pattern, reveals that there is no empirical study
has been done based on secondary data related to Sindhudurg district. Geographically,
Sindhudurg district has unique features to study just as the wide range of variable like
change in agricultural land use. Sindhudurg district is selected as a base study. Apart
from these, the researcher has an agricultural background and association of the study
area since long, as he working in this region will help him to knowing the changing
patterns of agriculture Land use in the study region.
Definiton of agriuculture :-
The science, art, or practice of cultivating the soil, producing crops, and raising
livestock and in varying degrees the preparation and marketing of the resulting
products
History of agriculture in india:-
The excavation of the Mehrgarh period sites that is around 8000-6000 BC throws some
startling facts about Indian agriculture that began as early as 9000 BC. The
domestication of plants and animals are reported in the subcontinent by 9000 BC.
Wheat, barley and jujube were among crops, sheep and goats were among animals that
were domesticated. This period also saw the first domestication of the elephants.

With implements and techniques being developed for agriculture settled life soon
followed in India. Double monsoons that led to two harvests being reaped in one year
in the country facilitated the settled mode of production.

In the Neolithic period roughly 8000-5000 BC, agriculture was far from the dominant
mode of support for human societies, but those who adopted it flourished. Agro

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pastoralism in India included threshing, planting crops in rows—either of two or of six

—and storing grain in granaries. They passed their techniques of agricultural
production to the next generation. This transformation of knowledge was the base of
further development of agriculture in India.

cotton spinning
Agricultural communities became widespread in Kashmir valley around 5000 BC. It
was reported that Cotton was cultivated by 5000 – 4000 BC in Kashmir.

As early as 4530 BC and 5440 BC wild Oryza rice appeared in the Belan and Ganges
valley regions of northern India. At that time hemp was also domesticated and its
applications was in number of things including making narcotics, fibre and oil.

Ancient Indian Agriculture in Indus Valley Civilization

Indus Valley civilization relied on the considerable technological achievements of the

pre-Harappan culture, including the plough. The farmers of the Indus Valley grew
peas, sesame, and dates. Rice was cultivated in the Indus Valley Civilization.
Indus civilization people practiced rainfall harvesting. At a recently discovered Indus
civilization site in western India, archaeologists discovered a series of massive
reservoirs, hewn from solid rock and designed to collect rainfall, that would have been
capable of meeting the city's needs during the dry season.

The Indus cotton industry was well developed and some methods used in cotton
spinning and fabrication.

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Agricultural activity during the second millennium BC included rice cultivation in the
Kashmir and Harrappan regions are noticed. Mixed farming was the basis of the Indus
valley economy.

Several wild cereals, including rice, grew in the Vindhyan Hills, and rice cultivation, at
sites such as Chopani-Mando and Mahagara, was underway as early as 7000 BC.
Chopani-Mando and Mahagara are located on the upper reaches of the Ganges
drainage system.

Irrigation was developed in the Indus Valley Civilization by around 4500 BC. The size
and prosperity of the Indus civilization grew as a result of this innovation. It eventually
led to more planned settlements making use of drainage and sewers.

Sophisticated irrigation and water storage systems were developed by the Indus Valley
Civilization, including artificial reservoirs at Girnar dated to 3000 BC, and an early
canal irrigation system in 2600 BC.

Archaeological evidence of an animal-drawn plough dates back to 2500 BC. Some

animalsthought to be vital for survival were worshiped. Trees were also domesticated
and worshiped. Pipal and Banyan tree was venerated. Others tress that had their
medicinal uses found mention in the holistic medical system Ayurveda.

crop protection

Ancient Indian Agriculture in Vedic period

There are repeated references to iron in the later Vedic texts (BC. 1000–500 BC).

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Cultivation of a wide range of cereals, vegetables, and fruits is described in the text.
Meat and milk products were part of the diet; animal husbandry was important. The
soil was ploughed several times. The importance of seeds was emphasised and a
certain sequence of cropping were recommended. Cow dung provided the manure and
irrigation was practiced was during this time.

Ancient Indian Agriculture in Mauryan Empire

The Mauryan Empire (322–185 BCE) categorized soils and made meteorological
observations for the agricultural use. Other Mauryan facilitation included construction
and maintenance of dams and provision of horse-drawn chariots—that was quicker
than traditional bullock carts.
The Greek diplomat Megasthenes (300 BC) in his book Indikaprovides an eyewitness
account of Indian agriculture at that time.

He writers, “India has many huge mountains which abound in fruit-trees of every kind,
and many vast plains of great fertility. The greater part of the soil is under irrigation,
and consequently bears two crops in the course of the year.In addition to cereals, there
grows millet, anddifferent sorts of pulse and rice throughout India. Since there are two
monsoons in the course of each year the inhabitants gather in two harvests annually. “

South Indian agriculture

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Ancient South Indian Agriculture

The agriculture scene of South India was equally bright in Ancient India. The Tamil
people cultivated a wide range of crops such as rice, sugarcane, millets, black pepper,
various grains, coconuts, beans, cotton, plantain, tamarind and sandalwood, Jackfruit,
coconut, palm, areca and plantain trees etc.
Systematic ploughing, manuring, weeding, irrigation and crop protection was practiced
for sustained agriculture in South India.

Water storage systems were designed during this period. Kallanai (1st-2nd century
AD), a dam built on river Kaveri, is considered the as one of the oldest water-
regulation structures in the world that is still in use.

Agriculture Trade in Ancient India

Foreign crops were introduced to India and Indian products soon reached the world via
existing trading networks. Spice trade involving spices such as cinnamon and black
peppergained momentum and India started shippingthem to the Mediterranean.

The detailed archaeological record and the Periplus of the ErythraeanSea show that
India’s trade with Roman Empire flourished. During the early centuries of the
Common Era, Chinese sericulture attracted Indian sailors.

The agrarian societyThe earliest reference of candied sugar or crystallized sugar

comes from the time of the Guptas (320-550 AD). Soon the traveling Buddhist

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monkstransmitted the process of making sugar to China. Chinese documents confirm

at least two missions to India, initiated in 647 AD, for obtaining technology for sugar-
refining.
Indian spice exports find mention in the works of IbnKhurdadhbeh (850), al-Ghafiqi
(1150), Ishak bin Imaran (907) and Al Kalkashandi (fourteenth century).

Ancient Indian Agriculture in Chola Period

The agrarian society in South India during the Chola Empire (875-1279) reveals that
collective holding of land slowly gave way to individual plots, each with their own
irrigation system during Chola rule.
The Cholas also had bureaucrats which oversaw the distribution of water, particularly
the distribution of water by tank-and-channel networks to the drier areas. The growth
of individual disposition of farming may have led to a decrease in areas of dry
cultivation.

Objectives of agriculture:-

(i) To examine the spatial distribution of crops, livestock and other agricultural
activities. The cropping patterns and crop and livestock combinations vary in space
and time. For example, the crop associations of Punjab and Haryana are different from
those of Rajasthan, Bihar and West Bengal. The causes of such variations and their
systematic explanation are one of the primary objectives of agricultural geographers.

(ii) To ascertain the spatial concentration of agricultural phenomena. There are certain
crops which have very high concentration in one area and low or insignificant
concentration in other areas. The reasons for such spatial densities are examined by
agricultural geographers.

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(iii) Crop associations and crop-livestock combinations change in space and time.
What was the crop combination in Punjab in the, pre-Green Revolution period has
changed in the post- Green Revolution period. In fact, the wheat and rice combination
in Punjab and Haryana is a recent development in the crop land use history of these
states.

This association is not going to last as many of the farmers and scientists are rightly
challenging its sustainability. There is a strong possibility of the farmers to adopt a
new combination in the coming decades. The farmers always try to optimize their
agricultural returns and adopt new innovations. The temporal change in cropping
patterns deserves investigation and explanation.

(iv) The performance of various crops in a country or region is not uniform. There are
inter-regional, intra-regional, intra-village and intra-farm variations in the production
and productivity of different crops. In other words, some areas perform better than
others agriculturally. The reasons why certain areas are lagging behind in agricultural
productivity is also a fascinating ground of agricultural geographers.

(v) Apart from the given objectives, the agricultural geographers have to diagnose at
the micro level (household and field level) the causes of existing agricultural
backwardness, and then to suggest suitable strategies to enhance productivity. This
may go a long way in alleviating the marginal and small farmers above the poverty
line in a given region.

(vi) In the developed countries and in some pockets of developing countries,

agriculture has achieved the status of ‘agribusiness’. In agribusiness agriculture has
been considered as an industry in which the ‘law of increasing return’ applies. The
geographers should make attempt to identify the impediments which are coming in the
way of making this occupation as an agribusiness.

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Agricultural geography as a sub-discipline of Human and Economic geography has

been shown in Figure 1.1. The geography of human activities is called as ‘economic
geography’ which examines the primary, secondary, tertiary and quaternary activities
of man.

Man in his primeval stage was a hunter and gatherer and during the Neolithic period he
learned the art of cultivation of crops. Thus, agriculture had been the dominant
economic activity in the past and it is still the mainstay of over two-third of the world
population. The study of agricultural geography is thus of great social relevance
among all the branches of human geography.

Features of agriculture in inida:-

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(i) Source of livelihood:

Agriculture is the main occupation. It provides employment to nearly 61% persons of
total population.

It contributes 25% to national income.

(ii) Dependence on monsoon:

Agriculture in India mainly depends on monsoon. If monsoon is good, the production
will be more and if monsoon is less than average then the crops fail. Sometimes floods
play havoc with our crops. As irrigation facilities are quite inadequate, the agriculture
depends on monsoon.

(iii) Labour intensive cultivation:

Due is increase in population the pressure on land holding increased. Land holdings
get fragmentated and subdivided and become uneconomical. Machinery and
equipment can not be used on such farms.

(iv) Under employment:

Due to inadequate irrigation facilities and uncertain rainfall, the production of
agriculture is less, farmers find work a few months in the year. Their capacity of work
cannot be properly utilised. In agriculture there is under employment as well as
disguised unemployment.

(v) Small size of holdings:

Due to large scale sub-division and fragmentation of holdings, land holding size is
quite small. Average size of land holding was 2.3 hectares in India while in Australia it
was 1993 hectares and in USA it was 158 hectares.

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(vi) Traditional methods of production:

In India methods of production of agriculture along with equipment are traditional. It
is due is poverty and illiteracy of people. Traditional technology is the main cause of
low production.

(vii) Low Agricultural production:

Agricultural production is low in India. India produces 27 Qtls. wheat per hectare.
France produces 71.2 Qtls per hectare and Britain 80 Qtls per hectare. Average annual
productivity of an agricultural labourer is 162 dollars in India, 973 dollars in Norway
and 2408 dollars in USA.

(viii) Dominance of food crops:

75% of the cultivated area is under food crops like Wheat, Rice and Bajra, while 25%
of cultivated area is under commercial crops. This pattern is cause of backward
agriculture.

Advantages of agriculture in India:-

. Food for Human beings: It provides food that can be consumed by human beings.
These include vegetables, fruits and meat.

2. Food for Animals: Animals also feed on food grown through agriculture for
instance hay, fodder, silage and more.

3. Source of Livelihood: Many people spend their lives engaging in agriculture.They

include farmers, agronomists, transporters and many others.

4. Source of Income: People earn their living directly or indirectly though agriculture.

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5. Raw Materials: Agriculture produces raw materials that are needed in

manufacturing. Examples include, sisal, cotton, bamboo and more.

6. Food Security: Agriculture is practiced to improve food security in a country.

7. Trading Commodity: Products such as wheat, corn, or tea are used as trading
commodities in the financial markets.

8. International Trade: International trade is dependent on agricultural products

which are interchanged between countries.

9. Foreign Exchange: Agricultural countries earn foreign currency by exporting

agricultural produce.

10. National Revenue: Many governments especially in developing countries earn

most of their income from agriculture.

11. Employment Opportunities: The agricultural sector is a leading employer in

many countries.

12. Economic Development: Most countries and regions have experienced economic
growth and development because of agriculture.

Disadvantages of agriculture in India:-

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1.The fertilisers and pesticides go into the soiil and kill harmful micro organisms.
2.They reduce the humus in the soil.
3. They cause no improvement of soil texture as they do not add manure to the soil.
4.They do not add different nutrients to the soil.
5. They are very expensive

Conclusion :-

India is an agricultural country. Agriculture and its allied activities act as main source
of livelihood for more than 80% population of rural India. It provides employment to
approximately 52% of labour. Its contribution to Gross Domestic product (GDP) is
between 14 to 15%. This growth in itself represents a remarkable achievement in the
history of world agriculture. India has achieved significant growth in agriculture, milk,
fish, oilseeds and fruits and vegetables owing to green, white, blue and yellow
revolutions. All these revolutions have brought prosperity for the farmers. Many
factors are responsible for these achievement viz conducive government policies,
receptivity of the farmers and also establishment of higher agricultural education
institutions. The new breed of skilled human resources were instrumental in generating
new technologies, and in its assessment, refinement and finally its dissemination to the
farming community through extension methods. In order to sustain, diversify and
realize the potential of agriculture sectors, it is necessary to develop skilled human
resources. Agricultural human resource development is a continuous process
undertaken by agricultural universities. Agricultural universities impart education in
the various disciplines of agriculture viz Agriculture, Agricultural Engineering,
Forestry, Horticulture, Veterinary and Animal Husbandry, Dairy Science, Food
Technology, Fisheries Science, Agriculture Information Technology, Agri Business
Management etc. It imparts education at the level of diploma, degree, masters and
doctoral level. At present there are 53 state agricultural universities (SAUs), five
deemed to be universities, one central agricultural university and four central

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universities with agricultural faculty. All these educational institutions get financial
and technical support from Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), New
Delhi. In Gujarat, initial education and research in agriculture and allied sciences was
taken care by Institute of Agriculture, Anand. Institute of Agriculture was established
in 1937 under the guidance of Iron of India, Shri Vallabhbhai Patel. Few agriculture
and vetenary and animal husbandry were started with certificate, diploma, graduate
and post graduate courses were started under the affiliation of Bombay University and
later Sardar Patel University. In 1972, New Agricultural University was started named
as Gujarat Agricultural University headquarter at Sardarkrushinagar, Dantiwada. Four
campuses were formed at Anand, Navsari, Junagadh and Dantiwada which look after
all education, research and extension activities at nearby location with state of Gujarat.
In 2004 implementation Gujarat Page | 115 Agricultural University Act No 5 of 2004
leads to dissolution of Gujarat Agricultural University and formation of four new
agricultural universities i.e. Anand Agricultural University, Navsari Agricultural
University, Junagadh Agricultural University and Sardarkrushinagar Dantiwada
Agricultural University. All the four University were selected for the study area.
Organizational climate defined as a psychological state strongly affected by
organizational conditions, like systems, structure and managerial behavior.
Organizational climate is perception of how things are in the organizational
environment, which is composed of variety of elements or dimensions. Although
climate has usually been used to describe organizations, the term can also use to
describe people’s perceptions of groups, or job assignments in which they work.
organizational climate having different dimensions like orientation, interpersonal
relationships, supervision, problem management, management of mistakes, conflict
management, communication, decision making, trust, management of rewards, risk
taking, innovation and change in system and process etc. were considered.
Organizational commitment is defined as the relative strength of an individual’s
identification with and involvement in particular organization. It can be characterized
by at least three factors such as a strong belief in and acceptance of the organizational

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goals and values, willingness to exert considerable effort on behalf of organization and
a strong desire to maintain membership in the organization. For the study of
organizational commitment various dimension likes organization structures,
compensation, training and development, positional tenure, career mobility, level of
autonomy, social involvement, participation etc were considered. At present, rapidly
changing world scenario organization as well as individual have to match with rapid
speed, if one lose the quantum of speed, there growth and development will hinder. So
everyone in the organization or university has to cope with it. Such study will helpful
for to know the competency of individual as well as the organization as whole. Its
outcomes help in building new guidelines for the scientist to do their job effectively
and efficiently. It is helpful for the authority and policy maker to plan the future plan
of action for the development of individual as well as university as whole. organization
can able to take some wise decision in job design, individual autonomy, position
structure, consideration, risk taking, growth and development, control over process,
recognition etc.

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