GEOGRAPHY: AGRICULTURE

AGRICULTURE AND INDIA

● India is an agriculturally important country.
● ⅔ of population practices agriculture

AGRICULTURE
○ Primary activity

○ Produces food grains, raw materials, and other products like tea, coffee, spices, etc.

○ Cultivation depends on the characteristics of:

■ Physical environment
■ Technological know-how
■ Socio-cultural practices
○ Varies from subsistence to commercial type

TYPES OF FARMING

PRIMITIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING local consumption only

1. Practiced in very few parts of India.
2. Small patches of land cultivated using primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and
family/community labour
3. Depends upon:
a. Monsoon
b. Natural fertility of soil and other environmental conditions

SLASH AND BURN AGRICULTURE

● Farmers clear a patch of land, produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family
● As soil fertility decreases, they abandon the present land and move to another to continue
the same process
○ This type of cultivation allows nature to replenish the soil by natural processes
○ However land productivity is low as they do not use fertilisers

The different names of ‘slash and burn agriculture’

● NE states (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland): jhumming

● Manipur: Pamlou

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 ● Bastar district of Chhattisgarh, A&N islands: Dipa
● Mexico and Central US: Milpa
● Brazil: Roca
● Central Africa: Masole
● Indonesia: Ladang
● Vietnam: Ray

INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING local consumption and exchange of goods

● Practised in areas of high population pressure on land

● Is labour-intensive (uses more labour than tools)

● Modern tools (high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation) are used to increase
production

● ‘Right of inheritance’ is still followed, but everyone makes maximum input from the
available land

● This causes lots of pressure on agricultural land

COMMERCIAL FARMING
● Main objective is higher production, done by using modern technology like:
○ High yielding variety (HYV) seeds
○ Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides
● Degree of commercialisation varies from state to state
○ Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab and Haryana, but a subsistence crop in Odisha

PLANTATION: an example

● A single crop is grown on a large plot of land

● Inputs used: capital intensive inputs and migrant labourers

Major plantation crops in India:

○ Tea
○ Coffee
○ Rubber
○ Sugarcane
○ Banana
○ Assam: tea
○ Karnataka: North Bengal coffee
● Produce is used as raw material in industries
● Transport and communication networks are well-developed to connect the industries and
plantations

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CROPPING PATTERN

CROP SOWN HARVESTED IMPORTANT AREAS GROWN OTHER INFO

SEASON CROPS

RABI October April to June Wheat, barley, N and NW India: FACTORS:

to (summer) peas, gram, Punjab, Haryana, Precipitation during
December mustard Himachal Pradesh, winter due to western
(winter)
J&K, UP, Uttarakhand temperate cyclones
helps
Green revolution also
leads to success

KHARIF Onset of September Paddy, maize, Assam, West Bengal, Paddy: imp. Crop of
monsoon to October jowar, bajra, coastal areas of Punjab and Haryana
tur, moong, Odisha, Andhra Assam, West Bengal and
urad, cotton, Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha:
jute, groundnut, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, 3 crops of paddy are
soyabean Maharashtra, UP, grown in a year: Aus,
Bihar Aman, Boro

CROP SEASON TIME OF CULTIVATION

IMPORTANT CROPS

ZAID Short season during summer Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, veggies and
months, between rabi and kharif fodder crops;
seasons sugarcane (takes a year to grow)

TYPES OF CROPS

FOOD CROPS WITH GRAIN

1. RICE
➔ grown in kharif season
➔ staple food crop of majority of Indians
➔ requires high temperature of above 25°C and high humidity with rainfall above 100cm
○ India is second largest producer in world (after China)
○ grown in:
■ N and NE India in plains
■ coastal and deltaic regions
● accommodation in areas with lesser rainfall (Punjab, Haryana,W UP and parts of Rajasthan):

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 ○ irrigation is used
○ dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells

2. WHEAT
● rabi crop
● second most important cereal crop
● main food crop, in N and NW India
○ requires:
■ cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening.
■ 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly-distributed over the growing season.
● two important wheat-growing zones in the country:
○ the Ganga-Satluj plains in the NW
○ black soil region of the Deccan.
● major wheat-producing states:
○ Punjab ○ Bihar
○ Haryana ○ Rajasthan
○ UP ○ parts of MP

3. MILLETS
● Jowar, Bajra and Ragi are the important millets grown in india
● the grains are coarse, but have high nutritional value, as follows:
a. RAGI
● rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage
○ crop of dry regions
○ grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils.
● largest producers:
- Karnataka, followed by Tamil Nadu.
- Apart from these states, Himachal Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Sikkim, Jharkhand
and Arunachal Pradesh are also important producers
b. JOWAR
● 3rd most important for crop (with respect to area and production)
○ rain-fed crop, grown in moist soils
○ doesn't need much irrigation
● largest producers:
- Maharashtra
- Karnataka
- Andhra Pradesh
- Madhya Pradesh
c. BAJRA
● grows well on sandy and shallow black soil

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 ○ largest producers:
■ Rajasthan followed by UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana
4. MAIZE
● kharif crop
● Used as food and fodder
○ Requires temperature between 21C and 27C
○ Grows well in old alluvial soil
● In some states (like Bihar) maize is grown in rabi season
★ Modern inputs (HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation) help increase crop yield
● Major producers:
○ Karnataka ○ Andhra Pradesh
○ Uttar Pradesh ○ Telangana
○ Bihar ○ Madhya Pradesh

5. PULSES / LEGUMINOUS CROPS

● India is largest producer and consumer
● Major source of protein in vegetarian diet
● Major pulses grown:
○ Tur ○ Masur
○ Urad ○ Peas
○ Moong ○ Gram
● Need less moisture
● Can survive in dry conditions
● As they are leguminous crops, all of the above (except tur/arhar) can help restore soil
fertility by fixing nitrogen in air
● Are thus mostly grown in rotation with other crops (so other crops can benefit from this
property)
● Major producers:
○ Madhya Pradesh ○ Rajasthan
○ Uttar Pradesh ○ Karnataka
○ Maharashtra

FOOD CROPS WITHOUT GRAINS

1. SUGARCANE
a. tropical and subtropical crop
b. Grows well in hot and humid climate with:
i. temperature of 21C to 27C
ii. annual rainfall between 75-100 cm
c. Irrigation needed in areas with lesser rainfall

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 d. Can be grown in variety of soils
e. Needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting
f. Main source of sugar, gur/jaggery, khandsari and molasses
A. India is second largest producer (after Brazil)
B. Major producers:
i. Uttar Pradesh vi. Telangana
ii. Maharashtra vii. Bihar
iii. Karnataka viii. Punjab
iv. Tamil Nadu ix. Haryana
v. Andhra Pradesh

2. OIL SEEDS
a. India was second largest producer (after China) in 2008
b. In rape seed production India was third largest producer (after Canada and China) in 2008
c. Different oil seeds are grown
d. Covers 12% of total cropped area
e. Main oil seeds grown:
f. Most are edible and used in cooking
g. Some others are also used in production of soap, cosmetics and ointments
i. groundnut
● kharif crop
● accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced
● Gujarat was the largest producer, followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
in 2011-12
ii. mustard (rabi) v. linseed (rabi)
iii. sesamum (til) [kharif in N, vi. coconut
rabi in S] vii. soyabean
iv. castor seeds (rabi and viii. cotton seeds
kharif) ix. sunflower

3. TEA
● Example of plantation
a. Important beverage crop introduced to India by British
b. At present, most tea plantations are owned by Indians
c. India was 3rd largest producer (after China and Turkey) in 2008
I. Grows well in:
i. Tropical and subtropical climate
ii. Deep and fertile well-drained soil,, rich in humus and organic matter
II. Requires:
i. warm and moist frost-free climate throughout year

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 ii. Frequent even-distributed showers
iii. Cheap and skilled labour (is a labour intensive industry)
● Processed within tea garden to restore freshness
A. Major producers:
● Assam ● Tamil Nadu and
● Hills of Darjeeling and Kerala
Jalpaiguri districts
● West Bengal
B. Others:
● Himachal Pradesh ● Meghalaya
● Uttarakhand ● Andhra Pradesh

4. COFFEE
a. India produced 3.2 per cent of the world coffee production in 2008
b. Indian coffee is known for its good quality
c. The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country, and is in
great demand all over the world
d. cultivation was initially introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even today its cultivation is
confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

HORTICULTURE CROPS
● In 2008 India was the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables (after China)
● produces tropical and temperate fruits
● Fruits in worldwide demand:

mangoes Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,

Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal

oranges
Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)

bananas
Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu

Litchi and guavas Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

pineapples Meghalaya

grapes
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra

Apples, pears, apricots and walnuts

Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh

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 ○ India produces about 13% of the world’s vegetables
● Important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato

NON-FOOD CROPS
1. RUBBER
a. An equatorial crop
b. Can be grown in tropical and subtropical areas in special conditions
c. Requires:
i. Moist and humid climate
ii. 220 cm+ rainfall
iii. Temperature above 25C
d. Important industrial raw material
e. India was 4th among world’s natural rubber products
f. Main producers:
i. Kerala iv. Andaman and Nicobar
ii. Karnataka islands
iii. Tamil Nadu v. Garo hills of Meghalaya

FIBRE CROPS
1. COTTON
a. India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant
b. In 2008 India was the second largest producer (after China)
c. Cotton is one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry
d. Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau
e. Requires:
i. high temperature iii. 210 frost-free days
ii. light rainfall or irrigation
iv. bright sun-shine for its growth
f. It is a kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
g. Major producers:
i. Maharashtra vi. Telangana
ii. Gujarat vii. Tamil Nadu
iii. Madhya Pradesh viii. Punjab
iv. Karnataka ix. Haryana
v. Andhra Pradesh x. Uttar Pradesh
2. JUTE
a. Known as golden fibre
b. grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every
year.
c. High temperature is required during the time of growth.

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 d. Major producers:
i. West Bengal iv. Odisha
ii. Bihar v. Meghalaya
iii. Assam
e. used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.
f. Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials, particularly
the nylon

TECHNOLOGICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL REFORMS

● Lack of techno-institutional development hindered the pace of agricultural development

● Even if irrigation is developed, in many places, farmers are still dependent on monsoon and natural
fertility.
● Since this may not always be available, it creates a problem in a country like India where the
population is constantly rising

WHY A SOLUTION IS SO IMPORTANT:

● 60% of population is engaged in agriculture and people are dependent on agricultural products for
food

REFORMS TAKEN BY GOVERNMENT:

1. LAND REFORMS:

main focus of India’s first Five Year Plan

Laws were enacted but implementation was lacking

Green and white revolution were also some of the strategies but it led to development only in certain areas