Agriculture

Types of Farming in India

Primitive Subsistence Farming: This type of farming is practiced on small patches of land.
Primitive tools and family/community labour are used in this type of farming. The farming
mainly depends on monsoon and natural fertility of soil. Crops are grown as per the suitability
of the environmental condition.

This is also called ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. A patch of land is cleared by slashing the
vegetation and then the slashed plants are burnt. The ash; thus obtained is mixed with the soil
and crops are grown.

This type of farming produces just enough crops to sustain the family. After a couple of seasons,
the patch is left fallow and a new patch of land is prepared for farming. This allows the earlier
patch of land to replenish its fertility through the natural process.

Different Names of Slash and Burn Farming:

Slash and Burn Farming in India

Name Regions
Jhumming Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland
Pamlou Manipur
Dipa Bastar (Chhattisgarh) and Andaman & Nicobar Islands
Bewar or Dahiya Madhya Pradesh
Podu or Penda Andhra Pradesh
Pama Dabi or Koman or Bringa Orissa
Kumara Western Ghats
Valre or Waltre South eastern Rajasthan
Khi Himalayan belt
Kuruwa Jharkhand

Although there are different names for slash and burn farming in different regions of
India, the name 'Jhum Cultivation' or Jhumming is commonly used in this context. The
following table shows various names for slash and burn farming in different countries.

Slash and Burn Farming in World

Name Countries
Milpa Mexico and Central America
Conuco Venezuela
Roca Brazil
Masole Central Africa
Lading Indonesia
Ray Vietnam
Intensive Subsistence Farming:

This type of farming is practiced in densely populated areas. This involves high degree of use of
biochemical inputs and irrigation. There is huge pressure of population on this type of farming.

Problems of Intensive Farming: Division of land through successive generation leads to plot size
getting smaller and smaller. This makes it impossible to properly manage the farm inputs.
Moreover, large-scale farming is not possible in that case.

Commercial Farming:

This type of farming is done with the sole purpose of selling the farm produce. Various modern
inputs are used in this type of farming, e.g. HYV (High Yielding Variety) seeds, chemical
fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides. Punjab, Haryana, Western UP and some parts of
Maharashtra are the areas where commercial farming is done on large scale. However, this type
of farming is also done in many other states; like Bihar, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, etc.

Plantation: In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area. Plantation requires
intensive capital and a large number of workers. Most of the produce from a plantation is used
in various industries. Tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc. are important plantation crops.
Tea is mainly produced in the tea gardens of Assam and North Bengal, coffee is produced in
Tamil Nadu, and banana is produced in Bihar and Maharashtra. Plantation requires a well-
developed network of transport and communication, processing industries and a good market.

Cropping Patterns

India has three cropping seasons — Rabi, kharif and zaid.

 Rabi: Rabi crops are also known as winter crops. They are sown from October to
December and harvested from April to June. Wheat, barley, pea, gram and mustard are
the important rabi crops. Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir,
Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are the important producers of rabi crops.
 Kharif: Kharif crops are also known as summer crops. They are sown at the beginning of
monsoon and harvested in September-October. Paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong,
urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean are important kharif crops. Assam, West
Bengal, coastal regions of Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra,
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar are important rice growing states. In Assam, West Bengal and
Orissa; three crops of paddy are grown in a year. These are called Aus, Aman and Boro.
 Zaid: The zaid season falls in between the rabi and kharif seasons. Watermelon,
muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops are some of the crops grown in this
season. Sugarcane is planted in this season but takes almost a year to grow.

Agriculture: Major Crops

Rice: India is the second largest producer of rice; after China. It requires high temperature
(above 25°C), high humidity and annual rainfall above 100 cm. However, it can be grown with
the help of suitable irrigation in areas of less rainfall. Rice is grown in the northern plains,
northeast India, coastal areas and deltaic regions. Now-a-days, rice is also grown in Punjab,
Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh and in parts of Rajasthan. This has been possible because
of development of a dense network of canals.

Wheat: Wheat is the main food crop in north and north-western parts of India. Wheat needs 50
to 75 cm of annual rainfall which should be evenly distributed over the growing season. The
Ganga-Sutlej plains in the northwest and black soil region of Deccan are the two important
wheat-growing zones in India. Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of
Madhya Pradesh are the important wheat producing regions.

Millets: Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India. Millets are known as
coarse grains, but they have very high nutritional value.

Jowar: Maharashtra is the largest producer of jowar; followed by Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh
and Madhya Pradesh. Jowar grows in moist areas and hardly needs irrigation.

Bajra: Bajra grows well on sandy soil and shallow black soil. Rajasthan is the largest producer of
bajra; followed by Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

Ragi: Ragi grows in dry regions on red, black, sandy loamy and shallow black soils. Karnataka is
the largest producer of ragi; follower by Tamil Nadu.

Maize: Maize is used both as food and fodder. It grows well in old alluvial soil and requires a
temperature range of 21°-27°C. Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh are the major maize-producing states.

Pulses: India is the largest producer of pulses in the world. It is also the largest consumer of
pulses. Pulses are usually produced in rotation with other crops. UP, MP, Rajasthan and
Karnataka are the major pulse-producing states.

Sugarcane: Sugarcane needs hot and humid climate. It requires temperature range of 21°-27°C
and rainfall of 75 cm to 100 cm. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane, while Brazil is
the number one. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Punjab and Haryana are major sugar producing states.

Oilseeds: India is the largest producer of oilseeds. Groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesame,
soyabean, castor, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower are the main oilseeds grown in India.

Groundnut: Groundnut accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer of groundnut; followed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka,
Gujarat and Maharashtra. Groundnut is a kharif crop. Linseed and mustard are rabi crops.
Sesame is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south. Castor is grown both as rabi and kharif
crops.

Tea: Tea plants grow well in tropical and sub-tropical climates; in deep and fertile well drained
soil. The soil should be rich in humus and organic matter. Tea is a labour intensive industry.
Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are major tea-producing states. The hills of
Darjeeling are famous for the unique quality of tea produced there. India is the leading producer
of tea in the world.
Coffee: Coffee is also grown in plantations. Initially, the Arabica variety was brought from
Yemen and produced in India. The cultivation of coffee was initially introduced on the Baba
Budan Hills.

Others: India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits. Mangoes of Maharashtra,

Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee
(Meghalaya), bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, litchi and guava of
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, pineapples of Meghalaya, grapes of Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra,
apples, pears, apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh are in great
demand the world over.

Horticulture Crops: India is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. 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

Rubber: Rubber is a crop of equatorial region but it is also grown tropical and subtropical
regions. It needs moist and humid climate with rainfall more than 200 cm. A temperature range
above 25°C is required for rubber plantation. In India, rubber is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil
Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman & Nicobar islands and also in the Garo hills of Meghalaya. India
is the fifth largest rubber producer in the world.

Cotton: India is the third-largest producer of cotton. Cotton grows in dry pats of black cotton
soil of the Deccan plateau. High temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and
bright sunshine are required for the growth of cotton. The crop requires 6 to 8 months to
mature. Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu,
Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are the main cotton producing states.

Jute: Jute needs well-drained fertile soils of the flood plains. West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa
and Meghalaya are the major jute producing states.

Agriculture: Bhoodan (Gramdan and Land Reforms)

Land reform was the main focus of the First Five Year Plan. Vinoba Bhave started the Bhoodan
Andolan to encourage big landlords to donate a part of their land to the landless farmers. Many
people came out in support of Vinoba Bhave and donated land.

Small plot size hampers proper farm management. To improve the condition, the government
brought certain measures for land reform. In some states, land was redistributed so that all of
the land owned by a farmer could come on a single plot. The reform was successful in some
states (like Punjab and UP) but could not be implemented throughout the country, because of
poor response by farmers.

Green Revolution: Green Revolution was started in the 1960s and 1970s to improve farm
output. Use of new technology and HYV seeds was encouraged. Green revolution produced very
good results; especially in Punjab and Haryana.

White Revolution: White Revolution (Operation Flood) was initiated to improve milk
production in the country.
A comprehensive land development programme was launched in the 1980s and 1990s. These
programmes included both institutional and technical reforms. Provision for crop insurance
was made against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease. Gramin banks and cooperative
societies were opened in rural areas so that farmers could get access to loan facilities.

Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) and many other schemes
were introduced for the benefit of farmers.

The government owned radio and TV channels broadcast special weather bulletins and
agricultural programmes. Government also announced MSP (Minimum Support Price) so that
farmers can be saved from exploitation by middlemen.

Current Scenario: The growth in agricultural sector is going down. Reduction in import duties
on agricultural products means that farmers are facing tough competition from international
markets. Investment is not coming into agriculture and hence employment opportunities are
also showing de-growth in this sector.

The share of agriculture in GDP has being declining from 1951 onwards. Yet it continues to be
the largest employer. About 63% of the total workforce was employed in agriculture in 2001.
Decline agriculture can be an alarming situation because it has wider implications for the whole
economy.

Government is making continuous efforts to modernize agriculture. ICAR (Indian Council of

Agricultural Research), agricultural universities, veterinary services, animal breeding centres,
horticulture development, R& D in the field of meteorology, etc. are given top priority with an
aim to improve Indian agriculture. Government is also taking measures to improve rural
infrastructure.