Ch 16 – Agriculture in India

C. Write true or false. Correct the false statements.

1. False – after oilseeds are crushed, the leftover matter is used to feed cattle.
2. True
3. Manure and compost are natural fertilizers.
4. True
5. True

D. Answer the following questions:

1. What is the difference between a food crop and a cash crop?

 Food crop – These are grown for food, either to be used by the farmer
or to sell.
 Cash crop – These are grown by the farmers only to sell

2. What are the different types of crops grown in fields, plantation and
orchards?
Crops are cultivated in:
 Fields – small areas of land for crops like wheat, rice and mustard
 Plantations – large areas to grow plants and trees like tea or coconut
 Orchards – farms that only grow fruit trees like mango or apple trees

3. Explain the importance of ploughing, irrigating and fertilizing to get good

crops.
 The soil is made ready for planting by ploughing (digging and turning
over).
 Sufficient water is needed to irrigate (water) the crops. During the
growing period, the farmer cares for the crops by irrigating them and
protecting them from pests.
 The farmer adds fertilizer to make the plants grow well.

4. Write a brief paragraph on the Green Revolution.

In the mid-20th century, there was the ‘Green Revolution’. New seeds that
couild produce more food per crop were developed. These needed chemical
 fertilizers and pesticides. More and more farmers used these, so India was
able to produce enough food grains for its needs.

5. How do tractors and canals help the farmer?

In many places, farmers now use machines to do some work. For example,
tractors are used to plough the land. In some places canals have been dug to
help farmers. They carry river water to dry areas.

6. Name the livestock kept by Indian farmers.

In India the main animals kept on farms are cows, buffaloes, goat, sheep and
pigs. Cows and buffaloes are kept for their milk. India is the topmost milk
producer in the world. Other animals are kept for their meat. There are also
large poultry farms, which supply chicken and eggs to the market.

E. Crop table

Use the text and the maps in this chapter to complete the following table in

your notebook.

No Crop Climate it needs Where it grows Food/

Cash
crop
1. Rice Warm, humid climate Assam, West Bengal Food
and plenty of water
2. Tea Warm, humid climate Assam, West Bengal, Cash
hills of South India
3. Wheat Cool and dry Punjab, Haryana and Food
Uttar Pradesh
4. Jute Hot, damp climate West Bengal, Assam, Cash
Bihar and Odisha
5. Millets Dry climate Grown in the drier Food
regions of the country
6. Coconut High temperature and Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Cash
plenty of rainfall Karnataka
7. Cotton Warm and dry Punjab, Haryana, Cash
Maharashtra, Madhya
Pradesh, Gujarat,
Karnataka, Andhra
Pradesh and Tamil Nadu
8. Sugarcane Warm climate and Uttar Pradesh, Cash
enough water Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh, Karnataka and
Tamil Nadu