Agriculture

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Introduction

Primary Activities: It include all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.
→ Examples: Agriculture, fishing and gathering.
Secondary Activities: These are concerned with the processing of these resources.
→ Examples: Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth.
Tertiary Activities: These provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services.
→ Examples: Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising.

Agriculture

Agriculture is a primary activity.
→ It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.
In the world, 50 percent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity.
→ Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture.
Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity.
→ The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land.

Farm System

Important inputs of agriculture : seeds, fertilisers, machinery and labour
Operations : ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting
Outputs : crops, wool, dairy and poultry products

Types of Farming

Main Types:

→Subsistence Farming

→Commercial Farming

Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
Low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce small output.
Subsistence farming can be further classified as:

→Intensive Subsistence Farming

→Primitive Subsistence Farming

Intensive Subsistence Farming

Small plot of land, simple tools and more labour
Fertile soil and sunshine allow multiple crops annually
Main crop: Rice
→ Others: Wheat, maize, pulses, oilseeds
Common in monsoon regions of South, Southeast and East Asia

Primitive Subsistence Farming

Shifting Cultivation : Forest areas of Amazon, tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, Northeast India
→ Trees are felled and burnt. Crops are grown. Land is abandoned after loss of fertility.
→ Known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture
Nomadic Herding : Practised in Sahara, Central Asia, parts of India
→ Herdsmen move with animals (sheep, camel, yak, goats) in search of water and fodder

Commercial Farming

Crops grown and animals reared for sale
Large area and capital input; machinery intensive

Types:

Commercial Grain Farming
Mixed Farming
Plantation Agriculture

Commercial Grain Farming

Crops : Wheat and maize
Regions : Temperate grasslands of North America, Europe, Asia
One crop due to severe winters

Mixed Farming

Land used for crops and livestock
Regions : Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand, South Africa

Plantation

Single crop like tea, coffee, sugarcane, rubber, banana
Requires labour, capital and transportation
Examples:
→ Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka

Major Crops

Rice : High temp, humidity, rainfall; alluvial clayey soil
→ China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Egypt
Wheat : Moderate climate, loamy soil
→ USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, India
Millets : Hardy crop, grows in sandy soil
→ India, Nigeria, China, Niger
Maize : Moderate climate, fertile soil
→ North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, Mexico
Cotton : High temp, light rainfall, black/alluvial soil
→ China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil, Egypt
Jute : ‘Golden Fibre’, humid tropical areas
→ India, Bangladesh
Coffee : Hill slopes, warm wet climate
→ Brazil, Colombia, India
Tea : Cool, rainy climate, plantation crop
→ Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka

Agricultural Development

Definition : Efforts to increase farm production to meet population needs
Methods :
- Increase cropped area
- Grow more crops
- Improve irrigation
- Use HYV seeds and fertilisers
Goal: Food security

A Farm in India

Small land size, HYV seeds from market
Advice from elders/government
Uses tractors or bullocks
Uses tubewell for irrigation
Livestock for income
All family members help
Loans from banks or cooperatives
Lack of storage → forced to sell early
Government working to improve storage

A Farm in USA

Large land size, farmer lives on farm
Crops: Corn, soyabean, wheat, cotton, sugarbeet
Pest control and soil testing done regularly
Computer linked with satellite for monitoring
Precision use of fertilisers and pesticides
Modern machines: tractor, seed drill, harvester
Grain stored automatically or sent to market

MCQs

1. Deoni breed of cattle is generally found in which among the following states of India?

(a) Haryana

(b) Rajasthan

(d) Maharastra

► (d) Maharastra

2. Name the term given to the commercial rearing of silk worms to supplement the income of the farmer.

(a) Horticulture

(b) Viticulture

(d) Pisciculture

► (c) Sericulture

3. What is cultivation of grapes called’?

(a) Sericulture

(b) Viticulture

(d) Horiculture

► (b) Viticulture

4. Name the term given to Growing of Vegetables flowers and fruits for commercial use.

(a) Pisciculture

(b) Horticulture

(d) Sericulture

► (b) Horticulture

5. This type of farming is practiced in the arid and semi-arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia, and Rajasthan etc. Herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water along defined routes due to climatic constraints and terrain. Which type of farming is being referred to ?

(a) Plantation agriculture

(b) Shifting Cultivation

(d) Nomadic Farming

► (d) Nomadic Farming

6. Which of these is not commercial farming?

(a) Commercial Grain

(b) Mixed

(d) Plantation

► (c) Organic

7. Which one from the following list is a Physical Input to the agriculture system.

(a) Labour

(b) Chemicals

(d) Rainfall

► (d) Rainfall

8. Name the type of activity that includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources

(a) Livelihood

(b) Primary

(d) Secondary

► (b) Primary

9. Pick out the example of secondary economic activity from the given list of options.

(a) Agriculture

(b) Mining

(d) Processing of Steel

► (d) Processing of Steel

10. Name the term given to the Breeding of Fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds

(a) Sericulture

(b) Pisciculture

(d) Viticulture

► (b) Pisciculture

11. Pick out the approximate percentage of the world's population engaged in agriculture

(a) 10 percent

(b) 50 percent

(d) 70 percent

► (b) 50 percent

12. A few statements with respect to the farm in USA are given below. Pick out the one that is not True

(a) The farmer generally resides in the farm

(b) The farmer does not store the produce and sells even when the markets are not favorable to them.

(d) The farmer from time to time sends soil samples to the laboratory to check the nutrients

► (b) The farmer does not store the produce and sells even when the markets are not favorable to them.

13. The main motive of this type of cultivation is profit. Large area of land and a huge amount of capital is used for cultivation with latest technological advancement. Name the type of farming from the given list.

(a) Subsistence Farming

(b) Shifting Cultivation

(d) Commercial Farming

► (d) Commercial Farming

14. Which of the following crops are raised in commercial grain farming?

(a) Wheat

(b) Maize

(d) None of these

► (c) Both of these

15. The word agriculture is derived from the Latin words ager or agri and Culture meaning Cultivation. What does the word agri literally mean?

(a) Natural resource

(b) Seeds

(d) Product

► (c) Soil

16. Banking, Insurance sectors etc can be a good example of which of the following type of economic activity

(a) Tertiary

(b) Primary

(d) Primary and Secondary

► (a) Tertiary

17. Name the type of economic activities

(a) Secondary and Tertiary

(b) Primary and Secondary

(d) Primary, Secondary and Tertiary

► (d) Primary, Secondary and Tertiary

18. Name the term given to the land on which the crops are grown

(a) Arable

(b) Pasture

(d) Barren

► (a) Arable