Question

How did farming in the Northeast differ from that in the South?

Answer 1

Hint: Agriculture is an age-old economic activity practised in India on a very large scale. The farming pattern between Northeast and South India presents a stark contrast between the two regions because of geographical regions.

Complete answer:
> In the Northeast region, the type of farming is mostly subsistence in nature, while on the other hand the farming system in South India is mostly commercial in nature.
1. Northeast: The most predominant type of cultivation method seen in the Northeast is shifting cultivation, also known as Jhum or Slash and burn method. Shifting cultivation is a relatively primitive type of subsistence farming where a plot of land is cultivated for one or even three years. Mostly paddy is sown, but other vegetables and crops like bean, pumpkin, cucumber etc are also sown. Rice, Millets, Maize Pumpkin, Squash, Tea, Orange etc is also produced here.
Horticulture and plantation is also a popular method of farming in the region owing to favourable climatic conditions and abundant rainfall, various types of fruits and plantation crops can be grown here. Terrace cultivation is also practised in some regions.
2. South India: In the south, Commercial agriculture is a common feature of the region.
Plantation farming is a common example of commercial agriculture where the system is characterised by cultivating single cash crops in plantation estates on a large scale by using advanced tools and machinery, transport and irrigation and better pesticides and fertilizers.

> Examples of this type of farming are coffee plantations grown in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and rubber plantations in Kerala. Some of the main crops cultivated in South India include paddy, Sugarcane, cotton, Tea, rubber, vanilla, pepper, and cardamon are cultivated. Coconut grows in abundance in coastal areas.

Note:The nature of farming between these regions is very different. One is relatively traditional and small scale and subsistence in nature, while the other is mostly export oriented, cultivating mostly cash crops.