CBSE Class 10 Geography Chapter 4 Notes - Agriculture

Primitive Subsistence Farming - In primitive subsistence farming, popularly known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture, farmers clear a patch of land for producing cereals. When soil fertility decreases, they burn the remains on the land and move to a fresh patch of land. This is known as ‘jhumming’ or ‘jhum cultivation’ in the north-eastern states.

Intensive Subsistence Farming - Intensive Subsistence Farming is practised in highly populated land. It is labour-intensive and requires high biochemical inputs.

Commercial Farming - Commercial Framing uses high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides and insecticides.

Plantation - Plantation is a large tract of land with high capital investment where a single crop is grown. The produce from a plantation is used mostly in industries.

Cropping Patterns in India

In India, there are three cropping seasons:

1. Rabi - The sowing season is winter from October to December. The harvesting season is summer from April to June.

2. Kharif - The sowing season for Kharif crop is the rainy season between April and May. The harvesting season is September and October.

3. Zaid - Zaid crops are grown in a short season between the Rabi and the Kharif season during March and July.

Major Crops Grown in India

The different food and non-food crops grown in India are:

• Rice: The cultivation of rice, a Kharif crop requires high temperatures and high humidity. India, after China, is the second-largest rice producer in the world. Rice is cultivated in the Gangetic plains of the north and the northeast fertile plains and the deltaic regions.

• Wheat: Wheat requires a cold season for growing and bright sunshine during its ripening. It requires around 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall. It is a Rabi crop. It is grown mainly in the Ganga-Satluj plains of the north-west and the black soil region of the Deccan in India.

• Maize: Maize is a Kharif crop grown mainly in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. It is a Kharif crop used as both food and fodder. Alluvial soil is best suited for its growth.

• Pulses: Pulses form the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet. India stands as the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world. They are grown in rotation with other crops as they are leguminous and restore the fertility of the soil.

• Millets: They are coarse grains with high nutritional value:

1. Jowar: Jowar is mostly a rain-fed crop. It is the third most important crop in the country after paddy and wheat with respect to area coverage and production.

2. Bajra: Bajra is suited to grow on black soil.

3. Ragi: Ragi is a dry region crop. It grows well on almost all kinds of soil including red, sandy black, loamy, and shallow black soils.

• Sugarcane: India stands second in producing sugarcane after Brazil. It requires enormous manual labour as sowing to harvesting has to be done manually. It can be grown in any kind of soil.

• Oil Seeds: Cultivation of oil seeds cover 12% of India’s agricultural land. The primary oilseeds are mustard, groundnut, linseed, coconut, etc.

• Tea: Tea was introduced by the British in India. It is a labour-intensive industry located in the states of Assam, Darjeeling, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Tea cultivation requires extremely well-drained soil, rich in organic matter.

• Coffee: The variety of coffee produced in India is Yemen and is in great demand all over the world.

• Horticulture Crops: The country produces both tropic and temperate fruits. The major horticulture crops grown in the nation are mangoes, brinjal, potato, onion, cabbage, apples, guava, apricots and walnuts.

• Rubber: It is an equatorial crop with a requirement of more than 200 cm of rainfall. It is grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and on the Garo hills.

• Fibres: Cotton, jute and hemp are fibres grown on soil and silk is reared from cocoons of the silkworm. Cotton is a Kharif crop well suited to growing on black soil. Jute grows well in well-drained alluvial soil.

Technological and Institutional Reforms in Agriculture

Agriculture employs more than 60% of the nation’s population. This sector needs certain reforms for betterment. The Green Revolution and the White Revolution were two such reforms made to improve the agricultural sector of the country. Schemes such as the Kisan Credit Card and the Personal Accident Assurance Scheme were made to help out farmers.

Did You Know?

According to reports of 2010-11, 52% of the workforce of the country is employed by agriculture. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) and other agricultural institutions, horticulture development centres, meteorological departments, animal breeding centres, veterinary institutions were introduced aiming to improve agricultural conditions in the country.

The age-old economic activity of Farming is practised throughout the country. Over the years the techniques of farming have been changed. Newer methods have been developed with time for agricultural developments. You can download the Agriculture PDF Notes for knowing more about agriculture. Agriculture Class 10 PDF will also be beneficial for your examination revision.