Agriculture Class 10 Notes: CBSE Geography Chapter 4

Agriculture, an age-old economic activity. About two-thirds of our population is engaged in agriculture. Agriculture not only produces grains but also raw materials for many industries.

Types of Farming

Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type.

At present the following farming systems are practiced:

1. Primitive Subsistence Farming

• It is also called slash and burn agriculture.

• This type of farming is majorly practiced on small patches, using primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks. Family and community labor are involved in this type of farming. 

• Nature plays a significant role in this type of farming. The production depends upon fertility, monsoon and suitability of other environmental conditions.

• First, a patch of land is cleared and then food crops are grown on it. After the soil fertility decreases, they shift to another patch which allows the previous patch to replenish the nutrients and new fertile land for plantation.

• No modern equipment or advanced farming techniques are used in this type of farming.

2. Intensive Subsistence Farming

Usually practiced in areas where there is high pressure of production on land. Various biochemical inputs and modern irrigation techniques are used to aid production.

3. Commercial Farming

• High doses of high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, fertilizers, insecticides and 

• pesticides are used.

• Rice is a commercial crop in Haryana.

• Another type of commercial farming is plantation in which a single crop is grown over a large area.

• In India, tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana, etc.. are important plantation crops. Tea in Assam and North Bengal coffee in Karnataka are some of the important plantation crops grown in these states.

Cropping Patterns

Three cropping seasons:

1. Rabi

• Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June.

• Wheat, barley, peas, gram, and mustard are major rabi crops.

• states from the north and northwestern parts such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh grow most quantities of wheat and other rabi crops.

2. Kharif

• Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon and are harvested in September-October.

• Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean. 

• Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.

3. Zaid

• A short season during the summer months, in between the rabi and the Kharif seasons is known as the Zaid season.

• Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops are some of the major zaid crops.

Major Crops

1. Rice

• India is the second-largest producer of rice in the world after China.

• It is a Kharif crop and requires elevated temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

• Major rice production is found in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas, and the deltaic regions.

2. Wheat

• It requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall.

• There are two important wheat-growing zones in the country – the Ganga-Satluj plains in the northwest and the black soil region of the Deccan.

• The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, and parts of Madhya Pradesh

3. Millets

• Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.

• Jowar is a rain-fed crop cultivated in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh

• Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil. 

• Major Bajra producing States were: Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana.

• Ragi grows well on dry red, black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. 

• Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

4. Maize

• It is a Kharif crop and requires a temperature between 21°C to 27°C.

• Grows well in old alluvial soil. 

• Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.

5. Pulses

• Major pulses cultivated are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, and peas.

• They help in restoring soil fertility as there are leguminous crops and nitrogen fixation. These crops are grown in rotation with cereal crops.

• Major pulse producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Food Crops other than Grains

1. Sugarcane

• It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. 

• It grows well in a hot and humid climate and 21°C to 27°C as temperature

• Rainfall between 75cm and 100cm is required for its proper cultivation.

• India is the second-largest producer of sugarcane, after Brazil.

• Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana are major producers of sugarcane.

2. Oil Seeds

• In 2008 India was the second largest producer of groundnut in the world after China. 

• 12 percent of the total cropped area of the country is used for the cultivation of various oil crops.

• Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed, and sunflower.

• Groundnut is a kharif crop.

• Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. 

• Linseed and mustard are rabi crops. 

• Sesamum is a Kharif crop in the north and a rabi crop in south India. 

• Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crops.

3. Tea

• Tea is a labour-intensive industry.

• Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala are major tea producing states in India. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country. 

• India was the third-largest producer of tea after China and Turkey in 2008.

4. Coffee

• In 2008 India produced 3.2 per cent of the world coffee production.

• It is cultivated in the Nilgiris in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu.

5. Horticulture Crops

• In 2008 India was the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world after China.

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

• India produces 13 per cent of the world’s vegetables. 

Non-food Crops

1. Rubber

• It grows in a moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm and temperature above 25°C.

• It is grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya

• India ranked fourth among the world’s natural rubber producers.

2. Fiber Crop

l. Silk

• It is obtained from cocoons of the silkworms that feeds on mulberry leaves. 

• The rearing of silkworms to produce silk fibre is known as sericulture.

II. Cotton

• India was the second-largest producer of cotton after China in 2008

• It grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau.

• It requires elevated temperature, light rainfall, and irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.

• It is a Kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature. 

• Major states are– Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

III. Jute

• It is known as golden fibre.

• Elevated temperature is required for its growth.

• West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya are the major jute producing states. 

Technological and Institutional Reforms

1. The main focus of the First Five Year Plan by the government was ‘land reform’. 

2. The Government of India introduced agricultural reforms in the 1960s and 1970s to improve agriculture.

3. The Green Revolution and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) were some of the strategies adopted to improve Indian agriculture.

4. In the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development programme was initiated, which included both institutional and technical reforms. 

5. Important steps like provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, the establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.

6. Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers

7. The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for important crops which helps to increase farmer’s profit and promotes them to grow more crops.

Contribution of Agriculture to the National Economy, Employment and Output

• In 2010-11 about 52 per cent of the total workforce in India was employed under the farming sector. 

• More than half of the Indian population is dependent on agriculture for their sustenance

• The establishment of the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), agricultural universities, veterinary services and animal breeding centres, horticulture development, research, and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast, etc. were given priority for improving Indian agriculture. 

Food Security

• If any segment of our population does not have this access, that segment suffers from lack of food security.

• The remote areas of the country are more prone to natural disasters and uncertain food supply.

• The government has resorted to two components (a) buffer stock and (b) public distribution system (PDS), to ensure food availability to all.

• PDS provides food grains and other necessities at subsidized prices to the poor. 

• Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and stocking food grains, while distribution is ensured by public distribution system (PDS).

• The FCI procures food grains from the farmers at the government announced minimum support price (MSP) and then is given to the poor at subsidized prices.

Impact of Globalization on Agriculture

• After 1990, under globalization, the farmers in India have faced new challenges in the international market. 

• Despite being an important producer of rice, cotton, rubber, tea, coffee, jute and spices Indian agricultural products are not able to compete with the developed countries because of the highly subsidized agriculture in those countries.

• Genetic engineering is recognized as a powerful supplement in inventing new hybrid varieties of seeds that can increase production and make farming more profitable.

• In fact, organic farming is much in vogue today because it is practiced without factory-made chemicals such as fertilizers and pesticides and promotes organic farming.

5 Important Topics of Chapter 4 Agriculture in Class 10 Geography

Importance of Revision Notes for Class 10 Geography Chapter 4

• Consolidation of Information: Revision notes help in summarising key concepts, making it easier to recall essential information. They condense large volumes of study material into manageable chunks.

• Enhanced Understanding: By reviewing and summarising topics, students can deepen their understanding of complex subjects, making it easier to grasp and remember details.

• Time Efficiency: Revision notes streamline study sessions, allowing students to focus on important points and avoid spending excessive time on less relevant material.

• Quick Review: They provide a quick reference before exams, helping students to refresh their memory and reinforce their learning without having to go through entire textbooks.

• Improved Retention: Regular review of revision notes helps in reinforcing memory and improves long-term retention of information.

Tips for Learning the Class 10 Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

• Divide the chapter into smaller sections such as types of farming, crop distribution, and agricultural practices. This will help in understanding the topics easily.

• Form and write summaries for each topic of the chapter. Highlight major topics like the farming types, agriculture challenges, and the impact of the Green Revolution.

• Compare theoretical concepts with real-world examples of farming practices and agricultural issues. Understanding how these concepts apply in various regions can make the material more relevant and engaging.

• Engage in discussions with classmates about the chapter.

• Periodically review your notes and summaries to memorise the topics and to practise.

Conclusion 

The study of agriculture in Class 10 CBSE Geography provides students with a comprehensive understanding of agricultural practices and their significance in our society. This chapter delves into the various aspects of agriculture, including types of farming, cropping patterns, agricultural resources, and challenges faced by farmers.

Apart from revision notes also refer to NCERT Solutions that aid students in grasping the concepts, answering questions, and preparing for examinations. These solutions offer explanations, examples, and case studies that enhance comprehension and analytical skills. In the study of agriculture in Class 10 CBSE Geography plays a crucial role in developing students' knowledge and understanding of the agricultural sector.

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