Geography Ch-4 Agriculture Notes

Geography Ch-4
Agriculture

Agriculture: Introduction

Three types of economic activities

1) Primary activities:-It include all the activities connected with extraction and production of natural resources.

*Agriculture, fishing and gathering are good examples.

2) Secondary activities:- These are concerned with the processing of natural resources.

*Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth are examples of this activity.

3) Tertiary activities:- It provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services.

* Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of tertiary activities.

Agriculture: Meaning

*Agriculture à Latin àager (soil)+culture(cultivation)

*The word agriculture means land cultivation.

*Agriculture is a primary activity. It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.

* The science and art of cultivation of the soil & raising crops is called agriculture

*The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land.

*India ranks 7th in the world in terms of total geographical area but 2nd in terms of cultivated land.

Importance of Agriculture

*Indian agriculture provides livelihood to about 60% of the work-force

In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in agriculture.

* It contributes nearly 35% of net national product.

*It also supplies bulk of goods required by industries industry

*It fulfills man’ s primary needs of food and clothing.

Factors influencing agriculture

The factors influencing agricultural activities are

1) Favourable topography and type of soil- Altitude and slope determine the accumulation of the soil. The type of soil effects the cultivation of the crops. If the soil is fertile then the crops production will be more. The plain has fertile soil than the mountains.

2) Climate- The temperature and rainfall influence the agricultural activities in the particular region.

Farm System

As a system in agriculture

The important inputs are seeds, fertilizers, machinery and labour.

Processing involves operations like ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting.

The outputs from the system include crops, vegetables, wool, dairy and poultry products.

Types of Farming

There are various types of farming around the world as farming depends on climate, soil, technology, demand of products, availability of land and labour.

These are two basic types of agriculture. These are subsistence

farming and commercial farming.

Two Types of farming

Subsistence Commercial

*Intensive

*Primitive *plantation farming

*Grain farming

A-Shifting cultivation

B-Nomadic herding

Subsistence farming

*Farmer grow crops for themselves they grow crops according to the needs of their family.

*They use traditional methods &low level of technology.

*They use household labours.

* Subsistence farmers grow crops on small land holdings, they invest less and produce small output.

* Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

Intensive subsistence Farming

In this type of farming farmers grow on a small plot of land with simle tools and techniques.

They grow to satisfy their family needs not to sell in market

Intensive farmer try to grow more on small farm by using more labour , more fertilizers.

Farmers grow more than one crop in a year.

In intensive farming Rice is the main crop other important crops are wheat, maize , pulses and oilseeds.

Intensive farming is practiced in thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.

In India Popular practiced in W. Bengal, Kerala and in coastal Andhra Pradesh

Primitive subsistence Farming

*In this subsistence farming primitive methods and tools are used.

*Production is comparatively less than intensive farming.

*Farmers produce less for their survival.

There are two types of primitive subsistence farming

A-Shifting cultivation

B-Nomadic herding

Shifting cultivation

*In this type of agriculture trees are cut & burnt to cultivate crops.

*The ash forms the manure for crops

*After 2- 3 years when soil loses its fertility they shift to another piece of land

*It is also called slash and burn agriculture

It is practiced in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and Northeast India. These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation.

shifting cultivation is harmful for the environment because trees are cut and burnt for farming.

Nomadic herding

*In Arid and semi arid regions crop production is difficult and less due to unavailability of water and harsh climate.

*Nomadic farming is common these arid areas like in Sahara, Central Asia Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.

*In this farming the herdsman move from place to place in search of grasslands & water for their animals *Nomads rear sheep , goat , camel, yak for milk, meat, hides and wool etc

Agriculture: Commercial Farming

Two Types of farming

Subsistence Commercial

*Intensive

*Primitive *Commercial grain farming

*Mixed farming

*Plantation agriculture.

A-Shifting cultivation

B-Nomadic herding

Commercial farming

*In this type of farming crops are grown and animals are reared for commercial purposes for sale in market.

*Large areas are cultivated using machines and large amount of capital is used.

*The area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large.

*It includes grain farming, mixed farming, plantation farming.

*Modern inputs like high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides are used to obtain higher productivity.

Commercial grain farming

*In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose for sale or export on large scale

*Wheat and maize are common commercially grown grains.

*Major areas where commercial grain farming is pracised are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.

*These areas are sparsely populated with large farms spreading over hundreds of hectares.

*Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a single crop can be grown.

Mixed farming

*In this type of farming cultivation of crops & rearing of animals are done on same plot of land.

*It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Camels yaks .,sheep, horses , baffalos , ox silkworm, pig, hens, bees, fish, dogs, birds, alpacs (wool)

Plantation Farming

*Plantations are a type of commercial farming

In this farming single crop like tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.

*Large amount of labour and capital are required.

*The produce may be processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories.

*The development of a transport network is thus essential for such farming.

*Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the world. *Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka are some examples.

* Developed market and developed network of transport and communication are the two key factors for the development of plantations.

Land more sparsely populations

Modern farming and Cheap labour and modern technology is used

Questions

Explain any four features of primitive subsistence agriculture in India.

Distinguish between Subsistence and Commercial agriculture.

Distinguish between primitive Subsistence and intensive subsistence farming.

State any four characteristics of commercial farming.

Topic: Major Indian crops

*Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and millets.

* Jute and cotton are fibre crops.

*Important beverage crops are tea and coffee.

Major crops

Food crops Non food crops

Barley /wheat cotton/Jute( Fibre Crops)

Millets/rice tea/Coffee/Rubber (beverage crops

Major food crops

Rice and wheat are the two staple food crops of India.

Rice

*Rice is the major Kharif crop of India.

*It is cultivated in tropical and subtropical regions.

*It is grown in the eastern and southern part of India.

*Rice needs high temperature high humidity and rainfall.

*It grows well in alluvial and clayey soil as it can retain water.

*China is the largest rice producing country in the world followed by India, Japan Sri Lanka and Egypt.

*In India west Bengal is the largest producer.

Temperature —High temperature above 25° C- and high humidity.

Rainfall Above 100 cm annually or assured irrigation

Soil — Alluvial types of soil is good for rice cultivation

Region — Coastal region, Haryana and Punjab, Bihar, W. Bengal, Orissa

Wheat

Wheat is the main food crop in north and north-western part of the country.

Wheat is a rabi crop and requires a cool growing season.

*USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India are major producers of wheat.

* In India Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh are the major wheat growing states.

*Temperature: between 10°C to 15°C at the time of sowing.

* Rainfall: moderate rainfall of 50 to 75 cm annually.

*Soil - Deep alluvial clayey soils of Northern Plains or black soil

Cotton:

*It is one of the main raw materials for the cotton textile industry.

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

*Cotton requires high temperature , high humidity, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.

* Soil: black and alluvial. Black soil is also known as black cotton soil.

* Leading producers: China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt

* Leading States: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.

Jute:

*Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’. It is a tropical crop.

*Soil: alluvial soil

*Climate: high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate.

Leading producers: India and Bangladesh

*Major jute producing states are West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa and Meghalaya.

* It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artifacts.

Do your self --

Tea and coffee

Topic: Agricultural Development

*Agricultural Development refers to efforts made to increase farm production.

The ultimate aim of agricultural development is to increase food security.

Agricultural development is essential as

*Population multiplies itself and demand of food

is growing rapidly.

*Land is limited resource. Fertility of soil differs from place to place.

*Excessive use of irrigation, chemicals in agriculture had reduced the fertility and

productivity of the soil in some Indian states

*While in some states farmers are still using less productive seeds traditional methods and tools. They depend on monsoon.

Ways to develop agriculture

Following methods can be used to develop agriculture

*Increasing the cropped area

*Mutiple cropping – Increasing the number of crops grown annually

*Improving irrigation facilities.

*Use of Organic fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds.

*Mechanisation of agriculture .

Farms in India

*Farm holdings are small that is 1.5 hectares.

*The house of the farmer is in the main village.

*The major crops grown are wheat, rice and pulses.

*The farms lack storage facilities and they are forced to sell the produce even when the market is not favourable for them.

*The farmers use bullocks for ploughing while tube wells for irrigating the fields.

*The farmer in India is like a peasant

Farms in USA

*Farms are larger in USA that is generally 250 hectares.

*The farmer generally live in the farm.

*The major crops grown are corn, soya bean, wheat, cotton and sugar beet.

*The grains are stored in the automated grain storage or

dispatched to market agencies

*The farmers use tractors, seed drills, levelers, combined harvesters and thresher to perform various agricultural operations.

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