Importance of Agriculture in our national economy – Physical diversities & plurality – cultures – India – effect –

agricultural practices & cropping patterns – country;

India – Agriculturally important country;
Various crops – food, fibre, vegetables, fuits, spices,
1. 2/3rd population – Agricultural activities; condiments, etc – important crops – India;
Agriculture – primary activity;
Major Crops –
2. Produces food;
3. Raw materials – industries; Variety – crops – different parts – country – variations –
4. Agricultural products – tea, coffee, spices, etc – soil, climate, cultivation practices; Major crops are the ones
exported; given;

Types of farming – Fibre Crops –

Agricultural – old economic activity; Cultivate methods – Cotton, jute, hemp & natural silk – major fibre crops –
changed – Physical environment, technological know-how, India; All except silk – derived – crops; Silk – cocoons –
socio-cultural practices; silkworms – feed – green leaves (esp. mulberry). Rearing –
silkworms – production – silk fibre – sericulture;

Technological and Institutional reforms –

Jhumming North east states
– Assam, 1. Sustained – use- land – compatible techno-
Meghalaya, institutional changes – hindered agricultural
Mizoram & development; Eg: Development – irrigation – many
Nagaland; farmers – monsoon & natural fertility – growing
population – problem;
Pamlou Manipur 2. Agriculture – livelihood – 60% population; Needs
Dipa Bastar district – technical & institutional reforms;
Chhattisgarh & 3. Collectivisation, consolidation of livelihood,
Andaman & cooperation, abolition of zamindari – institutional
Nicobar islands; reforms – Independence; Land Reform – main
focus – 1st 5-year plan; Right – inheritance –
Milpa Mexico & Central fragmentation of land holdings – consolidation of
America holdings;
Conuco Venezuela 4. Laws – land reforms – enacted – not properly
implemented; Govt of India – agriculture reforms –
Roca Brazil 1960s & 1970s; Green revolution (based – package
technology) & White Revolution (Operation flood)
Masole Central Africa
– improve Indian agriculture; Concentration –
Ladang Indonesia development – selected areas;
5. 1980s & 1990s – land development plan initiated –
Ray Vietnam Institutional & technical reforms; Crop insurance –
Bewar/Dahiya Madhya Pradesh drought, flood, cyclone, fire & disease; Grameen
banks, cooperative societies & banks – loans –
Podu/Penda Andhra Pradesh farmers – low interest rate;
6. KCC – Kissan Credit Card – PAIS – Personal Accident
Pama Dabi/ Odisha
Insurance Scheme – Govt- farmers; Special
Koman/
weather bulletins & agricultural programmes –
Bringa
radio & TV; Minimum support price, remunerative
Kumari Western Ghats & procurement prices – important crops – check –
exploitation- farmer – speculators & middlemen;
Valre/ Waltre South east
Rajasthan Bhoodan – Gramdan –

Khil Himalayan Belt 1. Vinoba Bhave – spiritual heir; Participated –

Satyagraha – one of foremost; Votary – Gandhian
Kuruwa Jharkhand concept – Gram Swarajya; Gandhiji’s martyrdom –
Cropping Pattern – padyatra – Gandhian message – almost entire
country;
2. Lecture – Pochampalli – Andhra Pradesh – poor
landless villagers – land; Couldn’t provide
immediately – talk – Govt of India – land provision
– cooperative farming;
3. Shri Ram Chandra Reddy – 80 acres – land – 80
landless villagers – Bhoodan;
4. Travelled & introduced – ideas – India; Some
zamindars – own many villages – villages among
landless – Gramdan; Many – part of land – land
ceiling act;
5. Bhoodan – Gramdan = Blood-less Revolution;
 Primitive Subsistence Intensive Subsistence Commercial Plantation

Land Size Pockets of India; Small Areas – high population - Single crop – large area;
patches of land; pressure – land; Large tracts – land – capital
intensive inputs;

Tools/Labour Primitive tools – hoe, Labour intensive; - Migrant labourers;

Dao, digging sticks;
Family/ community
labour;

Implements Monsoon; Natural Soil High doses – High doses – modern -

fertility; Suitability – biochemical inputs; inputs – HYV high
environmental Irrigation; yielding variety,
conditions; chemical fertilisers,
insecticides, pesticides;

Special Slash & burn Want higher Want high productivity; Interface of agriculture &
Features agriculture; Farmers - production; ‘Right of Degree – industry; Produce – raw
clear land patch, inheritance’ – division – commercialisation – materials – industries; Tea,
produce cereals & land – successive region to region; Rice – Coffee, Rubber, Sugarcane,
other food crops; Soil generations – land- commercial – Haryana Banana; Tea – Assam &
fertility decreases – holding size & Punjab – Odisha – North Bengal; Coffee –
shift & clear new land; uneconomical – Subsistence; Plantation Karnataka; Production –
Nature replenishes soil maximum output – is a form of commercial market – develop – transport
fertility; Land limited land – absence farming; & Communication network –
productivity – low – no of other source of connecting fields, industries
fertilizers & modern livelihood; Pressure – & markets – development –
inputs; agricultural land; plantations;

success; Assam, West

Success of Bengal &
Rabi Kharif Zaid
Green Odisha –
Duration Winter – Onset – B/w Rabi & Revolution – three crops
October – monsoon – Kharif Punjab, – paddy –
December; different seasons – Haryana, Aus, Aman,
Harvested – parts; short season west UP, Boro;
summer – Harvested – – summer parts – Sugarcane –
April – June; September – months; Rajasthan – all 3 seasons
October; development- – 1 year –
Rabi crops; grow;
Crops Wheat, Paddy, Watermelon, Sugarcane –
barley, peas, maize, muskmelon, all 3 seasons
gram & jowar, bajra, cucumber, – 1 year –
mustard tur (arhar), vegetables, grow;
moong, fodder
urad, cotton, crops; Areas Large parts – Assam, West Areas –
jute, India; states – Bengal, irrigation
groundnut, North & coast available;
soyabean; North west – (Odisha),
Punjab, Andhra
Special Precipitation Paddy – Sugarcane – Haryana, Pradesh,
Features – winter important all 3 seasons Himachal Telangana,
months – crop – – 1 year – Pradesh, UP, TN, Kerela,
Western Haryana & grow; Uttarakhand, Maharashtra
temperate Punjab; JK (esp. Konkan
cyclones – States – coast), UP,
Bihar;
 Rice Wheat Millets Maize Pulses

Status of Staple food – majority – Second – important – cereal Jowar, Bajra & Ragi; Jowar Food & fodder crop; Largest producer & consumer;
crop in India population; Second largest – crop; Main food crop – – third – important – area Major – protein – veg diet;
China; North & North west India; & production; Largest consumer – variety of
pulses produced;

Temperature Kharif; Above 25 degree C; Rabi; - Kharif; 21-27 degree C; Some Tur (arhar), urad, moong
states – Bihar – Rabi; (Kharif); Masur, peas, gram
(Rabi);

Annual Above 100 cm 50-75 cm evenly distributed - - -

Rainfall (season)

Physical High humidity; Bright sunshine – ripening; Jowar – rain fed; moist Grows well – old alluvial soil; Less moisture – survive – dry
Conditions Cool season; areas; hardly any conditions;
irrigation; Bajra – Sandy
soil & shallow black soil;
Ragi – Dry regions; Black,
sandy, loamy & shallow
black soils;

Special Areas – less rainfall – irrigation; - Coarse grains – high Modern inputs – HYV seeds, Leguminous crops (not arhar) –
Features Development – dense network nutritional value; Ragi – fertilisers, irrigation – increase restore – soil fertility – fix
– canals & tube wells – areas – iron, calcium, micro production; nitrogen(air); Rotation crops;
less rain – Punjab, Haryana, nutrients & roughage;
West UP & parts – Rajasthan;

Areas Plains – North & North East 2 wheat growing zones – Jowar – MKAp – KMpUp – Karnataka, MP, UP; MpRMUpK - MP, Rajasthan,
India, coastal, deltaic areas; Ganga-Sutluj Plains – North Maharashtra, Karnataka & Maharashtra, UP & Karnataka;
WbOBA – West Bengal, Odisha, west; Black soil – Deccan; Andhra Pradesh; Bajra –
Bihar & Assam; PHUp – Punjab, Haryana, RupM – Rajasthan, UP,
West UP; Maharashtra; Ragi –
KTnHp – Karnataka, TN,
Himachal Pradesh;

Horticulture crops – Mangoes Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh,

Telangana, UP, West Bengal
2017 – Second largest – fruits & vegetables – China; Produces – tropic & temperate
fruits; Oranges Nagpur & Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya)
Bananas Kerela, Mizoram, Maharashtra, TN

Lichi & Guava UP & Bihar Apples, Pears, JK, Himachal Pradesh
apricots,
Pineapples Meghalaya
walnuts
Grapes Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra
Great demand; India – Pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal & potato;

Sugarcane Oil Seeds Tea Coffee

Status of Second largest – Brazil; All in 2017 – Second largest – Plantation agriculture; Beverage crop – Indian coffee – world-known – good
crop in India Groundnut – China; Rapeseed – third British; Most tea plantations – Indians; quality; Arabica variety – Yemen –
largest – Canada & China; Oil seeds – worldwide large demand;
12% - total cropped area;
Groundnut, Mustard, Coconut,
Sesamum (til), soyabean, castor
seeds, cotton seeds, linseed,
sunflower; Groundnut – half – major
oilseed procution;

Temperature 21 – 27 degrees C Groundnut – kharif; Linseed & - -

groundnut – rabi; Sesamum – kharif
(North) – rabi (South); Castor – rabi
& kharif;

Annual 75 – 100 cm - - -
Rainfall

Physical Tropical & sub-tropical crop; Grows - Well – tropical & sub-tropical climate; -
conditions well – hot & humid; Irrigation – low Deep & well-drained soil – humus &
rain areas; Variety – soils; organic matter rich; Frost free climate
(through year); Frequent showers –
evenly distributed (year) – tender
leaves;

Special Manual labour – sowing to harvest; Most – edible – cooking medium; Labour-intensive industry; Abundant, -
Features Source – sugar, Gur (jaggery), Raw material – Soap, cosmetics & cheap & skilled labour; Tea – processed
khandsari, molasses; lotions; – garden – restore – freshness;
Areas UpMKTn – UP, Maharashtra, Groundnut – GRAp – Gujrat (largest), AWbTnK – Assam, hills – Darjeeling & Introduced – Baba Budan Hills –
Karnataka, TN; Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh – 2016- Jalgaipuri district, West Bengal, TN, cultivation confined – Nilgiri Hills – KKTn
17; Kerala; – Karnatak, Kerela, TN;

Rubber Cotton Jute

Status of - 2017 – Second -

crop in India largest –
China

Temperatur Above 25 Kharif; -

e degrees C

Annual More than - -

Rainfall 200 cm

Physical Equatorial Drier parts – Well – well

conditions crop – black cotton drained soils
special soil – Deccan – flood plains
conditions Plateau; High – soil
– tropical temperature, renewed
& sub- light annually;
tropical; rain/irrigation, High
Moist & 210 frost free temperature;
humid; days, bright
sunshine;

Special Important India – ‘Golden

Features industrial original home; Fibre’; Bags,
raw Main raw mats, ropes,
 material materials – yarn,
cotton textile carpets, etc;
industry; 8 High cost –
months to losing
mature; market –
synthetic
fibres &
packing
materials
(nylon);

Areas KTnK – MGMp – WbBA –

Kerela, Maharashtra, West Bengal,
TN, Gujrat, MP Bihar,
Karnataka; Assam; Flood
plains;
 West Bengal –

Map Work –

All map work is of the states given in these notes. In nearly

all maps, we shade the entire given state. Only in the map
of Wheat we shade only the left half (until the dot given to
show capital) of UP (Western UP) and in the map of Tea we
shade this part of West Bengal.

UP –

Food Security – Challenges faced –

Need – 1. Subsidies – agricultural inputs – fertilizers, water,

power, etc – unsustainable level;
1. Food – basic need – every citizen – should – access
2. Excessive use – water & fertilisers – waterlogging,
– provides minimum nutritional level;
salinity, depletion – essential micronutrients- soil;
2. If any segment – not access – lack – food security;
3. High Minimum support Price (MSP), subsidies –
3. Number – people – lack food security –
agricultural inputs, committed FCI purchase –
disproportionately large – some regions – esp.
distorted cropping pattern; Wheat & paddy –
economically less developed states – higher
grown more – MSP;
incidence – poverty;
4. Categorisation – BPL/APL – Below/Above Poverty
4. Remote areas – country – prone – natural disasters
Line – issue price – different – each category –
& uncertain food supply;
exclusion – deserving poor – BPL;
National Food security system of India –
Solutions –
To ensure – food security – all sections – society – Govt –
1. Each district & block – self sufficient – foodgrain
designed – National Food Security System;
production – govt – proper agricultural
1. 2 components – Buffer Stock & Public Distribution infrastructure;
System (PDS); 2. Instead – concentration – rice/wheat – food crop –
2. Buffer Stock – stock – food grains (wheat & rice) – better growth potential – particular area –
procured – Govt – FCI – Food Corporation – India; encouraged;
3. PDS – programme – provides – food grains & other 3. Focus – increasing foodgrain production –
essential commodities – subsidised prices – rural & sustainable basis;
urban areas; 4. Free trade – grains – massive employment &
reduce rural poverty;
India’s food security policy’s objectives –

1. Ensure availability – food grains – common people

– affordable price;
2. Enabled poor – access – food;
3. Focus – policy – agricultural production growth &
fixing support price – procurement – wheat & rice
– maintain stocks;
4. FCI – procures & stocks food grains; PDS
distributes;