KENDRIYA VIDYALAYA SANGATHAN

PATNA REGION
SESSION : 2020-21

CLASS : VIII
SOCIAL STUDIES (GEOGRAPHY)

4.
 Economic activities of the people
The work or activities done by people or transformation
from a plant to a finished product involves three types of
economic activities…..
 These are :primary, secondary and tertiary activities.
Primary Activity:Primary activities include all those connected
with extraction and production of natural resources.
* Agriculture, fishing and gathering are examples of
Primary Activity
Secondary Activity:Secondary activities are concerned with
the processing
Of these resources.
*Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and
weaving of cloth are examples of this Secondary Activity
Tertiary Activity: tertiary activities provide support to the
primary and secondary sector through services…
* Transport, trade, banking, insurance and
advertising are examples of Tertiary Activities.
Agriculture
 Agriculture is a primary activity.
 It is one of the most important activity in the world
 It includes growing of crops, fruits, vegetables,
flowers and rearing of livestock.
 Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent
on ariculture…
 Factors related to Agriculture: Favourable
topography of soil and climate are vital for
agricultural activity.
 Arable Land:The land on which the crops are
grown is known as arable land….
 Arable land
Geographically, Arable land
is an agricultural term.
Meaning, land that can be used for growing
crops…

In this map we can see that agricultural activity is

concentrated in those regions of the world where suitable
factors for the Growing of crops exist….
Different kinds of
cultivation
Agriculture or farming: as A system
Agriculture or farming can be looked at as a
system

The outputs
The important inputs from this farming system include
in agriculture system are crops, wool, dairy and poultry
Seeds, fertilisers, machinery and Products….
Types of
farming
 Types of farming
 Farming is practised in various ways across the world.
 Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand of produce, labour
and level of technology, farming can be classified into two main types:

These are subsistence farming and commercial

farming.
 Subsistence Farming:This type of farming is practised to
meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
 Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labour are used
to produce on small output.
 Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive
subsistence and primitive subsistence farming….
 Commercial Farming:In commercial farming crops are grown
and animals are reared for sale in market.
 Most area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large.
 Most of the work is done by machines.
 Commercial farming includes commercial grain farming, mixed farming
Classification of subsistence farming

 Intensive subsistence Farming: In this

agriculture the farmer cultivates a small plot of land
using simple tools and more labour…
*Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the
thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of
south, southeast and east Asia….
*Rice is the main crop. Other crops include wheat,
maize, pulses and oilseeds…..
. Primitive subsistence agriculture: In this farming
includes shifting cultivation and nomadic herding…..
 Types of Subsistence
Farming
INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING PRIMITIVE SUBSISTENCE
FARMING
Classification of primitive subsistence
agriculture
 Shifting Cultivation: A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees
and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like
maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown. After the soil loses its fertility,
the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot.
 Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture…
 It is practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa,
parts of southeast Asia and Northeast India….
 Nomadic Herding: In this type of farming, herdsmen move from
place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes.
 Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared. They provide milk,
meat, wool, hides and other products ….
 It is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and
some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir…..
Types of primitive subsistence Farming
Classification of Commercial farming
 Commercial Grain Farming: In commercial grain farming crops are grown for
commercial purpose…
 only a single crop can be grown in this farming…
 Wheat and maize are common commercially grown grains….
 Major areas where commercial grain farming is practised are temperate grasslands of
North America, Europe and Asia….
 Mixed Farming : In this mixed farming the land is used for growing food and
fodder crops and rearing livestock….
 It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand
and South Africa….
 Plantation Farming:
Plantations are a type of commercial farming ….
 where single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew,rubber, banana or cotton are
grown…
 Large amount of labour and capital are required.
 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…..
Types of commercial
farming
 COMMERCIAL GRAIN
FARMING

 MIXED FARMING

 PLANTATION FARMING
 Major crops
 A large variety of crops are grown to meet the
requirement of the growing population…

 Rice: Rice is the major food crop of the world…

 It is the staple diet of the tropical and sub-tropical
regions. ..
 It grows best in alluvial clayey soil, which can retain
water…..
 China leads in the production of rice followed by India,
Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt…..

 Wheat: Wheat requires moderate temperature

and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine
at the time of harvest….
 It thrives best in well drained loamy soil….
 Wheat is grown extensively in USA, Canada, Argentina,
Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India. …..
 In India it is grown in winter..
 Millets: They are also known as coarse grains and can be
grown on less fertile and sandy soils. …..
 It is a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to moderate
temperature and adequate rainfall.
 Jowar, bajra and ragi are grown in India. Other countries are
Nigeria, China and Niger……

 Maize: Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and

lots of sunshine…….
 It need well-drained fertile soil….
 Maize is grown in NorthAmerica, Brazil, China,Russia, Canada,
India,and Mexico…,.

 Cotton: Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall ,

210 frost-free day and bright sunshine for its growth.
 It grows best on black and alluvial soils.
 China, USA, India,Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading
producers of cotton.
 It is one of the main raw materials for the cottontextile
industry……
Jute: Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’….
 It grows well on alluvial soil and requires high
temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate….
 This crop is grown in the tropical areas. ….
 India and Bangladesh are the leading producers of jute….

Coffee: Coffee requires warm and wet climate and

well drained loamy soil. ….
 Hill slopes are more suitable for growth of this crop….
 Brazil is the leading producer followed by Columbia and
India...

Tea: Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations.

 This requires cool climate and well distributed high
rainfall
 It needs well-drained soils and gentle slopes.
 Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka produce the best quality
tea in the world…
 Agricultural

Development
Agricultural Development refers to efforts made to increase farm
production in order to meet the growing demand of increasing population.
 This can be achieved in many ways such as increasing the cropped area, the
number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and
high yielding variety of seeds. Mechanisation of agriculture is also another
aspect of agricultural development.
 The ultimate aim of agricultural development is to increase food security.
 Agriculture has developed at different places in different parts of the world:
 In Developing countries with large populations usually practise intensive
agriculture ,where crops are grown on small holdings mostly for
subsistence.
 Viseversa, Larger holdings are more suitable for commercial agriculture as
in USA, Canada and Australia.
With the help of two case studies of farms — one from
India and the other from the USA, let us understand about
agriculture in the developing and a developed country…..
Comparison between Agricultural development Of India and USA

 INDIA:(Developing Country)
 Landholdings are small due to inheritance of law…..
 Most of the farm activities have been done with the help of All the members of the
family and in primitive methods….
 For Farming activit takes credit from the bank or the agricultural cooperative
Society….
 The production of food is top priority…
 Most of the products used for personal consumption rather than trade….
 Intensive Farming mostly found in India….
 USA:( Developed Country)
 The average size of a farm in the USA is much larger than that of an Indian farm. A
typical farm size in the USA is about 250 hectares…..
 For farming mostly use tractors, seed drills, leveller, combined harvester and thresher
to perform various agricultural operations…..
 The farmer in USA works like a businessman and not like a peasant farmer…..
 Most common type of Farming method is- Commercial Farming….
 Agricultural Development

A Farm in the A Farm in

USA India