AGRICULTURE (28/08/2020)

1. Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian Economy’

Explain the statement by giving reason.
Ans: India is an agricultural country because of the following
reasons:
a) Two-third of its population is engaged in agricultural
activities which provide livelihood.
b) Agriculture is a primary activity and produces most of the
food and foodgrains that we consume.
c) It produces raw materials for our various industries, e.g.,
cotton textile and sugar industry.
d) Some agricultural products, like tea, coffee and spices, are
exported and earn foreign exchange.
e) The share of agriculture in providing employment and
livelihood to the population continued to be as high as 63%
in 2001.

2. State the characteristic features of primitive subsistence

farming.

Characteristics of Primitive Subsistence Farming:

a) Farmers use primitive methods of farming.

b) The system is practiced by nomads and tribal groups.
c) Simple tools like hoe, digging sticks are used.
d) A patch of forest land is cleared and cultivated.
e) The trees are burnt and the ash is used as manure.
f) The harvest is mainly used for satisfying one’s own needs.
g) The productivity is low.
 h) Once the land loses its fertility, farmers moves to a
different place and another patch of land is cleared.
i) This type of shifting allows soil to regain its fertility.
3. What is slash and burn agriculture?

Solution:

a) In this farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and

other crops to sustain their family, when the soil looses its
fertility, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for
cultivation.
b) Nature replenishes the fertility of soil through natural
processes. Land productivity in this type of agriculture is low,
because the farmers do not use fertilizers or other modern
inputs.
c) It is generally known as shifting agriculture, but also known
in different names in different parts of the country.

4. Write a note on Intensive Subsistence Farming.

Answer: Intensive Agriculture: a) It is practised in areas with high

population density. b) The size of land holdings is small but the
cultivation is intense. c) Though, cultivation is done on the
scientific lines, much of the work is labour intensive. d) High
doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining
higher production e) Farm size is small and uneconomical due to
the division of land f) Farmers take maximum output from the
limited land g) Farmers do not have any alternative source of
livelihood. Thus there is enormous pressure on agricultural land.

h) This kind of farming is practised in the Mediterranean regions.

5. Describe the features of Plantation Agriculture.

Features of Plantation Agriculture:

1) A single crop is grown over a large area of land.

2) Modern techniques of farming are adopted.
3) Modern Machineries are used.
4) It is labour intensive. Migrants labourers work in the
farms.
5) The output is mainly for industries.
6) This type of farming has an interface with industries.
7) Good roads, transportation facilities, storage and ware
housing facilities are important so that the output can be
taken to industries for processing immediately.
8) The motive is to earn profit.
9) Sugarcane, Tea, Coffee, Banana, rubber are the crops
grown under plantation farming.

6. What is the main reason for uneconomical size of land holding

in India? (1)
Right of inheritance leads to division of land among successive
generations leading to uneconomical size of land holding.

7. Describe the three cropping seasons of India.

Rabi season:

● Crops are sown in winter and harvested in summer.

● Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas,

grams and mustard.

● States growing rabi crops are Punjab, Haryana, Himachal

Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar

Pradesh.

Kharif season:

● Crops are grown with the onset of monsoons and

harvested in September or October.

● Important Kharif crop growing states are: Assam, West

Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil

Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.

● Crops grown during this season are: rice, maize, jowar,

bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and

soyabean.

Zaid season:

● It falls in between the rabi and kharif seasons.

● It’s a short season during the summer months.

 ● Major crops grown are: watermelon, muskmelon, cucumbers,

vegetables and fodder crops.

8. What is sericulture?
Rearing of silkworm for production of silk is known as
sericulture.

9. What are millets?

Millets are coarse grains with high nutritional value. Ex Ragi,
Bajra

10. Which crop is known as golden fibre? What are the

geographical conditions required for its growth?

a) Jute is known as golden fibre.

b) Jute requires high temperature.
c) It grows well in well drained fertile soil in the flood plains
where soil is renewed every year.
d) It requires abundant water for soaking and processing jute.
e) It is a labour intensive industry.
f) The major producing states are West Bengal, Bihar, Assam,
Odhisha and Meghalaya.

11. Name one beverage crop and specify the geographical

conditions required for its growth. (3)
Beverage Crop: Tea.

Geographical conditions:
 a) Tea plants grow well in tropical and sub tropical climates
endowed with deep and fertile well drained soil, rich in
humus and organic matter.
b) Tea bushes require warm, moist, frost free climate all
through the year.
c) Frequent showers evenly distributed throughout the year
ensure continuous growth of tea leaves. ( 1 + 2)

12. Why are pulses grown in rotation with other crops?

(understanding)
In order to fix nitrogen in the soil, leguminous crops like pulses
are grown in rotation with other crops.

13. State the main impacts of globalization on Indian Agriculture.

Impact of globalization on Indian Agriculture:

a) Indian agricultural products are not able to compete with

the developed countries because of highly subsidized
agriculture in those countries.
b) Overuse of chemicals to increase production had lead to
land degradation.
c) Increasing population and decreasing land holding per
person has made cultivation uneconomical.
d) Conditions of small and marginal farmers have become bad.

14. Mention any two important factors responsible for the success
of rabi crops.

Answer: (i) Availability of precipitation during winter months due

to the western temperate cyclone.
(ii) The success of Green Revolution in Punjab, Haryana and
Western Uttar Pradesh.

15. Give the main reasons which have necessitated agricultural

reforms.

Answer:

Reforms in agriculture are necessary because of the following

reasons: a) Sustained uses of land without compatible techno-
institutional changes have hindered the pace of agricultural
development. b) Most of the farmers still depend on monsoons
because large parts of the country still do not have irrigation
facilities. c) Farmers still depend on natural fertility in order to
carry on their agriculture, i.e., they lack material resources, e.g.,
fertilizers, etc. d) Ours is an agricultural economy and about 63%
of people depend on agriculture for employment and livelihood,
therefore reforms have to be implemented. e) For raising the
agricultural production and productivity levels to produce
sufficient food for the growing population. f) To overcome
environmental, economic and social constraints, agricultural
reforms have to be seriously implemented. g) The declining share
in GDP is a matter of serious concern because decline and
stagnation in agriculture will lead to decline in other spheres of
economy.

16. What are ‘Institutional Reforms’? Enlist various institutional

reforms taken by the Indian Government to bring about
improvements in agriculture.

Answer:Institutional reforms:

Steps taken by the government to bring about improvements in

agriculture are termed as ‘Institutional Reforms’.

Some steps are: a) Collectivisation and consolidation of land

holdings to make them economically viable. b) The green
revolution based on the use of package technology and the White
Revolution to increase milk production are important strategies
which were initiated to improve agriculture. c) Cooperation with
farmers and Abolition of Zamindari system. d) Provision of crop
insurance to protect the farmers against losses caused by natural
calamities, i.e. drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease. e)
Establishment of ‘Grameen Banks’, Cooperative Societies and
Banks for providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of
interest. f) Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance
Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the
government for the benefit of farmers. g) Special weather
bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were
introduced on the Radio and TV. h) Announcement of minimum
support price, remunerative and procurement prices for crops to
check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen
and removing the elements of uncertainty.

17. Describe some concerted efforts made by the government to

modernise Indian agriculture and improve its share in the GDP.

Answer:

The following measures have been taken by the government to

modernise agriculture and improve its share in the GDP:

a) Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research

(ICAR).
b) Setting up of Agricultural Universities.
c) Development of advanced Veterinary Services and Animal
Breeding Centres.
d) Development of horticulture.
e) Research and Development in the field of meteorology and
weather forecasts, etc.
f) Improving the rural infrastructure is essential for the same.
12. Name one staple crop of India, geographical conditions required for its growth and the
states that are major producers.
13. What are the consequences of decreasing area under agriculture?
14. Enlist the various technological and institutional reform programmes introduced by the
government in the interest of farmers.
15. What are the problems faced by the agricultural sector in India?
16. State three main features of Intensive subsistence farming.
17. State the climatic conditions required for cultivation of rubber.

18. Complete the table:

Crop Soil Rainfall Temperature Climate

Rice

Sugarcane

Cotton

Wheat