CLASS 10 NOTES

GEOGRAPHY

Agriculture
PRASHANT KIRAD
 PRASHANT KIRAD

agriculture
Two-thirds of India’s population is engaged in agricultural
activities.
Agriculture is a primary activity that produces most of
the food raw material for various industries.

In this chapter, we will study the various types of farming,

cropping patterns and major crops grown in India. In the end,
you will know how much Agriculture contributes to the
national economy, employment and output.
E.M
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exam mei aye
Types of Farming:
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(i) Primitive Subsistence Farming:& 1 0

Carried by small farmers onB
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small patches of land.
Use of primitive tools H
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like hoe, dao, digging sticks with
the help of familyX
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E or community labour.
This farming depends upon rainfall & natural fertility of
the soil.
Also known as slash and burn agriculture.

Slash and Burn Agriculture : Slash and

burn is a method of farming that
involves clearing land by destroying and
burning all the trees and plants on it,
farming there for a short time, and
then moving on to clear a new piece of
land. Also called Shifting Cultivation.

It is known by different names in India

and the world.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

(ii) Intensive Subsistence Farming:

This type of farming is practiced in areas of high

population pressure on land.
It is labour-intensive farming, where high doses of
biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for higher
production.
Problems of Intensive Farming: Division of land through
successive generations leads to plot size getting smaller
and smaller. This makes it impossible to properly manage
the farm inputs. Moreover, large-scale farming is not
possible in that case.
(iii) Commercial Farming:

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Various modern inputs are used in this type of farming,
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e.g. HYV(High Yielding Variety) seeds, chemical
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fertilizers, insecticides and pesticides.
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Commercialization vary from one region to another.
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Ex - Wheat and Rice.
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Plantation:
A single crop is grown on a
large area.
It requires intensive capital
and a large number of
workers.
Requires a well-developed
network of transport and
communication, processing
industries and a good market.
Examples - Tea, coffee,
rubber, sugarcane, banana,
etc.
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E.M.A
Cropping Pattern
India has three cropping seasons: Rabi, Kharif and Zaid.

(i) Rabi Crops

Sowing period : Start of winter
i.e. October to December
Harvesting period : Start of
summer i.e. April to June
Crops of this season : Wheat,
barley, peas, gram and mustard.
Reason for the successful rabi
crops in winter months is due to
the Western temperate
cyclones that cause rainfall in
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December-January.
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U(ii) Kharif Crops
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EX Sowing period : Onset of
monsoon i.e. May to July.
Harvesting period : September
to October.
Crops of this season : Paddy,
maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar),
moong, urad, cotton, jute,
groundnut and soybean.
Reason for the successful rabi
crops in winter months is due to
the Western temperate cyclones
that cause rainfall in December-
January.
Three types of paddy crop : Aus, Aman and Boro.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

(iii) Zaid Crops

Sowing period : March-June

Crops of this season : Watermelon, cucumber, vegetables
and fodder crops.
Reason for the successful rabi crops in winter months is
due to the Western temperate cyclones that cause rainfall
in December-January.

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Major Crops
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(i) Rice EX
Cropping Season : Kharif Crop
Temperature : 25 degree C
Rainfall : Above 100cm
Area : Northern plains, North-
eastern states and deltaic region
State : Orissa, West Bengal,
Bihar and Tamil Nadu.
Most important cereal crop.
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(ii) Wheat
Cropping Season : Rabi Crop
Temperature : Cool growing season
and Bright sunshine during harvest.
Rainfall : 50cm to 75cm.
Area : Ganga-Sutluj plain and Black
soil region of Deccan
State :Punjab, Haryana, Uttar
Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Second most important cereal crop.

(iii) Maize

Cropping Season : Kharif Crop

Temperature : 21 degree C to
27 degree C 10
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Rainfall : 75cm to 100cm &
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Area : Old alluvial tracks
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State : Uttar Pradesh, Bihar
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and Madhya Pradesh
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Used as both food and fodder.

(iv) Pulses

Cropping Season : Depend on

crops
Temperature : 25 degree C to
30 degree C
Rainfall : Average 45cm
Area : Evenly distributed all
over the country
State : UP, Rajasthan, Karnataka
and Madhya Pradesh
Largest producer and consumer.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

Millets - Have high nutritional value

1. Jowar : Third most important crop, Rainfed crop.

Maharashtra is the largest producer
2. Bajra : Grows well on Sandy soil and Black soil. Rajasthan is
largest producer.
3. Ragi : Crop of dry region, grows well on Red, Black, Sandy
and Loamy soil. Karnataka is the largest producer.

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Food Crops other than Grains:
(i) Sugarcane

Temperature : 21 degree C to 27 degree C

Rainfall : 75cm to 100cm
Tropical as well as sub-tropical crop.
Need Manual labour.
India is the second largest producer.
Raw Material/Source of Jaggery
Khandsari, Sugar and Molasses.
Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka
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(ii) Oil Seeds

Groundnut, Mustard, Coconut,
Sesamum, Soyabean, Caster seed,
Linseed and Sunflower.
Used in the production of soap,
cosmetics and ointments.
Groundnut, Kharif Crop, Major oil
seed.
Andhra Pradesh is the largest producer

(iii) Horticulture Crops

India is the largest producer of
fruits and vegetables.
Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra
Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, Oranges
of Nagpur and Cherropunjee, Banana 10
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of Kerela, Lichi and Guava of Uttar
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Pradesh and Bihar etc.
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India produces 13% of world’s
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vegetable.
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Important producer of Cauliflower,
Brinjal, Potato.

(iv) Tea
Tropical as well as subtropical crops.
Plantation Crops
Beverage Crops
Grow well on deep and fertile well
drained soil.
Requires warm and moist, frost-free
climate.
Frequent and evenly distributed Rainfall.
Labour intensive industry
Processed within the tea garden to restore freshness.
Assam, Darjeeling Hills, Jalpaiguri District of West Bengal.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

(v) Coffee

Indian coffee is known for it’s quality

Arabic variety brought from Yemen.
India produces 4% of world Coffee
Production.
Initially produced in Baba Budan Hills.
Now also it’s production is confined to
Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerela and Tamil
Nadu.
E.M.A
Non-Food Crops :
(i) Rubber

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Equatorial crop, but can be grown in0
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tropical and sub-tropical areas. &
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It requires a moist and humid climate.
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Rainfall more than 200cm.
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Temperature more than 25 degree C.
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Important industrial raw material.
Major areas - Kerela, Tamil Nadu,
Meghalaya, Andaman and Nicobar.

(ii) Fiber crops

Cotton, Jute, Hemp and Natural Silk are major fiber crops.
Silk Cocoons of Silkworms fed on mulberry leaves

Sericulture
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Cotton

Raw material for the cotton textile

industry.
Third largest producer.
Grows well on Black Soil.
High temperature, low rainfall and
210 frost-free days with bright
sunshine.
Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh,
Gujarat.
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Jute
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It is known as Golden H
Fiber.
EXand well drained
High temperature
fertile soil of flood plains.
Used for making variety of products.
Ex- Mats, Rope, Carpets, etc.
Losing market due to high cost and
synthetic fiber (Nylon).
 PRASHANT KIRAD

Technological and Institutional Reforms

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Technological Reforms
Green revolution and white revolution (operation flood).
Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for
farmers were introduced on the radio and television.
Subsidy on Agricultural products.
E .M .A
Institutional Reforms
After independence, major institutional reforms such as
collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and
abolition of zamindari, etc. were given priority.
Land Reforms were focus of first five year plan.
Crop insurance was provided for disease, fire, cyclone,
flood, and drought.
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To provide loans to farmers at low-interest rates, banks,
cooperative societies, grameen banks were established.
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For the benefit of farmers, some of the schemes
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introduced were the Personal Accident Insurance Scheme
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(PAIS), Kissan Credit Card (KCC).

Bhoodan Gramdan Movement

Bhoodam Gramdan Movement was started by Vinoba Bhave.
He was a follower of Gandhi’s idea of Gramswarajya and
after Gandhi’s death, undertook a Padyatra to spread
Gandhi’s message.
The incident happened in Pochampalli, Andhra Pradesh.
Shri Ram Chandra Reddy stood up and offered 80 acres of
land to 80 landless villagers, which was known as ‘Bhoodan’.
Later Vinoba Bhave travelled and his idea spread, some
zamindars offered the villages owned by them to be
distributed among landless, known as Gramdan.
This movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave is also known as
Blood-less Revolution.
 PRASHANT KIRAD
Contribution of Agriculture to the national economy,
employment and output
In agricultural sector,

Share in GDP Share in employment

In 2010-2011 about 52 percent of the total workforce of

India was employed by the farm sector.

Matter of concern : As agriculture is an important sector,

therefore, any decline and stagnation in agriculture will lead
to a decline in other spheres of the economy having wider
implications for society.

Steps taken to improve the situation:

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Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research
(ICAR)
Agricultural universities U
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Veterinary servicesP Hanimal breeding centres,
and
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Horticulture development, research development in the
field of meteorology and weather forecast, improving the
rural infrastructure.
E .M .A
Condition of agriculture sector in India
Reduction in the public
Big challenge from Indian
investment in
international competition Farmers
agricultural sector

Reduction in import duties Reduction on subsidy of

has lead to increase in the fertilizers
competition.

Cost

Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture causing a

downfall in the employment in agricultural.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

Food Security
E.M .A

The term ‘food security’ means that everybody can get enough
healthy food to be well and active. For everybody to get
enough healthy food, we need a food system that works well.

The government designed a national food security system

to ensure food security for every citizen:
It consists of two components
(a) buffer stock
(b) public distribution system (PDS)

Buffer stock is the stock of food grains for the poor at

affordable prices. The stock is from farmers at minimum
support price (MSP). 10
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Food Corporation of India B
(FCI) is responsible for
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procuring and stockingHfood grains, whereas distribution is
ensured by the E X distribution system (PDS).
public

PDS is a programme which provides food grains and other

essential commodities at subsidized prices in rural and
urban areas.

The primary objective of national food security:

Ensure availability of food grains to the common people at
an affordable price
The poor should have access to food.
Growth in agriculture production.
Fixing the support price for procurement of wheat and
rice, to maintain their stocks.
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Impact of Globalisation on Agriculture

Globalisation is not a new phenomenon.
After 1990, Indian farmers faced new challenges.
Despite being an important producer of various crops, Indian
products were not able to compete with the products of
developed countries because of the highly subsidised
agriculture in those countries.

Indian Agriculture is on crossroads.

Population Income Land size

Green Revolution promised much. But today it’s under

controversies.
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Other alternatives of green revolution:
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Gene revolution
Organic farming
Diversification of cropping pattern.
 PRASHANT KIRAD

Top 7 Questions:
3 markers

1. “Irrigation has changed the cropping pattern of many

regions in India”. Analyse this statement.

Ans. It is true that irrigation has changed the cropping pattern

of many regions. Due to availability of irrigation facilities
even those crops are now cultivated which were earlier
not possible to cultivate in certain areas. For example,
rice requires annual rainfall of over 100 cm and standing
water.
The launching of Green Revolution has enabled proper
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irrigation facilities in Punjab and Haryana. This has
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resulted in production of paddy (rice) to grow even in less
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rainfall areas.
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P produced in India. What is their
2.
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Name any four oilseeds
economic importance?

Ans. Oilseeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard,

coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton
seeds, linseed and sunflower.
Groundnut is a kharif crop, linseed and mustard are rabi
crop, sesamum is a kharif crop in North India and rabi
crop in South India. Castor seed is grown both as rabi and
kharif crop.
Economic importance of oilseeds are as follows:
(i) Oilseeds are used as cooking medium.
(ii) Oil extracted from oilseeds is used as raw
material in the production of soap, cosmetics and
ointments.
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(iii) After extraction of oil from oilseeds, a by product is

remained. This is known as oil cake. This oil cake is used as
fertilisers and also for cattle fuel.

3. Explain any four characteristics of commercial farming in

India.

Ans. Major characteristics of commercial farming in India are:

Commercial farming is crop selective and aims to

provide raw materials for industries.
It is done for selling the agricultural products in the
market or for exports.
It requires intensive use of modern inputs like High
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Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers,
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insecticides, pesticides etc. to increase productivity.
Commercial farming induces development activities in
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transport, connectivity and processing industries.
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4. E X
Describe the conditions required for cultivation of
sugarcane.

Ans. The conditions required for the cultivation of sugarcane

are as follows:

Sugarcane is a tropical as well as subtropical crop. It

requires temperature in the range of 21 degree - 27
degree Celsius and rainfall from 75-100cm.
It grows well in fertile, well drained soil and hot and
humid type of climate.
It is annual crop and needs manual labour from sowing
to harvesting.
 PRASHANT KIRAD
5. Highlight three differences between Kharif crop and Rabi
crop.
Ans.
Rabi Crop Kharif Crop
Sowing period starts in Sowing period starts on
winter months i.e. the onset of Monsoon i.e.
October to December. May to July.
Harvesting period : April Harvesting period :
to June. September to October.
Crops of this season need Crops of this season need
less irrigation as high rainfall or better
compared to Kharif crops. irrigation sources.

5 markers
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Why is agriculture called the backbone of Indian
economy? UB
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Ans. X
E the backbone of Indian economy due
Agriculture is called
to the following reasons:

(i) Agriculture is a primary activity in India and employs

almost two-third of its population.
(ii) Agriculture provides raw materials for various
industries like sugarcane, cotton, etc. in India.
(iii) Some agricultural products like tea, coffee, spices
are major exports of India.
(iv) Many industries that produce agricultural inputs like
fertilisers, farm machinery, etc. survive because of
agriculture.
(v) Agriculture provides food for consumption due to
which people directly or indirectly depend on agriculture
 PRASHANT KIRAD
2. Name the two beverage crops grown in India. Describe
their growing areas.

Ans. (a) Tea

An example of plantation agriculture, an important
beverage crop introduced in India by the British.
Grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates
endowed with deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in
humus and organic matter.
Require warm and moist frost-free climate, frequent
showers evenly distributed over the year.
A labour intensive industry, requires abundant cheap
and skilled labour.
Major producing states are Assam, West Bengal, Tamil
Nadu, Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh,
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Uttaranchal, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura
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and also tea-producing states in the country.
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(b) Coffee H
P four per cent of the world’s
India producesXabout
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coffee production.
The Arabica variety produced in the country is in
great demand all over the world.
Is cultivated in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
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E.M.A
Map Work:
(i) Rice

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(ii) Wheat P H
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(iii) Sugarcane

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P H
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(iv) Tea
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(v) Coffee

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(vi) Rubber
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(vii) Cotton

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(viii) Jute