BAL BHARATI PUBLIC SCHOOL, PITAMPURA, DELHI 110034

SOCIAL AND POLITICAL LIFE

Class: VIII CHAPTER 3: AGRICULTURE
GEOGRAPHY

GENERAL GUIDELINES (E-MODULE)

• Watch the videos related to the topic.
• Read the content carefully.
• Attempt all the given questions and assignment in the Social Science notebook.
• Do refer to the NCERT History textbook.

NCERT TEXTBOOK LINK: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?hess4=0-5

Chapter link: https://ncert.nic.in/textbook.php?hess4=3-5

SUBTOPICS
• Classification of Economic Activities
• Farm System
• Types of Agriculture
• Agricultural Development
• Comparison of agricultural practices in India and in the USA
• Major Crops

LEARNING OUTCOMES
Each student will be able to:

• Classify the types of agriculture

• Compare the agricultural practices in India and in the USA
• Examine the major crops
CLASSIFICATION OF ECONOMIC
ACTIVITIES

AGRICULTURE
• Agriculture is a primary activity.
• More than half of the world's population is directly or indirectly
engaged in agriculture.
• Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture.
• Agricultural land is the most basic of all the resources as it
provides food, clothing and shelter to humans. It also supplies
raw materials to the industries.
• Agriculture includes cultivation of soil, growing of crops, raising
livestock.
• Forestry and fishing are also considered to be a part of
agriculture.
• Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural
activity.
• The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land.
 .

FARM SYSTEM
 Intensive
Subsistence
Farming
SUBSISTENCE
FARMING
Primitive
Subsistence
Farming
TYPES OF
AGRICULTURE Commercial grain
farming

COMMERCIAL
Mixed Farming
FARMING

Plantation
Agriculture

SUBSISTENCE FARMING
• Agriculture done to support the family of farmer and not for commercial use is known as
‘Subsistence Farming’.
• This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of farmer’s family.
• This type of farming is common in tropical lowlands.
• Low levels of technology & household labour are used to produce on small output.

INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING

• In this type of farming, the farmer cultivates a small

plot of land using simple tools and more labour.

• Climate with large number of days with sunshine and

fertile soils permit growing of more than one crop
annually on the same plot.

•This farming 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 FARMING

SHIFTING CULTIVATION

It is practised 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.

• Method: A plot of land is cleared by cutting the trees and burning them.

The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops 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 or ‘Rotational Cultivation’.

NOMADIC HERDING

• 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.

• Method: In this type of farming, herders move

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 to the herders
and their families.

Commercial Farming
• Agriculture done with the aim of selling the product and earning profit is known as ‘Commercial
Farming’.
• In commercial farming crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market.
• The area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large.
• Most of the work is done by machines.
 Commercial grain
farming
• Crops are grown for commercial
purpose.

• Common crops: Wheat and maize.

• Major areas: temperate grasslands Plantations

of North America, Europe and Asia.
• Only single crop of tea, coffee,
• Severe winters restrict the sugarcane, cashew, rubber,
growing season and only a single banana or cotton are grown.
crop can be grown.
• Large amount of labour and
capital are required.

• The produce may be processed

Mixed farming on the farm itself or in nearby
factories thus require
• The land is used for growing transportation facilities.
food and fodder crops and
rearing livestock. • Areas: Tropical regions of the
world.
• Areas: Europe, eastern USA,
Argentina, southeast Australia, - Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in
New Zealand and South Africa. Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka
are some examples.

Agricultural Development
It refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand
of increasing population. The ultimate aim of agricultural development is to
increase food security.

How to achieve agricultural development?

• Increasing the cropped area

• Increasing the number of crops grown
• Improving irrigation facilities
• Use of fertilisers and high yielding variety of
Seeds
 MAJOR CROPS
Rice
• Major food crop of the world.
• It is the staple diet of the tropical and
sub-tropical regions.
• Rice needs high temperature, high
humidity and rainfall.
• 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.
 Jute
• Also known as '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.

Cotton
• Cotton requires high temperature, light
rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days
and bright sunshine for its growth.
• It grows best on black and alluvial soils.
• China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt
are amin producers.
• It is one of the main raw materials for the
cotton textile industry.

Tea
• Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations.
• It needs well-drained loamy soils and gentle
slopes.
• Requires cool climate and well distributed
high rainfall throughout the year for the
growth of its tender leaves.
• Labour in large number is required to pick
the leaves.
• Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka produce the
best quality tea in the world.

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.
1. Answer the following questions.

I. What is agriculture? Name the factors influencing agriculture.

II. What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?
III. Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.

2. Give reasons.

I. In India agriculture is a primary activity.

II. Different crops are grown in different regions.

3. Distinguish between the followings.

I. Primary activities and tertiary activities

II. Subsistence farming and intensive farming.

4. Tick the correct answer.

I. Horticulture means _____________

(a) growing of fruits and vegetables (b) primitive farming (c) growing of wheat

II. Golden fibre refers to ____________

(a) Tea (b) Cotton (c) Jute

III. Leading producer of coffee is ____________

(a) Brazil (b) India (c) Russia