Agriculture — Class 10 Social Science
Geography — Contemporary India-II · Chapter 4
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Chapter summary
Key ideas & terms
- Subsistence farming
- Farming carried out mainly to meet the needs of the farmer’s own family.
- Intensive subsistence farming
- Labour-intensive farming on small plots with high doses of inputs.
- Commercial farming
- Farming of crops mainly for sale in the market.
- Rabi crops
- Crops sown in winter and harvested in spring, such as wheat and gram.
- Kharif crops
- Crops sown with the onset of the monsoon and harvested in autumn, such as rice.
- Green Revolution
- The use of high-yielding variety seeds and modern inputs to raise food output.
- Minimum Support Price
- A guaranteed price announced by the government to protect farmers.
- Plantation agriculture
- Single-crop commercial farming over a large area, such as tea or coffee.
Extra questions & answers
What are the three cropping seasons in India?
Rabi (sown in winter, harvested in spring), kharif (sown with the monsoon, harvested in autumn) and zaid (a short summer season between rabi and kharif).
Distinguish between subsistence and commercial farming.
Subsistence farming is carried out to feed the farmer’s own family, while commercial farming produces crops mainly for sale in the market.
What were the aims of the Green Revolution?
To increase food-grain production using high-yielding variety seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers and machinery, making India self-sufficient in food.
How has globalisation affected Indian agriculture?
It has exposed farmers to competition from cheaper imports and fluctuating world prices, making farming less secure for many small and marginal farmers.
Name two institutional reforms that support farmers.
Minimum Support Prices and institutional credit through banks and cooperatives, along with crop insurance and Kissan Credit Cards.
What are the three cropping seasons in India?
Rabi (sown in winter, harvested in spring), kharif (sown with the monsoon, harvested in autumn) and zaid (a short summer season).
Distinguish between subsistence and commercial farming.
Subsistence farming is carried out to feed the farmer’s own family, while commercial farming produces crops mainly for sale in the market.
What were the main aims of the Green Revolution?
To raise food-grain production using high-yielding variety seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers and machinery, making India self-sufficient in food.
Name some institutional reforms introduced to help farmers.
Land reforms, the provision of institutional credit, Minimum Support Prices, Kissan Credit Cards and crop insurance schemes.
How has globalisation affected Indian agriculture?
It has exposed farmers to competition from cheaper imports and fluctuating world prices, making farming less secure for many small and marginal farmers.
Activity
List the items which are made of rubber and are used by us.
Commonly used rubber products include tyres, tubes, footwear, erasers, rubber bands, gloves, hoses, belts, mats, seals, gaskets, toys and waterproof articles.
Activity
Collect information about agriculture, horticulture, agricultural schemes, etc. from Farmers’ Portal website https://farmer.gov.in/FarmerHome.aspx
. Discuss about the benefits of the information available on the portal.
Information on agriculture, horticulture and government schemes can help farmers choose suitable crops, learn improved cultivation practices, obtain weather-related guidance, protect crops from pests and diseases, and understand available loans, insurance and support programmes. Such information enables better planning, reduces risks, improves productivity and helps farmers make informed decisions.
EXERCISES
1. Multiple choice questions.
(i) Which one of the following describes a system of agriculture where a single crop is grown on a large area?
(a) Shifting Agriculture
(b) Plantation Agriculture
(c) Horticulture
(d) Intensive Agriculture
(b) Plantation Agriculture
(ii) Which one of the following is a rabi crop?
(a) Rice
(b) Gram
(c) Millets
(d) Cotton
(b) Gram
(iii) Which one of the following is a leguminous crop?
(a) Pulses
(b) Jawar
(c) Millets
(d) Sesamum
(a) Pulses
2. Answer the following questions in
(i) Name one important beverage crop and specify the geographical conditions required for its growth.
Tea is an important beverage crop. It grows in warm, moist and frost-free tropical or subtropical climates, with frequent rainfall and deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in humus.
(ii) Name one staple crop of India and the regions where it is produced.
Rice is a major staple crop. It is grown in the northern and north-eastern plains, coastal and deltaic regions, and irrigated areas of Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan.
(iii) Enlist the various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in the interest of farmers.
The reforms include land consolidation, abolition of zamindari, cooperatives, crop insurance, Grameen banks, low-interest loans, Kisan Credit Cards, Personal Accident Insurance and minimum support and procurement prices.
3. Answer the following questions in about
(i) Suggest the initiative taken by the government to ensure the increase in agricultural production.
The government introduced both institutional and technological measures to raise agricultural production. After Independence, collectivisation, consolidation of fragmented holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari were given priority. Land reform became an important objective of the First Five Year Plan. During the
(ii) Describe the geographical conditions required for the growth of rice.
Rice is a kharif crop that requires a hot and humid climate. It grows best at temperatures above
PROJECT WORK
1. Group discussion on the necessity of literacy among farmers.
Literacy helps farmers read weather forecasts, seed and fertiliser instructions, market prices, loan documents and information about government schemes. Literate farmers can adopt improved technologies, maintain financial records, avoid fraud, communicate with agricultural experts and make better decisions about crops, irrigation, insurance and marketing. Farmers should therefore have access to adult education, digital training and agricultural extension services.
2. On an outline map of India show wheat producing areas.
On the outline map, mark and shade the main wheat-producing belt covering Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan. This includes the Ganga–Satluj plains of north-western India and the black-soil region of the Deccan.
ACTIVITY
Solve the puzzle by following your search horizontally and vertically to find the hidden answers.
1. The two staple food crops of India.
Rice and wheat.
2. This is the summer cropping season of India.
Kharif.
3. Pulses like arhar, moong, gram, urad contain…
Protein.
4. It is a coarse grain.
Jowar.
5. The two important beverages in India are…
Tea and coffee.
6. One of the four major fibers grown on black soils.
Cotton.