Agriculture

 India is an agriculturally important country.

 2/3rds of its population is engaged in agricultural activities.
 Agriculture is a primary activity, which produces most of the food that we
consume.
 Besides food grains, it also produces raw material for various industries.
 Some agricultural products like tea, coffee, spices, etc. are also exported.

TYPES OF FARMING

 Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in our country.

 Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type.

 Primitive Subsistence Farming

 still practised in few pockets of India

 practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao
and digging sticks, and family/ community labour
 depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other
environmental conditions to the crops grown. It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.
 Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to
sustain their family.
 When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land
for cultivation.
 This type of shifting allows Nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through
natural processes; land productivity in this type of agriculture is low as the
farmer does not use fertilisers or other modern inputs.
 It is jhumming in north-eastern states like Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and
Nagaland; Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district of Chhattishgarh, and in
Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Jhumming: The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture is known as ‘Milpa’ in Mexico and
Central America, ‘Conuco’ in Venzuela, ‘Roca’ in Brazil, ‘Masole’ in Central Africa,
‘Ladang’ in Indonesia, ‘Ray’ in Vietnam. In India, this primitive form of cultivation is
called ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya Pradesh, ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh,
‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Odisha, ‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or
‘Waltre’ in South-eastern Rajasthan, ‘Khil’ in the Himalayan belt, ‘Kuruwa’ in
Jharkhand, and ‘Jhumming’ in the North-eastern region.

 Intensive Subsistence Farming

 practised in areas of high population pressure on land

 is labourintensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation
are used for obtaining higher production.
 Though the ‘right of inheritance’ leading to the division of land among
successive generations has rendered land-holding size uneconomical, the
farmers continue to take maximum output from the limited land in the absence
of alternative source of livelihood. Thus, there is enormous pressure on
agricultural land.

 Commercial Farming

 main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of higher doses of modern
inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides
and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity.
 The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one region to
another.
For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but in Odisha, it is a
subsistence crop
Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.
 In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.
 The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry.
 Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the
help of migrant labourers.
 All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries.
 e.g., In India, tea in Assam and North Bengal, coffee in Karnataka, rubber,
sugarcane, banana, etc.
 Since the production is mainly for market, a welldeveloped network of transport
and communication connecting the plantation areas, processing industries and
markets plays an important role in the development of plantations.

CROPPING PATTERN

India has three cropping seasons — rabi, kharif and zaid.

Rabi

 sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April
to June.
 wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard
 grown in large parts of India, states from the north and north-western parts
such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand
and Uttar Pradesh are important for the production of wheat and other rabi
crops.
 Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate
cyclones helps in the success of these crops.
 However, the success of the green revolution in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar
Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan has also been an important factor in the growth
of the abovementioned rabi crops.

Kharif
 grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are
harvested in September-October.
 paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and
soyabean.
 Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana,
Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra, particularly the (Konkan coast) along with
Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
 Recently, paddy has also become an important crop of Punjab and Haryana.
 In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy are grown in
a year. These are Aus, Aman and Boro.

Zaid

 In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the
summer months known as the Zaid season.
 watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops.
 Sugarcane takes almost a year to grow.

Major Crops

 Rice:
 the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India.
 Our country is the second largest producer of rice in the world after China.
 kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity
with annual rainfall above 100 cm.
 In the areas of less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation.
 grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the
deltaic regions.
 Development of dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells have made it
possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as Punjab, Haryana and
western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.

 Wheat:
 second most important cereal crop
 the main food crop, in north and north-western part of the country.
 This rabi crop requires a cool growing season and a bright sunshine at the time
of ripening.
 requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing
season.
 There are two important wheat-growing zones in the country – the Ganga-Satluj
plains in the north-west and black soil region of the Deccan.
 The major wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan.

 Millets:
 Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.
 known as coarse grains, they have very high nutritional value.
 Jowar is the third most important food crop with respect to area and
production.
 It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in the moist areas which hardly needs
irrigation.
 Major Jowar producing States are Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and
Madhya Pradesh.
 Bajra grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soil.
 Major Bajra producing States are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Gujarat and Haryana.
 ragi is very rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage.
 Ragi is a crop of dry regions and grows well on red, black, sandy, loamy and
shallow black soils.
 Major ragi producing states are: Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Sikkim, Jharkhand and Arunachal Pradesh.

 Maize:
 crop which is used both as food and fodder.
 a kharif crop which requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well
in old alluvial soil.
 In some states like Bihar maize is grown in rabi season also.
 Use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation have
contributed to the increasing production of maize.
 Major maize-producing states are Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh,
Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

 Pulses:
 India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.
 These are the major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
 Major pulses grown in India are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.
 Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.
 Being leguminous crops, all these crops except arhar help in restoring soil
fertility by fixing nitrogen from the air. Therefore, these are mostly grown in
rotation with other crops.
 Major pulse producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan,
Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka.
Food Crops other than Grains

 Sugarcane:
 tropical as well as a subtropical crop
 grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an
annual rainfall between 75cm. and 100cm.
 Irrigation is required in the regions of low rainfall.
 can be grown on a variety of soils and needs manual labour from sowing to
harvesting.
 India is the second largest producer of sugarcane only after Brazil.
 main source of sugar, gur (jaggary), khandsari and molasses.
 The major sugarcane-producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra,
Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

 Oil Seeds:
 In 2018 India was the second largest producer of groundnut in the world after
China.
 In rapeseed production, India was third largest producer in the world after
Canada and China in 2018.
 Different oil seeds are grown covering approximately 12 per cent of the total
cropped area of the country.
 Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum
(til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.
 Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums.
 Some of these are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics
and ointments.
 Groundnut is a kharif crop and accounts for about half of the major oilseeds
produced in the country.
 Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by Rajasthan and Tamil
Nadu in 2019–20.
 Linseed and mustard are rabi crops.
 Sesamum is a kharif crop in north and rabi crop in south India.
 Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop.

 Tea:
 Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture.
 also an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British.
 Today, most of the tea plantations are owned by Indians.
 The tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates endowed with
deep and fertile well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter.
 Tea bushes require warm and moist frost-free climate all through the year.
Frequent showers evenly distributed over the year ensure continuous growth of
tender leaves.
 labour-intensive industry.
 requires abundant, cheap and skilled labour.
 processed within the tea garden to restore its freshness.
 Major teaproducing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts,
West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing
states in the country.
 In 2018 India was the second largest producer of tea after China.

 Coffee:
 Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality.
 The Arabica variety initially brought from Yemen is produced in the country. This
variety is in great demand all over the world.
 Initially its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and even today its
cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

 Horticulture Crops:
 In 2018, India was the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the
world after China.
 India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.
 Mangoes of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and West
Bengal,
 oranges of Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya),
 bananas of Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu,
 lichi and guava of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar,
 pineapples of Meghalaya,
 grapes of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Maharashtra,
 apples, pears, apricots and walnuts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal
Pradesh
 India is an important producer of pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato,
brinjal and potato.

Non-Food Crops

 Rubber:
 an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and
sub-tropical areas.
 requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and
temperature above 25°C.
 an important industrial raw material.
 mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar
islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.

 Fibre Crops:

 Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.
 The first three are derived from the crops grown in the soil, the latter is obtained
from cocoons of the silkworms fed on green leaves specially mulberry.
 Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.
 Cotton:
 India is believed to be the original home of the cotton plant.
 one of the main raw materials for cotton textile industry.
 In 2017, India was second largest producer of cotton after China.
 grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau.
 requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and
bright sun-shine for its growth.
 kharif crop and requires 6 to 8 months to mature.
 Major cotton-producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya
Pradesh,Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana
and Uttar Pradesh.

 Jute:
 known as the golden fibre
 grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are
renewed every year.
 High temperature is required during the time of growth.
 West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya are the major jute producing
states.
 used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.
 Due to its high cost, it is losing market to synthetic fibres and packing materials,
particularly the nylon.

Technological and Institutional Reforms

 Sustained uses of land without compatible techno-institutional changes have

hindered the pace of agricultural development.
 Inspite of development of sources of irrigation most of the farmers in large parts
of the country still depend upon monsoon and natural fertility in order to carry
on their agriculture.
 For a growing population, this poses a serious challenge.
 Agriculture which provides livelihood for more than 60% of its population, needs
some serious technical and institutional reforms.
 Thus, collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of
zamindari, etc. were given priority to bring about institutional reforms in the
country after Independence.
 ‘Land reform’ was the main focus of our First Five Year Plan.
 The right of inheritance had already lead to fragmentation of land holdings
necessitating consolidation of holdings.
 The laws of land reforms were enacted but the implementation was lacking or
lukewarm.
 The Government of India embarked upon introducing agricultural reforms to
improve Indian agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s.
 The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White
Revolution (Operation Flood) were some of the strategies initiated to improve
the lot of Indian agriculture.
 But, this too led to the concentration of development in few selected areas.
 Therefore, in the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development
programme was initiated, which included both institutional and technical
reforms.
 Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease,
establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing
loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest were some important
steps in this direction.
 Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some
other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the
farmers.
 Moreover, special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers
were introduced on the radio and television.
 The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and
procurement prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by
speculators and middlemen.

Bhoodan – Gramdan
 Mahatma Gandhi declared Vinoba Bhave as his spiritual heir.
 participated in Satyagraha as one of the foremost satyagrahis.
 one of the votaries of Gandhi’s concept of gram swarajya.
 After Gandhiji’s martyrdom, Vinoba Bhave undertook padyatra to spread
Gandhiji’s message covered almost the entire country.
 Once, when he was delivering a lecture at Pochampalli in Andhra Pradesh, some
poor landless villagers demanded some land for their economic well-being.
 Vinoba Bhave could not promise it to them immediately but assured them to
talk to the Government of India regarding provision of land for them if they
undertook cooperative farming.
 Suddenly, Shri Ram Chandra Reddy stood up and offered 80 acres of land to be
distributed among 80 land-less villagers.
 This act was known as ‘Bhoodan’.
 Later he travelled and introduced his ideas widely all over India.
 Some zamindars, owners of many villages offered to distribute some villages
among the landless.
 It was known as Gramdan. However, many land-owners chose to provide some
part of their land to the poor farmers due to the fear of land ceiling act.
 This Bhoodan-Gramdan movement initiated by Vinoba Bhave is also known as
the Blood-less Revolution.