Agriculture - Long Answer Questions
The art and science of cultivating the soil, raising crops, and rearing livestock. It is also called farming.
A Primary Activity. It includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.
Commercial rearing of silk worms.
Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.
Cultivation of grapes.
Growing vegetables, flowers, and fruits for commercial use.
Subsistence: Farming to meet range needs of the farmer's family (low tech, small output). Commercial: Farming for sale in market (machines, large scale).
Farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. Rice is the main crop. Prevalent in thickly populated areas of monsoon Asia.
Slash and burn agriculture. A plot is cleared by burning trees. Ashes fertilize soil. Crops grown. Then abandoned. Practised in Amazon, Tropical Africa, NE India.
Herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water along defined routes. Sheep, camel, yak, goats are reared.
The land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock simultaneously.
A type of commercial farming where a single crop (Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Banana) is grown. Requires large capital and labour.
Rice, Wheat, Millets, Maize.
Cotton and Jute.
Jute. It grows well on alluvial soil and needs high temp and heavy rain. India and Bangladesh are leading producers.
High heat, high humidity, and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial clayey soil (retains water).
Moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at harvest. Loamy soil is best.
Efforts made to increase farm production to meet the growing demand of increasing population (HYV seeds, fertilizers, irrigation).
India: Small holding (1.5 hectares), manual labour/bullocks, dependent on monsoon, debts. USA: Large holding (250 hectares), machines (tractors/harvesters), soil testing, scientific farming, huge profit.
Crops are grown using organic manure and natural pesticides. No genetic modification.
Agriculture - Important Facts
Agriculture is a primary activity.
50% of the world engages in agriculture.
Two-thirds of India depends on agriculture.
Arable land is land suitable for crops.
Agri means Soil, Culture means Cultivation.
Sericulture is silkworm rearing.
Pisciculture is fish breeding.
Viticulture is grape cultivation.
Horticulture is fruits/flowers.
Intensive farming uses small plots.
Primitive farming includes shifting cultivation.
Jhumming is shifting cultivation in NE India.
Milpa is shifting cultivation in Mexico.
Roca is shifting cultivation in Brazil.
Ladang is shifting cultivation in Malaysia.
Nomadic herders live in Rajasthan/J&K.
USA, Canada, Australia do commercial grain farming.
Mixed farming is common in Europe/USA.
Plantations grow Tea, Coffee, Rubber.
Rice is the major food crop of the world.
China leads in rice production.
Wheat grows in winter in India.
Millets are coarse grains (Jowar, Bajra, Ragi).
Maize is also called corn.
Cotton needs 210 frost-free days.
Black soil is best for Cotton.
Jute is the Golden Fibre.
Coffee needs warm climate and hill slopes.
Brazil leads in coffee.
Tea needs cool climate and high rainfall.
Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka produce tea.
Green Revolution increased production.
Food security ensures food availability.
Indian farmers use tube wells.
Indian farmers often take loans.
US farmers work like businessmen.
US farmers use airplanes for spray.
Silos are used for storage in US.
Combine harvester does everything.
Soil health card is used in India.
KCC is Kisan Credit Card.
Agriculture is the backbone of India.
Food processing is a sunrise industry.
Organic farming is gaining popularity.
Hydroponics is growing plants in water.
Agriculture - Important Dates/Terms
Seasonal crop cycles