Class 8 NCERT Geography Chapter 4

Introduction
Agriculture
• Primary Activities: It include all those connected with extraction
and production of natural resources.
→ Examples: Agriculture, fishing and gathering.

• Secondary Activities: These are concerned with the processing

of these resources.
→ Examples: Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and
weaving of cloth.

• Tertiary Activities: These provide support to the primary and

secondary sectors through services.
→ Examples: Transport, trade, banking, insurance and
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Various types of cultures:
1. Agriculture: raising crops and
rearing livestock
2. Sericulture: rearing of silk worms
and silk production
3. Pisciculture: Breeding of fish
4. Viticulture: Cultivation of grapes
5. Horticulture: Growing of
vegetables, flowers and fruits
Agriculture

• Agriculture is a primary activity.

→ It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers
and rearing of livestock.

• In the world, 50 percent of persons are engaged in

agricultural activity.
→ Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on
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

• The important inputs of agriculture are seeds, fertilisers,

machinery and labour.

• The operations needed are ploughing, sowing, irrigation,

weeding and harvesting.

• The outputs from the system include crops, wool, dairy and
poultry products.

Types of Farming

• Farming can classified into two main types, depending upon the
geographical conditions, demand
of produce, labour and level of technology:
→ Subsistence farming
→ Commercial farming
Subsistence Farming

• This type of farming is practised to meet the

needs of the farmer’s family.

• Low levels of technology and household

labour are used to produce on small output.

• Subsistence farming can be further classified

as:
→ Intensive subsistence farming
→ Primitive subsistence farming
Primitive subsistence farming

• It includes
→ Shifting cultivation
→ Nomadic herding

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 felling 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.

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, herdsmen move

from 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

• 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 farming includes

→ Commercial grain farming
→ Mixed farming
→ Plantation agriculture
Commercial grain farming

• Crops are grown for commercial purpose.

• Common crops: Wheat and maiz.

• Major areas: temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.

• Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a single crop can be grown.

Mixed farming

• The land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

• Areas: Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Plantations

• Only single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.

• Large amount of labour and capital are required.

• The produce may be processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories thus require transportation
facilities.

• Areas: Tropical regions of the world.

→ Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka are some examples.
• 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.

• Millets: They are also known as coarse grains and can be grown on less fertile and sandy
soils.
→ It is a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate
rainfall. → Jowar,bajra and ragi are grown in India.
→ Other countries are Nigeria, China and Niger.

• Maize: Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine.

→ It needs well-drained fertile soils.
→ Maize is grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.
→ 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.
Agricultural Development

• It refers to efforts made to increase farm production in

order to meet the growing demand of increasing
population.

• 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

• The ultimate aim of agricultural development is to

increase food security.
A Farm in India

• Small Size farmland.

• Use HYV seeds purcahsed from markets.
• Take advice from friends, elders or government.
• Use tractors or bullock carts for ploughing the field.
• Use tubewell for irrigational activities.
• Also, rear livestock to earn more income.
• All the members of the family help him in various farm activities.
• The farmers takes credit from a bank or the agricultural co-operative
society to buy HYV seeds and implements.
• Lack storage facilities so they are forced to sell the produce even
when the market is not favourable to them.

• In recent years, the government has taken some steps to develop

storage facilites.
A Farm in USA

• Large size farmland.

• The farmer generally resides in the farm.
• Some of the major crops grown are corn, soyabean, wheat, cotton
and sugarbeet.
• Adequate measures are taken to control pests that can damage the
crop.
• From time to time, Soil samples are checked in the laboratory to
check whether the nutrients are sufficient or not.
• The Farmer's computer is linked to the satellite which gives him a
precise picture of his field.
• This helps farmers to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides wherever
they are required.
• Farmers use tractors, seed drills, leveller, combined harvester and
thresher to perform various agricultural operations.
• Grains are stored in the automated grain storage or despatched to
market agencies.
Excercises

1. Answer the following questions.

(i) What is agriculture?

Answer

Agriculture is the primary activity which includes growing of

crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock. It
is also known as farming.

(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture.

Answer

Various factors influencing agriculture are - Favourable

topography, Soil and Climate.
(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?

Answer

Shifting cultivation or slash-and-burn cultivation is a type of

farming activity which involves clearing a plot of land by
felling trees, burning the felled trees, mixing the ashes with
soil, and then growing crops like maize, yam, potatoes and
cassava on the cleared land. After the soil loses its fertility,
the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves on to a new
plot.
This type of farming has the following disadvantages.
→ Deforestation
→ After some time the land loses its fertility.
→ Soil erosion.
→ Small patches of cultivation which is insufficient for
feeding a large population.
(iv) What is plantation agriculture?

Answer

Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming where a single crop of tea,

coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton is grown. Large amount of labour
and capital is required in this type of farming. The produce is either processed on the
farm itself or in nearby factories. Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of
the world, like rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka, etc.

(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.

Answer

Jute & cotton are known as fiber crops. The climatic conditions required for their
growth are:
→ Jute (Golden Fiber): High temperature more than 25°C, heavy rainfall, warm and
humid climate.
→ Cotton: High temperature around 30 - 40°C, low rainfall and most importantly 210
frost-free days and bright sunshine. Means lot of cloud-free sunny days is essential for
cotton growing.
3. Give reasons.

(i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.

Answer

Two-third of India's population is dependent upon agriculture. Hence,

in India, agriculture is a primary activity.

(ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.

Answer

Different crops are grown in different regions because growing of

crops depends upon the geographical conditions, demand of
produce, labour and level of technology. Favourable topography of
soil, climates also play an important role in selection of crops to be
grown in that area.
Distinguish