CH:4 AGRICULTURE

OBJECTIVE: LEARN ABOUT VARIOUS TYPES OF FARMING AND

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT IN TWO DIFFERENT REGIONS

1. Define the following terms:

a) Agriculture:
ANS: The science and art of cultivation on the soil , raising crops and rearing livestock. It is
also called farming.

b) Horticulture:
ANS: Growing vegetables , flowers , and fruits for commercial use.

c) Shifting Agriculture or Slash and Burn Agriculture:

ANS: 1. A plot of land is cleared by felling trees and burning them.
2.these ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops are grown.
3.when the soil losses its fertility the land is abandoned.
4.the cultivator moves to the new plot.

d) Pisciculture
ANS: Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

2. Name the three factors necessary for agricultural activity.

ANS: 1. Climatic conditions
2. Availiblity of water
3. Technology

3. In which parts of the world shifting cultivation is practiced?

ANS: Forest areas of amazon basin , tropical parts of southeast asia and northern india.

4. What is Nomadic Herding? In which parts of the world is it practiced?

ANS: In this type of farming herdsmen move from place to place, with their animals, in search
of fodder and water along defined routes.
It is practiced in semi arid and arid regions of Sahara , Central Asia and some parts of India
like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.
 1. Name the three types of millets. ANS:
Jowar , bajara and ragi.

1. Complete the following table:

Temperature Rainfall Soil Distribution

(any two
countries)
Rice High High Alluvial clay China
soil Egypt
Wheat Moderate Moderate Loamy soil Usa
Canada
Tea Cool climate High Loamy soil India
China
Coffee Warm and wet High Loamy soil Brazil
climate India
Cotton High Light Black Brazil
alluvial Egypt
Jute High Heavy Alluvial soil India
Bangladesh

1. Make web charts on the following:

Intensive subsistence agriculture
1. In this type of farming the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and
more labour .
2. Climate with large number of days with sunshine and fertile soils permit the growing of
more than one crop annually on the same plot. Rice is the main crop.
3. Other crops include wheat , maize , pulses and oilseeds .
4. It is practiced in thickly populated areas of monsoon regions of south , southeast and east
asia .

Shifting cultivation
1.It is practiced in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin , tropical Africa , parts of
Southeast Asia and northeast India.
2. A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning them .
3. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like maize , potatoes and cassava are
grown.
4.After the land loses its fertility the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to new plot.
Nomadic herding
1. In this type of farming herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and
water along defined routes.
2. This type of movement arises due to climatic constrains and terrains.
3. Sheep , cattle , yak and goats are the most commonly reared.
4. Such type of farming is practiced in semi arid and arid regions of sahara , central asia and
some parts of India like Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir.
Commercial grain farming
1.In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose.
2. Wheat, maize are common commercially grown grains.
3. Commercial grain farming is practiced in temperate grasslands of north America , Europe
and Asia.
4. These areas are sparsely populated with large farms spreading over hundreds of hectares.
Plantations
1. Plantations are a type of commercial grain farming in which a single crop of tea, coffee,
sugarcane , banana, or cotton are grown.
2. Large amount of labour and capital are required.
3. The produce may be processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories.
4. The development of a transport network is thus important and essential for such farming.

2. Differentiate between
• Kharif & Rabi crops
KHARIF CROPS RABI CROPS
1. Sown with the onset of monsoon and 1. Rabi crops is sown in winters from
harvested from September to October. October to December and it is harvested from
April – June.
2. Example:- paddy, maize, Jowar , Bajra etc. 2.Example :- Wheat , barley , peas , grams
etc.

• Primitive and Commercial agriculture

PRIMITIVE AGRICULTURE COMMERCIAL AGRICULTURE
1.In this farmers are depended on nature 1. In this crops are grown and animals are
for the growth of their crop and is meant reared for the sale in market.
to produce for their family.
2. They use traditional methods and very 2. Most of the work is done by machines
less tools for the growth of crops. and other modern equipments.
3. It includes shifting cultivation and 3. It includes grain farming, mixed
nomadic herding. farming and plantation.

3. Mention the various factors which influence agriculture.

ANS: 1. Soil
 2. Climatic conditions – temperature, Precipitation, humidity etc.
3. Availability of water.
4. Altitude

4. List the human and physical farm inputs.

ANS: HUMAN INPUTS - Storage , labour , machinery, chemicals.
PHYSICAL INPUTS- Sunshine, rainfall, temperature, soil, slope

5. The agriculture is developing and changing. Mention these changes.

ANS: Agriculture development refers to the efforts made to increase farm production in
order to meet the growing demand of increasing population. This can be achieved in many
ways such as increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation
facilities, use of fertilizers and high yielding variety of seeds. Mechanism of agriculture is
also another aspect of agricultural development.

6. Compare the pattern of farming of USA with India.

FARM IN INDIA FARM IN USA

1. In india average land for farming is 1.5 1. A farmer in USA has 250 hectares of land
hectares. as an average.
2. they use traditional methods for irrigation 2. they use modern equipments and machines
and other agricultural activities. for agricultural practices.
3. Lack of storage facilities. 3. They have their own storage space.
4. They normally grow wheat, rice or pulses. 4. They grow corn, soyabean, cotton, wheat
etc.

7. Give an account of fiber crops on the basis of climatic condition and distribution.
ANS: Two main fiber crops:- jute and cotton
COTTON:-
1. It requires high temperature, light rainfall and black alluvial soil.
2. It needs 210 frost free days and bright sunshine for its growth
3. China , USA , India and Brazil are the leading producers of cotton.
JUTE:-
1. Jute is also known as “golden fiber”.
2. It requires high temperature , heavy rainfall and humid climate.
3. It grows best on alluvial soil.
4. It is grown in the tropical areas of India and Bangladesh.

8.Write an account on organic farming.

It is a technique that involves cultivation of plants and rearing of animals in natural
ways. This process involves the use of biological materials, avoiding synthetic
substances to maintain soil fertility and ecological balance thereby minimizing
pollution and wastage. In other words, organic farming is a farming method that
 involves growing and nurturing crops without the use of synthetic based fertilizers
and pesticides. Also, no genetically modified organisms are permitted.

Map skill activity-(do it yourself)

1 Mark and colour the countries on the world map where wheat is cultivated
2 Mark and colour the countries on the world map where rice is cultivated
3 Mark and colour the countries on the world map where tea and coffee is cultivated