8th Class Social Science Agriculture Notes - Agriculture

 

Agriculture

 

 

You often have bread and jam for breakfast. Roti and curry is common at lunch. Have you ever wondered where these come from? What bread and roti are made of? And where do we get our curries from? Well, bread is made from wheat flour which in turn is made from whole wheat. Wheat is grown in a farm by the farmer and so are rice, dal (lentils) and vegetables. The ripe crop is harvested and sold in the market. Growing crops involves various activities like sowing seeds, irrigating the field, removing weeds, applying fertilisers and manures and harvesting the crop when ripe. This process of cultivation of crops for food and fibre, and also rearing animals to sustain life is called agriculture. We will read about it in this chapter.

 

HUMAN OCCUPATIONS

 

The word agriculture is derived from Latin words 'ager' or 'agri' meaning soil and 'culture' meaning tilling or cultivation. Agriculture is commonly referred to as farming and was first practised to make up for the shortage of food obtained from the forests. Today agriculture not only provides us with food but also the raw materials for the manufacture of products such as fibre (cotton/jute) for cloth, rubber for tyres and pulp for paper. This transformation from a plant to a finished product we eat or use, involves three types of economic activities-primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

 

Agriculture, fishing, farming, mining and forestry come under primary activities or industries. They involve extracting resources from the earth. (Recall what you have learnt in Social and Political Life, class VI). Secondary activities include processing resources obtained from the primary activities, to make a product. This may involve, for example, manufacturing steel, making paper from wood pulp and baking of bread. Tertiary activities, on the other hand, provide support to the other two industries through various services. Transport, banking, advertising, insurance and trade are examples of tertiary activities.

 

 

AGRICULTURE

 

Agriculture is a primary activity of the economy. It includes growing different crops like-cereals, fruits, vegetables and flowers. This also includes rearing of livestock and other related activities. Still, more than 50 per cent of the world population is engaged in agriculture. If we look into the world map, all that we see in green colour which is usually plain land which is arable.

 

 

Geography Reveals

The word 'farm ?is taken from the Old French word 'femme' meaning; to rent or lease and the Latin means 'firmare'to fix, settle, confirm or strengthen.

 

Factors affecting agriculture

Favourable land and climate have affected agriculture significantly since ages. Plain regions of river valleys have supported agriculture, that is why our initial civilizations flourished in river valleys. Other than land there are various other factors that affect agriculture. Land is the basic requirement along with soil, water, sunlight, slope and favourable climate which are major physical factors that affect agriculture. Apart from these, there are various human factors which play a significant role in determining crop selection and farming type. These are?good quality seeds, fertilizers, machinery, labour, storage capacity, technological development and socio cultural environment. Thus, collectively, they all control agriculture in a big way.

 

Inputs	Processes	Outputs
Natural inputs     \[\to \] Climate, soil and relief Human inputs Sowing seeds, animals, capital for tools, machinery, storage labour, irrigation, fertilisers and pesticides etc.,	Farm    \[\to \] Cultivation of crops, ploughing, planting, applying fertilisers and Harvesting And/or Rearing of animals, milking, etc.	Crops   \[\to \] Animals\[\to \] Farm use                                 \[\downarrow \] Sale products produces income for the farmers own use.

 

Geography Reveals

Organic farming is the technique to achieve good crop yields without using chemical fertilisers, pesticides, plant growth regulators and genetically modified organisms. It relies on crop rotation, organic manure, natural pesticides and compost, etc.

 

Agriculture System (IPO)

Agriculture may be viewed as a system of inputs, processes and outputs. These can vary according to the type of agricultural practice. In agriculture, we put in all natural and human inputs. After processing what we get is the final output? a crop. Refer to the diagram given below.

 

TYPES OF AGRICULTURE

 

Let us take a closer look at the varying nature of agricultural systems. Some of the major criteria which can be adopted to classify agriculture are-scale of farming, intensity of farming, crop and livestock combinations, means and ways of marketing of the farm produce and the level of farm mechanisation. Depending on these, there are three major types of agriculture?

 

(i) Subsistence farming

(ii) Cooperative farming

(iii) Commercial farming.

 

 

SUBSISTENCE FARMING

 

It is the farming in which the farmers grow crops and rear animals just enough to feed their families or communities. They use primitive methods and the farmer and his family are involved in the cultivation of crops. They do not hire labour to work on the field. Very little chemical fertiliser is used. The production is low. Subsistence agriculture can be further classified as (i) intensive subsistence agriculture and (ii) primitive subsistence agriculture.

 

Intensive subsistence agriculture

This type of agriculture is carried out in the densely populated areas of the monsoon regions of South, South-East and East Asia. The farms are small in size and the level of technology varies with each area e.g., low in India and high in Japan. Farming is done with the help of high yielding seeds, machines and other implements like- fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides, etc.

 

 

The farmers take maximum output from the land in the absence of other sources of livelihood. Two crops may be grown simultaneously in a year on the same plot of land and this is known as double cropping. Rice is the main crop. Other crops include wheat, pulses and oilseeds. Crops can be grown in a planned sequence from season to season within a year or from year to year to retain soil fertility. For example, in the first year, pearl millet can be grown; in the next year a legume such as groundnut can be grown while in the third year again pearl millet can be grown. This practice is known as crop rotation.

 

Q. why do you think a legume is grown in between the two crops?

 

Primitive subsistence agriculture

It is practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like a hoe1 and digging sticks. This includes (i) shifting cultivation and (ii) nomadic herding.

 

Shifting cultivation

It is a very primitive method practised in the remote, thickly forested areas of the Amazon basin, tropical Africa, North-East India, South- East Asia and Central America. The plots of land are cleared by felling the trees and then burning them. That is why, shifting agriculture is also known as slash and bum agriculture. The ash formed provides nutrition to the soil. Crops like maize, yams and potatoes are grown. These areas have a thin top soil and heavy rain washes it away. When the soil loses its fertility within two to three years, the land is abandoned. There is a low farm input, with manual labour and simple tools. This type of farming is on a decline due to its land degrading nature. It is being discouraged by the government agencies.

 

 

Geography Reveals

Shifting agriculture is also known as 'Jhum' agriculture in North-East India, 'Milpa'in Mexico, 'Ladang' in Malaysia and 'Roca' in Brazil.

 

Nomadic herding

It is usually practised in the semi-arid areas of central Asia and parts of India like Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaranchal. The herders find suitable places where the fodder and water are available. The herder and his family may stay at that place for a period of time. When there is not enough fodder to support his cattle, he moves with his cattle in search of new pastures and leads a nomadic life. He rears most of the cattle for himself and only sells his cattle when he has to buy necessities which he cannot provide for himself.

 

COOPERATIVE FARMING

 

Collective or cooperative farming is a type of agriculture in which the farmers pool in their resources for irrigation, machinery, seeds and fertilisers. The farmers also coordinate their farming decisions. Products are sold through cooperative shops and benefits are shared accordingly. Anand milk co-operative in Gujarat is an example of this kind.

 

 

COMMERCIAL FARMING

 

Some farmers grow crops or rear animals for the sole purpose of selling them in the market. This is known as commercial agriculture or agribusiness. It is practised on large plots of land. Most of the work is done by machines. Areas that have well-developed transport facilities and access to the markets are suitable for commercial agriculture.

 

Commercial agriculture includes (i) commercial grain farming, (ii) mixed farming (iii) plantations,(iv) market gardening and (v) pastoral farming.

 

Commercial grain farming

Wheat and maize are majorly grown in sparsely populated areas where farms spread out over hundreds of hectares and are fully mechanised. These farms are highly commercial, capital intensive2 and profit oriented. They operate like a business organisation. This type of farming is practised in temperate grasslands of the Prairies in North America, Steppes in Europe and Russia, Pampas in Argentina and Northern plains in Punjab and Haryana in India.

 

Market farming

In this type of farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder and rearing livestock. The farmers grow cereals and vegetables along with sorghum, berseem, etc. as fodder crops for their livestock. Equal emphasis is given to cultivation of crops and rearing of livestock. Crop rotation helps in restoring soil fertility. It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

 

Plantations

Plantation agriculture takes place on large farms or estates. These estates were developed in South-East Asia, the Caribbean, Central and South America during the colonial period. European countries like UK and the Netherlands set up plantations to grow rubber, coffee, tea, sugar and spices as the climate here is favourable for these crops. These were then exported to meet demands in Europe. Plantations need very large amount of capital for preparing land, planting crop, hiring labour and establishing processing factories. Advanced technology is used for planting, harvesting and laboratories are needed to check the quality of the product. Plantations yield huge quantities of one crop usually. Rubber and coconut oil palms are grown in Malaysia and Indonesia, coffee in Brazil and Indonesia, tea in Sri Lanka and India, cocoa in Ghana are grown in plantations.

 

 

Market gardening

It is the intensive cash crop cultivation of vegetables, fruits or flowers. Market gardens are usually close to urban centres in the world where there is a high demand for vegetables, flowers and fruits. These farms produce perishable goods and the task of transporting them fresh to the urban areas is an important factor. Therefore, they are located on the outskirts of urban centres.

 

 

Pastoral farming

Pastoral farming involves cattle ranching for meat and dairy farming for milk and milk products. Dairy farming is the rearing of cattle on a large scale to meet the demand for milk and milk products like butter, cheese, ghee (clarified butter), condensed milk and yogurt. Many parts of the temperate grasslands of the world have long been used for cattle ranching. The vast cattle farms may be 10,000 hectares in extent and are manned by cowboys. When the cattle are ready for the market, they are sent by rail to the slaughter houses of the major towns where the meat is chilled or frozen and then exported. USA is a large exporter of beef where cattle are raised in the Western Prairies. Argentina is the largest exporter from the Pampas grasslands region. Australia is also a major beef exporter.

 

The farms under dairy farming are scientifically maintained and mechanised. Machines are used for milking, feeding and cleaning the cattle and bottling the milk. It is practised in Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Netherlands and North America.

 

 

Bees contribute to more than $15 billion worth of crops every year through pollination. More than 100 agricultural crops in the US are pollinated.

 

MAJOR CROPS

 

A large variety of crops are grown to meet the increasing demand for food and raw materials for agro-based industries. Major food crops are rice, wheat, maize and millets. Jute, flax and cotton are examples of fibre crops and, tea and coffee are examples of beverages. Jute, cotton, tea, etc. are also called cash crops because these are produced for their commercial value rather than for use by the grower.

 

FOOD CROPS

 

Rice

Rice is the main staple food crop of the world. One third of the world's population depends on rice for food. In India, China and Indonesia it is grown as a subsistence crop while in Japan and Thailand it is grown commercially.

 

It is grown with the onset of monsoon and harvested in September-October. Rice crop needs 200 cm of rainfall annually and high humidity. The average temperature required during the growing season is 20°C. Fertile alluvial soil of flood plains are ideal for growing rice. In areas where flat land is limited, farmers grow rice on terraced hill slopes e.g., Indonesia and the Philippines. The bund or the raised bank of soil at the edge of each terrace or around the field holds water.

 

China leads in the production of rice followed by India, Japan and Sri Lanka. In India, rice is grown in Odisha, West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Karnataka.

 

Wheat

Wheat is presently second to rice as the main staple food crop. Wheat can be grown as winter wheat or spring wheat.

 

 

Winter wheat is usually grown in regions lying between the tropics and the Arctic and Antarctic e.g., Indian subcontinent.  Mediterranean countries where winters are milder and cooler but sufficiently damp and without frost. It is harvested in March and April. About 80 % of the world's wheat is sown in winter.

 

Spring wheat is grown in the colder north of the Prairies and the Steppes where temperature is very low and snow covers the ground. Seeds are sown in late March/April when melted snow provides water to the soil and harvested in autumn.

 

Wheat requires a cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It requires 50-75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season and thrives best in well drained loamy soil.

 

The major wheat exporters of the world (USA, Canada, Argentina and Australia), lying between the tropics and the polar circles, practise large-scale mechanised grain cultivation with relatively small population, hi India wheat is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, U.P and Madhya Pradesh.

 

Maize

Maize is often known as Indian corn as it originated in America and has long been cultivated by the American Indians. It was introduced in Europe by Christopher Columbus and then its cultivation spread to Africa and Asia. It is used both as food and fodder. It has a wide variety of uses as animal feed, human food and as an industrial product e.g., industrial alcohol, starch and vegetable oil. The maize stalks are used in the manufacture of rayon, plastics, paper and wall-boards.

 

Maize crop requires temperatures of about 18- 27°C and rainfall of about 50-100 cm. It grows well in alluvial soil.

 

The USA is the largest producer of maize followed by Argentina, Brazil, China, Mexico and South Africa. In African countries, maize is the staple food and has great importance in the economy. In India, major maize producing states are Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

 

 

Millets-Coarse Grains

Jowar, bajra and ragi are the irnportant millets grown in India. They have very high nutritional value. They are often significant as subsistence crops and are grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas with low or seasonal rainfall. They can withstand high temperatures and long periods of drought. Poor soils and hilly relief also support millets.

 

In developed countries like the USA and Argentina, millets are grown as fodder crops. Maharashtra is the largest producer of Jowar followed by Kamataka, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. Rajasthan is the largest producer of bajra followed by Uttar Pradesh Maharashtra, Gujarat and Haryana. Kamataka is the largest producer of ragi followed by Tamil Nadu Other ragi producing state- are Himachal Pradesh Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

 

CASH CROPS

 

Cotton

Cotton is the most widely used of all the fibres. It requires warm climatic conditions to grow. Temperature around 25°C and plenty of sunshine is required during the growing period. Cotton is grown in tropical and sub-tropical climates. It needs rainfall of about 60-100 cm. Better quality fibre is obtained in semi-arid and even arid conditions by providing good irrigation. Cotton grows well in black soil however, well drained loamy soil is also suitable.

 

Major Cotton producing states in India are-Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. China, USA, India, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, Turkey, Brazil and Australia are leading producers of cotton in the world.

 

Cotton varieties are usually distinguished by the staple length or the length of the individual fibre. The longer the staple, the finer are the fibres. There are three main groups.

 

 

 

 

Jute

Jute is the second most important plant fibre. It is known as the golden fibre. It is used in making gunny bags, carpets mats, ropes, etc. It grows well in hot, tropical climate, with plenty of moisture. Well drained alluvial soil in flood plains is ideal. Temperature of about 20-40°C and relative humidity of 70-80% are favourable for successful cultivation. Jute growing and processing requires much labour. Nearly three quarters of the world production of jute comes from India and Bangladesh. In India, major jute producing states are West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya.

 

Sugar cane

It is the main source of sugar, jaggery, molasses and Khandsari. It is a tropical as well as subtropical crop. It requires temperature of the range 21-27°C, hot and humid climate and an annual rainfall of 75-100 cm. It can be grown on a variety of soils.

 

In India, sugar cane is grown in Uttar Pradesh, Kamataka, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab, and Haryana. Brazil is highest sugar cane producers in the world. China, Mexico, Phillippines, Argentina and U.S.A. are other leading producers

 

BEVERAGES

 

The leading beverages-tea and coffee are grown exclusively in the tropical and sub- tropical zones, but they are consumed in all parts of the world and play a significant role in international trade. Tea is the cheapest and the most universally drunk beverages though the trade is less than the other beverages. Coffee is the next in popularity and is by far the largest tropical commodity in world trade.

 

Tea

It grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates. Large-scale commercial cultivation of tea is done in plantations ranging from 40-2400 hectares in upland regions of in India. It is grown in China, Kenya, Vietnam, Turkey, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and East African highlands. It grows well in cool climate and where rainfall is well distributed throughout the year. The plantation crop needs fertile, well-drained soil rich in humus and organic matter. Tea picking is a skillful job and usually done by women. The processing of tea goes through five operations.

 

 

 

Withering: Leaves are spread out on racks for 12 to 18 hours to remove moisture.

 

Bruising: The leaves may be bruised by shaking and tossing in a bamboo tray or rolling over by heavy wheels. Bruising breaks down the cells so that the natural juice is exposed to the air for fermentation.

 

Fermentation: After bruising, the leaves are spread out and the tannins in them is partly oxidised.

 

 

Drying or firing: The leaves are then put into an oven at high temperature for 24 minutes. After this stage, the tea resembles normal black tea.

 

Sorting: The tea is then sorted into grades according to size and has names like Pekoe, Orange Pekoe, farmings and dust. These merely denote the size or appearance of the tea and have no reference to quality.

 

The process described above is known as the 'Orthodox' method. Now the use of a CTC machine-Crushing, Tearing and Curling machine-is also increasing.

 

India is the largest producer and exporter of tea in the world. Major tea-producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and West Bengal. Other states are Meghalaya, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh.

Coffee

There are two varieties of coffee-Arabica and Robusta-that are grown on a commercial scale.

 

 

The former variety accounts for 75% of coffee production. The third variety, Liberica occupies a small area.

 

The coffee plant is a small tree or shrub which is about 4-6 m high when fully grown. It is usually pruned to about 3 m. Six to seven months after the appearance of the flower, the fruit develops which is green in colour and changes to red, and ultimately crimson when it is fully ripe. The mature fruit resembles a cherry and grows in clusters attached to the branch with short stems. Each "cherry" contains two seeds (called coffee beans), surrounded by pulp. After plucking, the cherries are processed by pulping them and coffee seeds or beans are removed. The beans are then run through fermenting and washing tanks followed by drying. Each bean has a parchment- like skin. The hulling machines remove the parchment. The beans are roasted to impart the coffee flavour and aroma.

 

Coffee plant requires warm and wet climate and well drained loamy soils. In India, it is grown in Tamil Nadu, Nilgiri (Kamataka) and Kerala. Brazil is the leading producer of coffee followed by Columbia and India.

 

AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT

 

With the rapidly growing population, the demand for food is also increasing. To meet the growing demand, efforts are being made to increase food production. This can be achieved by raising productivity through the use of fertilisers and high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds, better irrigation facilities and increased use of pesticides, etc., Agricultural development has occurred in developed as well as developing countries. In developing countries, crops are grown on small plots of land mostly for subsistence. In developed countries, commercial agriculture is done on large holdings. Let us understand about agriculture in the developing and developed countries with the help of two case studies of farms-one from India and other from USA.

 

Fact File

India is second largest country in terms of agricultural production. India ranks 2nd in rice and tea production, 4* in wheat production and number one in milk, sugar cane and vegetable production.

 

AGRICULTURAL CHANGE IN INDIA

 

The green revolution helped in transforming India from a food-scarce to a food-surplus country. The green revolution was the result of a new agricultural strategy that involved the following steps:

 

?      Sowing high-yielding varieties of seeds, applying fertilisers, and improved agricultural practices in areas with assured water supply.

?      Introduction of short-term, high-yielding varieties of major cereals, thus enabling the farmers to grow two or more crops in a year where previously only one crop was grown.

?      Providing timely credit facility to the farmers, enabling them to purchase the required inputs well in time.

?      Announcing minimum support prices in advance of the sowing season so as to assure the farmers of reasonable prices for their produce.

 

A FARM IN INDIA                                  

 

The size of an average land holding in India is just 2.2 hectares. In India, we have right to property and inheritance. As a result, the property is sub-divided among children after the death of the father. This leads to creation of very small plots of land, generation after generation. This is called sub-division or fragmentation of land.

 

 

India agriculture is characterised by:

 

?      Subsistence agriculture is practised to get maximum output from a small plot of land.

?      Farmers use traditional technology having local, low yielding plant varieties and low value subsistence crops.

?      Inadequate irrigation facilities and dependence of farmers on monsoon season, where good monsoon results in a good harvest while a poor monsoon leads to sluggish growth for the economy as a whole.

?      Farmers are mostly illiterate and ignorant about modem agricultural practices and technology.

?      Socio-economic backwardness, inefficient finance and marketing services for farm produce.

?      Irrigation infrastructure is not well-developed.

?      Inadequate storage facilities force the farmers to sell their produce even when (he market is not favourable to them.

 

A FARM IN A DEVELOPED COUNTRY (USA)

 

 

?      The size of the land holdings is large, about 250 hectares.

?      Extensive agriculture is practised.

?      High yielding varieties of seeds, pesticides and insecticides are extensively used.

?      Farmers use tractors, seed drills, levellers, combined harvesters and threshers to speed up various agricultural operations.

?      Dry farming3 is practised.

?      Storage facilities are excellent. Grains are stored in silos which are tall steel storage structures.

?      Farmers grow a particular crop on the farms after making sure that the soil and water resources meet the needs of the crop.