Food Production
Category : UPSC
FOOD PRODUCTION
FOOD PRODUCTION
All living organisms require food for survival. Food is the basic need for existence of life on earth. Our country is over-populated and supports around one billion people. Therefore, in order to feed such a large population, we need to produce several million tons of grains every year along with higher requirement of milk, eggs and meat. Therefore, we need to increase production of both plant and animal products. The only possibility is to increase production efficiency of both plants and animals. We can increase the production by the development and use of improved varieties with high yield and better agricultural practices.
Agriculture revolution |
Production |
Green revolution |
Cereals |
White revolution |
Milk |
Blue revolution |
Fish |
Grey revolution |
Fertilizers |
Red revolution |
Meat/Tomatoes |
Golden revolution |
Horticulture |
Pink revolution |
Prawn/Onion/pharm-ceutical (India) |
Silver revolution |
Eggs and Chicken |
Round revolution |
Potato |
Yellow revolution |
Oil seeds |
AGRICULTURE
The term “agriculture” is derived from two Latin words: Ager-field and cultra-cultivation. Thus, agriculture is the branch of science that deals with the mass production of plants and animals useful to human beings. It involves study of:
CROP
Crop is a plant grown in the fields on a large scale to obtain food. For example, if all the plants of rice are grown in the field, then it is called a rice crop. Similarly, if all the plants of wheat are grown, then it is called a wheat crop. Crops are cultivated by humans for food, fodder and other materials. Let us discuss some important types of crops:
Classification of crops on the basis of season
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Crops |
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Kharif |
Rabi |
Zaid |
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The crops which are grown in the rainy season (or kharif season) are known as Kharif crops. These crops are cultivated between the months of June and October. Examples of kharif crops include paddy, maize, cotton, green gram, Soya bean, pigeon pea, and black gram. |
The crops which are grown in the winter season (or Rabi season) are known as Rabi crops. These crops are cultivated between the months of November and April. Examples of Rabi crops include wheat, barley, gram, peas, mustard, and linseed. |
The crops which are grown in summer season. The are cultivated between March to June.ex-water-melon, cucumber, gourd, etc. |
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IMPROVEMENT IN CROP PRODUCTION
The yield of a crop can be increased by adopting a number of improved agricultural activities, which includes three scientific approaches:- Crop variety improvement, Crop production improvement and Crop protection management
Crop Variety Improvement Methods
The high yield from the crops is directly related with the inputs and the agricultural practices which the farmers adopt. Higher the inputs, more is the yield.
The various aspects for which crop variety improvement is carried out are as follows:
(i) To obtain higher yield of crop
(ii) To enhance the desirable quality of food items.
(iii) To produce crop variety that is resistant to biotic and abiotic factors.
(iv) To change the maturity duration of crop.
(v) To induce desirable agronomic traits.
(vi) To develop plant varieties with wider adaptability.
GM CROPS
Food items |
Crop |
Varieties |
Cereals |
Rice |
Kasturi, Jaya, Padma, IR-8, Ponne, Pusa Basmati rice - 1509, Casalath |
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Wheat |
Sharbati Sonora, Sonalika, Kalyan Sona, Hira Moti, Pusa Lerma |
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Maize |
Vikram, Navjot, Shakti, Ganga 101, Deccan hybrid |
Pulses |
Pigeon pea |
Pusa 84, Manak |
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Chick pea |
Pusa 240, Pant 114 |
Oil seeds |
Sunflower |
Arun, Pusa |
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Mustard |
Kranti, Pusa Bold |
Vegetables |
Lady Finger |
Pusa Savani |
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Brinjal |
Pusa Purple, Pusa Kranti |
Nutrient Management
The plants absorb the nutrients and inorganic raw materials from their surroundings and utilize the same building up their organic matter. The main sources of nutrients for plants are air, soil and water. In total, there are sixteen nutrients required by plants.
Manure
Manure is a natural fertilizer. It is prepared by the decomposition of plant and animal waste.
Composition of manure
Advantages of manure
Disadvantages of manure
Fertilizers
Fertilizers are plant nutrients, which are commercially available. They can be organic or inorganic in nature. They ensure healthy growth and development in plants by providing them with nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, etc.
Advantages of fertilizers
Disadvantages of fertilizers
Organic Farming
Organic farming is the practice of raising unpolluted crops through limited use of chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides, genetically-modified organisms, etc. Sometimes they are not used at all.
Advantages of organic farming
Irrigation
The process of supplying water to crops in the fields is called irrigation. The various sources of irrigation are wells, canals, rivers, dams, ponds and lakes.
Importance of irrigation
(i) It makes the soil soft due to which ploughing becomes easier.
(ii) It provides moisture for germination of seeds as seeds do not germinate in dry soils.
(iii) Irrigation water helps in absorption of nutrient elements by plants from soil. The water dissolves the nutrient present in the soil to form a solution, which is then absorbed by the roots for the development of plants.
(iv) Irrigation is essential for the growth and elongation of the roots of the crop plants as roots of crop plants fail to develop and elongate in dry soil.
Irrigation systems
There are number of irrigation systems in India depending on the availability of water resources and the requirement of water by crops. The various sources of irrigation are wells, canals, rivers, dams, ponds and lakes.
Based on wafer resources, the various irrigation systems are as follows:
Cropping Patterns
Cropping patterns are models of raising crops which help in obtaining maximum benefit from a single piece of land.
The common types of cropping patterns are:
Crop rotation: The practice of growing two or more varieties of crops on the same field in a sequential season is known as crop rotation.
Advantages of crop rotation:
(i) It improves the fertility of soil and hence brings about an increase in food production.
(ii) It helps in weed control.
(iii) It protects crop from diseases.
(iv) It reduces the dependence on fertilizers.
(v) It results in optimum utilization of nutrients as different crops obtain nutrients from different layers of soil.
Multiple cropping: Multiple cropping is the growing of two or more crops one after another in the same field. It is of two types:
Mixed cropping: It is the technique of growing two or more different crops simultaneously on the same field. The farmers mix the seeds of two crops and sow in the field. It is like an insurance against crop failure due to abnormal weather conditions and attack of pests and pathogens.
For example:
(i) Maize + Urad bean
(ii) Soyabean + Pigeon pea
(iii) Wheat + Chick pea
(iv) Wheat + Mustard
(v) Barley + Gram
Advantages of Mixed Cropping
Disadvantages of Mixed Cropping
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