*UPDATED* For 2022-23 Boards Exam

SHOBHIT NIRWAN's
DESIGNED

AGRICULTURE
NOTES
 Institutional and Technical Reforms to Help farmers

3. main
Types of farming cropping
in
seasons
India
Primitive

f.
-
subsistence
Rabi
farming
-
Intensive subsistence kharif
farming - Zaid

1-
Commercial farming

Agriculture

Grains and food Crops other Non -

food Crops

. m e/ : : : e naoPs
leguminous crops than Grains

f-
Rice Oilseeds Rubber
-

- -

-
wheat
'

inmate: stage
-

Coffee -
Jute
Pulses
1- -

Horticulture crops
 ②

is a primary activity which eat and raw

Agriculture
material for industries .
produces the food we

India is agriculturally important country

an
,
two -

third of the population

is
engaged in
agriculture .

Types ,
of
,
tfarmingi
# L ) PRIMITIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING :
-

It is done on a small patch of land with help of primitive tools like hole ,

digging sticks and dao

,
and family labour The production is for self
.
-

and
consumption which depends on monsoon ,
natural fertility of the soil
other environmental conditions . It is also called Slash and Burn Agriculture
In this
agriculture ,
tribals / farmers clear a patch of forest land and
it for and then leave the idle for
burn their agricultural practice patch
few years .
This allows the nature to replenish the fertility of the soil .

'

It is known by different names :

NAME PLACE
> humming North Eastern India
Baster and Ad N Islands
Dip a
Mi Ipa Mexica and Central America
Roca Brazil
Vietnam
Ray
Ma sole central Africa
# 2) INTENSIVE SUBSISTENCE FARMING or
land of doses of biochemical
is done
It on
high population pressure .
High
inputs and irrigation is used to obtain higher production .

#3) COMMERCIAL FARMING 3-

The main feature is that high doses of modern inputs like high yielding
variety IHYV) seeds , chemical fertilisers pesticides and insecticides used to
, ,
obtain
higher productivity .

Plantation is a
type of commercial farming in which only a single crop is
grown
on
large-scale
a
using capital ,
intensive input with the help of
migrant labourers A . network
good of transport ,
communication , proper
market facilities are required for this .

Tea in Assam and coffee in Karnataka

Ef:
-

.
 ②

3 Main cropping seasons of India

# L) RABI CROPS : -

These crops are sown between October to December and ,

are harvested between
April to June .

Ey
: wheat
Barley , Peas, Gram and mustard
,
.

# 2) (
KHARIF CROPS : May July )
-
-

These and harvested in

crops are sown at the onset of monsoon a season
,
are

September October
-
.

Eg:
Paddy Maize , Jowar, Bagga Ur ad
, ,
, moony ete
# 3) ZAID CROPS : -

These crops are sown between Rabi and kharif season (March June ) -

: watermelon muskmelon cucumber

, vegetables
and fodder crops ele
Eg , ,
.

MAJOR CROPS OF INDIA

Grains and
leguminous crops bm¥°ns Rice, wheat millets and maize
-

leguminous pulses -

chat)
.

# RICE :
° India is second producer of rice in World after China
largest .

°
It is the most important and staple food crop of majority of Indians .

°
It
requires rainfall l above 100cm ) and high temperature (above 254 to grow
high .

in low rainfall areas with help of

°
It can be
grown proper
Odisha , Jharkhand,
irrigation .

°
Major rice
producing stales are West
Bengal ,
Bihar ,
cha His ,
garh
UP , Tamil Nadu Assam Kerala etc , ,
.

# WHEAT : LTTE )
°
It is the main food crop in north and north western part of country -

°
This Rabi crop requires a cool season and
bright sunshine at the time of
ripening should be
.

°
Rainfall between 50 to 75cm .

° There are two important wheat

growing zones in country
-

H Plains
Ganga Satluj
-

④ Black soil Region in Deccan .

o
major wheat
producing
States are UP , MP, Haryana , Punjab ,
Uttarakhand, Rajasthan

# Millets : ( GHI )
° Also called grains
coarse .

Jowar Baja and Ragi are important millets

grown in India
° .

,
°
Have high nutritional value .
 ③

# Maize : l Html )
° It is a crop which is used both as food and fodder
°
It is a kharif crop but also Rabi crop in Bihar .

°
It requires temperature between 25C -

27°C
It well old alluvial soil
grows
°
on .

°
Major maize
producing States are up
,
Madhya Pradesh Andhra Pradesh KarnaHea
, ,
.

# Pulses or ( gli )
India is producer and consumer of pulses
o

°
largest
It is the main source of protein in a vegetarian diet
.

°
Major pulses grown in India are Urad Azhar ,
, Moony Masur , ,
Peas and Aram .

°
Pulses need less moisture and can survive in dry climate .

°
Being leguminous crops all these are grown as rotational Coop to restore the soil fertility
,

by fixing nitrogen ( except Ar had

o
major pulses producing States are UP Rajasthan MP Maharashtra and Karna Hea
, , ,
.

food crops other than Grains

# Oil seeds or
°
Oil seeds cover about 12% of total cropped area of India .

°
Major oil seeds grown in India are Groundnut , mustard , soya bean , linseed , Colton
seeds , Castor seeds and Ses a mum ( Till
°
Some of them are used as raw material of soaps , cosmetics and ointments .

° India is the second of largest producer

after China groundnut .

°
Groundnut is kharif crop .

°
Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut followed by ,
Andhra Pradesh and Tamil
Nadu .

# Tea :-

(tht)
°
India is the second largest producer of tea in world after China .

It is a
beverage crop which was initially introduced by Britishers and example of
°

plantation crop .

It is
grown on well drained fertile soil , rich in humus and organic matter
° .

°
Tea bushes require warm and moist frost free climate all through the year -
.

o
major tea producing
States are Assam ,hills of West
Bengal Kerala, Darjeeling , ,

Uttarakhand, Meghalaya
Tripura ,
.

( aloft)
#
Sugarcane :
° This is a tropical as well as sub tropical crop that requires almost a year to grow
-

It can be
grown on a variety of soils as long as they are fertile and well
° -

,
drained .

requires hot and humid climate to

grow with temperature between
° It 2K -272
and annual rainfall between 75 100cm
-

.
 ④
°
Position of India is second in world . fcbse 20161
°
It is the main source of
sugar,
Aur , Khandsaoiete India is second largest .

producer of sugarcane in world after Brazil .

o
major sugarcane producing States are up, Maharashtra , Punjab, Haryana, KarnaHea
and Andhra Pradesh .

# Coffee : ( tilth )
° Indian coffee is known for its
good quality and is incite mand in all over the world .

o India has the Arabian variety which was Pritially brought from Yemen .

° In India for the first time the cultivation of coffee was done on Baba Budan
Hills .

o
major coffee producing stales are Kamat Ka Kerala and
,
Tamil Nadu .

# Horticulture crops :
These include the cultivation of both fruits and
°

India is the second

vegetables .

o
largest producer of these after China .

o India produces both tropical and temperate fruits .

mangoes of Maharashtra , UP , WB
o

}
oranges of Nagpur and Cheorapunjee
rich?97978: oof tyrantadf.ndna.am
" Nadu
nd all
a .
they aol.igrgaenwde.mg
Pineapples of Meghalaya
.

Grapes of and AP .

, Telangana Maharashtra

APPkffppne.ae:$ of Tel K , Himachal .

°
Important vegetable produces of India are
pea , cauliflower, onion , cabbage ,
tomato brinjal and potato
,
.

Non food crops

-

# RUBBER : HIT)
o Rubber is mainly an equatorial crop , but under special conditions it is also
grownin
tropical areas .

°
It is the main raw material for many industries like auto types and tubes ,
tyres ,

belts and houses footware e te ,

.

°
It is mainly grown in Karnataka , Tamil Nadu Kerala , ,
and Andaman and Nicobar
Islands .

# FIBRE CROPS ÷
grown in
° Colton , Jute hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops India .

,
° The first three are plant
products while silk is obtained from cocoons of the
silkworms .

°
Rearing of silk worm for production of silk fibre is known as sericulture .
 ⑤

# Colton : CGI )
° It is the main raw material for cotton textile industry .

It
grows well on drier parts of black soil in Deccan , it takes 6-8 months to mature
° .

° India is the second largest producer of cotton in world after China .

° It requires
high temperature light rainfall or irrigation , 210 frost free days and bright
,
-

sunshine for its growth .

o
Major cotton
producing States are Maharashtra , Gujarat, MP , Haryana , Punjab , UP e te .

# JUTE I
-

( tht )
°
Also called Golden fibre .

This fibre is very strong , due to its

gunny bags
°
roughness ,
it is used to make ,
mats , ropes ya on,
,

carpets and other artefacts .

° It
grows well on well drained -

fertile soils in floodplains .

°
Major jute producing States are w B .

; Odisha , Bihar Assam,

, Meghalaya .

Institutional and Technological Reforms to Help farmers fcbse 20183

°
Provision for crop insurance against drought flood fire fire and diseases
, , , ,
establishment of Grameen Banks for providing loan facilities at lower rates of
interest .

°
Kisan credit card ( KCC) and Personal Accident Insurance scheme ( PAIS) are
some other schemes introduced by for benefits of farmers
government .

°
Special weather bulletins and
programmes for farmers were introduced
agricultural
on the radio and television .

°
The government also announces Minimum support Price ( MSP) to check exploitation of
farmers middlemen and speculators
by .

°
Establishment of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) , agricultural
centres, horticulture development
universities veterinary services and animal breeding
and weather forecast were given to benefit Indian farmers priority .

K3B Under globalisation particularly

, after 1990 , the farmers in India have been
exposed to next
challenges Despite being . an
important producer of rice ,
cotton , rubber , tea
not able to
,
and
coffee jute ,
with the developed countries because
spices our
agriculturaltheproducts are

compete of highly
subsidised agriculture in those countries .
 -- PREVIOUS YEAR QUESTIONS --
1 MARK QUESTIONS
1. A type of millet rich in iron, calcium, other micro nutrients and roughage is
[1M, 2021 Sample Paper]
A1. Ragi

2. Give an example of a crop which is commercial in one region and provides subsistence in
another. [1M, 2012]
A2. Rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, while in= Odisha it is a subsistence crop.

3. What is horticulture? [1M, 2012]

A3. Cultivation of fruits, vegetables and flowers is called horticulture.

3 MARKS QUESTIONS
4. Establish the difference between Commercial farming and Subsistence farming with the help of
a suitable example. [3M, 2019]
A4. A. Commercial Farming
i. Use of higher doses of modern inputs like HYV seeds, fertilizers, etc.
ii. Commercialization of agriculture varies from region to another
iii.Plantation is also a type of commercial farming
iv. Use of well-developed network of transport and communication.
v. High productivity for commercial purpose
B. Subsistence Farming
i. Is practiced on small patches of land
ii. Labour intensive farming
iii.Use of primitive tools
iv. Dependent on Monsoons
v. Called as 'Slash and burn' agriculture.
vi. Low productivity (Any two to be mentioned in each unit)

5. Describe any three main features of 'Alluvial soil' found in India. [3M, 2019]
A5. • Alluvial soil is considered as one of the most fertile soils. Alluvial soil covers the entire northern
plains in India.
• Alluvial soil contains sand, silt and clay mainly due to silt deposited by Indo-Gangetic-
Brahmaputra rivers. According to age, it is classified into Bangar (old alluvial) and Khadar (new
alluvial).
• Alluvial soil contains an ample amount of potash, phosphoric acid I lime. This soil is ideal for the
growth of crops like sugarcane, wheat and rice etc.

6. Describe any three main features of 'Rabi crop season' [3M, 2019]
A6. • It begins with the withdrawal of monsoon in October. They sown in winters from October to
December.
• At the time of ripening, it requires bright sunshine.
• Crops depend on sub-soil moisture.
• Requires less rainfall between 50-75 cm. Availability of precipitation during winter months due to
western temperate cyclones help in the success of these crops.

7. Describe any three main features of 'Kharif crop season'. [3M, 2015]
A7. • It begins with the onset of monsoon in May.
• Crops are harvested in September October.
• Requires more rainfall between 100-110 cm
• It requires loamy or alluvial soil.

8. What are 'Institutional Reforms'? Enlist various institutional reforms taken by the Indian
Government to bring about improvements in agriculture. [3M, 2015]
A8. Steps taken by the government to bring about improvements in agriculture are termed as
'Institutional Reforms'.
Some steps are:
1. Collectivisation and consolidation of land holdings to make them economically viable.
2. The green revolution based on the use of package technology and the White Revolution to
increase milk production are important strategies which were initiated to improve agriculture.
3. Cooperation with farmers and Abolition of Zamindari system.

5 MARKS QUESTIONS
9. "The Government of India has introduced various institutional and technological reforms to
improve agriculture in the 1980s and 1990s." Support this statement with examples. [5M, 2018]
A9. The Government of India has introduced various institutional and technological reforms under a
comprehensive Land Development Programme to improve agriculture in the 1980s and 1990s.
Land Development Programme:
• Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease.
• Establishment of Grameen (regional rural) banks, cooperative societies and banks for
providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.
Other Reforms:
Apart from land development program, the government has initiated many other benefit schemes
for the farmers.
• Kisan Credit Card (KCC): Scheme for giving easy and cheap loans to small farmers.
Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) for Kisan Credit Card (KCC) holders.
• Special weather bulletins and agricultural programs for farmers were introduced through
radio and television channels.
• The government also announced Minimum Support Price (MSP) for various agricultural
products like cereals, pulses and others (to check the exploitation of farmers by
middlemen).

10. Compare 'intensive subsistence farming' with that of 'commercial farming' practiced in India.
[5M, 2018]
A10.
11. 'Agriculture has been the backbone of the Indian Economy' Explain the statement by giving
reason. [5M, 2017]
A11. India is an agricultural country because of the following reasons:
1. Two-third of its population is engaged in agricultural activities which provide livelihood.
2 Agriculture is a primary activity and produces most of the food and food grains that we
consume.
3. It produces raw materials for our various industries, e.g., cotton textile and sugar industry.
4. Some agricultural products, like tea, coffee and spices, are exported and earn foreign
exchange.
5. The share of agriculture in providing employment and livelihood to the population continued to
be as high as 63% in 2001.

12. (a) Name three pulses each of Rabi and Kharif season. Write their importance for human beings
and for agriculture.
(b) What is India's position in the world with regard to the production of pulses? Name five leading
states producing pulses. [5M, 2015]
A12. (a) Pulses of Rabi season: Tur (arhar), urad, moong. Pulses of Kharif season: Masur, peas, gram.
Importance of pulses:
• For agriculture. Being leguminous crops, they help in restoring soil fertility by utilising
nitrogen from the air (nitrogen fixation). Therefore, these are mostly grown in rotation with
other crops.
• They need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.

(b) India is the largest producer of pulses in the world. Major pulse producing states are: Madhya
Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.
13. What are the major differences between primitive subsistence farming and commercial
farming? [5M, 2013]
A13.

14. Name one type of agriculture which falls in the category of commercial agriculture. Write the
main characteristics of this type of agriculture. [5M, 2012]
A14. Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming.
Characteristics of plantation agriculture:
1. A single type of crop is grown on a large area.
2. Plantation is carried out on large estates using lot of capital intensive units.
3. Lot of migrant labourers work on these estates.
4. The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. All the produce is used as raw
material in the respective industries.
5. The production is mainly for the market, i.e., commercial agriculture.

15. Mention two geographical conditions required for the growth of Maize crop in India. Describe
three factors which have contributed to increase maize production. Write four major
maize producing states. [5M, 2012]
A15. Geographical conditions required for the growth of maize crop in India:
1. It is a kharif crop which requires temperature between 21° C to 27° C. It requires moderate
rainfall between 50-100 cm.
2. It grows well in old in alluvial soils.
Maize is a crop which is used both as food and fodder. In some states like Bihar, maize is grown in
rabi season also. Maize production in India has increased due to factors like:
• use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds;
• use OT fertilisers; and
• use of irrigation facilities.
• major maize producing state: Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Madhya
Pradesh.