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Agricultural Regionalisation Notes
Agricultural Regionalisation Notes
Agricultural Regionalisation
Agriculture Regionalisation
Region is one of the basic concepts of geography. It has been defined differently by different
geographers. A widely accepted definition of region is “an area that is different from other
areas according to the specific criteria”. For example if we take crop as differentiating criteria
then tea growing region will be different from wheat growing region.
Region has also been defined as a differentiated segment of the earth surface (Whittlesey,
1929).
Agricultural regionalization has attracted the attention of many scholars in the field of
agricultural geography. The concept of regionalization is the process of dividing an area into
territorial units of complexes of uniformities which is the result of a set of processes.
Regionalization in agricultural geography is not simply an operation of dividing the country
or a region into a number of territorial units but it is also method of understanding the
agricultural pattern.
1. Empirical Technique
Empirical technique is largely based on the experience of the farmers and the observed
facts. Baker was the first geographer who adopted the empirical technique and demarcated
the agricultural belts of USA.
The Cotton belt, the Corn Belt, and the Wheat Belt of USA were demarcated on the basis of
observed data. The areas in which corn was having the dominance were marked as Corn Belt.
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This technique gives a generalized picture of the cropping pattern and has the tendency of
overgeneralization.
The technique has, however, been criticized as it is less objective and relatively
unscientific.
4. Quantitative-Cum-Qualitative Technique
For the demarcation of agricultural regions, when the physical (terrain, slope, temperature,
rainfall, soil, etc.), social (land tenancy, size of holdings and fields, religion, customs, etc.) and
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economic factors (capital investment, marketing, storage, etc.) are taken into consideration,
such a technique is known as a quantitative-cum-qualitative technique of agricultural
regionalization. An agricultural region, generally, is an area having homogeneity of crops and
livestock. This technique has been applied by Baker (1926), Whittlesey (1936) and Carol
(1952).
The 14 main factors which should be taken into consideration for the demarcation of
agricultural regions include six physical, viz.., relief, climate, water, soil, subsoil and natural
vegetation; two cultural, viz.., cultural vegetation and cultural structures; and six functional,
viz.., rural population, cultural and technological stage, farming operation, organization for
providing the rural population with economic and cultural goods, and commerce.
The non-availability of reliable data on the various facet of agriculture over the greater parts
of the earth is the major constraint in the application of multi-facet technique for agricultural
regionalization. Despite several limitations the qualitative-cum-qualitative technique has
been adopted by geographers for the delimitation of agricultural region at the macro, meso
and micro levels.
The agricultural geographers have, however, could not develop a agricultural regionalization
which may be universally accepted and which may help in understanding the agricultural at
the local, regional, national and international levels.
The major classification of Indian agricultural regions are based on topography, soil, climatic
conditions, land use pattern, water supply, farming practices, crop combination and
agricultural productivity. Agro-economic factors are also taken into consideration for
classification of agricultural regions.
In India, various attempts have been made from time to time for agricultural regionalization
of the country.
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The three zones are based on rainfall distribution except the Himalayan zone.
1. The Himalaya’s Agricultural Zone
In this zone, the annual rainfall varies from 120 cm to 250 cm. It covers Jammu and Kashmir,
Himachal Pradesh, Kumaon Himalaya, and its foothills, Darjeeling, Assam Himalayas, etc.
As the region is mountainous, the area is considered a negative area from point of view of
cultivation and settlement.
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The most intensively cultivated areas are the Ganga plains and the eastern coast delta,
where proportion of cultivated land to the areas comes to about 70 percent.
Wheat, sugarcane, rice, gram, maize, millets, cotton, groundnut, oilseeds and tobacco are
the main crops.
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This region comprises of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana, western Madhya
Pradesh, and northeastern Rajasthan.
Most of the areas have rich fertile alluvial soil with some parts having black and red soil.
Rainfall is moderate, a large part of which is caused by the south-west monsoon in summer.
Winter rainfall is caused by western disturbances in winter. Irrigation is a vital input in drier
areas. As the name indicates the region is dominated by wheat and sugarcane cultivation.
The main wheat belt of India extends over Punjab, Haryana, Ganga Yamuna doab of
Uttar Pradesh, and north-eastern Rajasthan. Sugar cane is mainly grown in Uttar
Pradesh and contiguous parts of Bihar.
Rice, pulse, and maize are other important crops.
3. Cotton Region
It spread over the Regur or Black cotton soil area of the Deccan plateau, where the rainfall
varies from 75 to 100 cm.
Cotton is the main crop but Jowar, Bajra, Gram, Sugarcane, Wheat, etc are also grown.
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Apple, peach, cherries, plum, apricot are grown in the west while oranges are important in
the east. Besides rice, maize, ragi, potatoes, chillies and vegetables are also grown.
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