Agriculture
Introduction to Agriculture
Definition: Agriculture involves cultivating the soil, growing crops, and raising animals.
Economic Activities: Divided into primary (e.g., farming), secondary (e.g., manufacturing), and tertiary (e.g., services) sectors.
Importance: Agriculture supports half of the global population and two-thirds of India’s population.
Types of Farming
2.1 Subsistence Farming
Purpose: Grows crops to meet family needs, using low technology and household labor.
Types:
Intensive Subsistence: Small plots with high labor, common in Asia for rice and wheat.
Primitive Subsistence: Includes shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.
2.2 Commercial Farming
Purpose: Produces crops and livestock for sale using machinery.
Types:
Commercial Grain Farming: Large farms for wheat and maize in North America and Europe.
Mixed Farming: Combines crop cultivation and livestock rearing.
Plantations: Single crops (e.g., tea, coffee) in tropical regions with high labor and capital.
Major Crops
3.1 Food Crops
Rice: Needs high temperature, rainfall, and clayey soil; grown in China, India, and Sri Lanka.
Wheat: Requires moderate temperature and loamy soil; grown in the USA, India, and Canada.
Millets: Hardy crops like jowar and bajra grown in India and Africa.
Maize: Requires fertile soil and moderate climate; grown in North America and Brazil.
3.2 Fibre and Beverage Crops
Cotton: Requires high temperature and black soil; leading producers are China, India, and the USA.
Jute: Grows in tropical climates, especially in India and Bangladesh.
Coffee: Needs warm, wet climate and well-drained soil; Brazil and India are major producers.
Tea: Grown in cool, rainy regions with gentle slopes, like India and Sri Lanka.
Agricultural Development
Goal: Increase production to meet rising demand through improved irrigation, high-yield seeds, and mechanization.
Examples:
India: Small farms using manual labor and traditional methods.
USA: Large farms with advanced technology, including tractors and satellite-linked soil testing.
Exercises and Activities
Questions: Cover agriculture types, factors affecting agriculture, and distinguishing subsistence from commercial farming.
Activities: Collect seeds, compare farming lifestyles in India and the USA, and solve agriculture-themed crossword puzzles.
