Class-X Geography Chapter- 4 Agriculture

Class-X, Geography

Chapter- 4 

  Agriculture 

Topics in the Chapter

• Introduction
• Types of Farming
• Cropping Pattern
• Major Crops
• Food Crops other than Grains
• Non-Food Crops
• Technological and Institutional Reforms

• Contribution of agriculture to the national economy, employment and output

• Food Security

• Impact of Globalisation on Agriculture

Introduction

• India is an agriculturally important country as two-thirds of its population is engaged in agricultural activities.

Types of Farming

• There are various types of farming systems in different parts of India are:

→ Primitive Subsistence Farming: It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture. It is done with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/community labour. The farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.

→ Intensive Subsistence Farming: This type of farming is labour-intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production.This method is commonly done where less land holding is available.

→ Commercial Farming: This type of farming is done using higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity. 

• Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.

→ In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.

Cropping Pattern

• India has three cropping seasons 

→ Rabi - Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June. Important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.

→ Kharif - Kharif crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October. Important crops grown during this season are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean.

→ Zaid - In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season. Important crops grown are watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber,

vegetables and fodder crops.

Major Crops

• Major crops grown in India are rice, wheat, millets, pulses, tea, coffee, sugarcane, oil seeds, cotton and jute, etc.

• Rice:

→ Staple food crop

→ Our country is the second largest producer of rice in the world after China.

→ It is a kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm.

→ It is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.

• Wheat:

→ The second most important cereal crop.
→ It is the main food crop, in north and north-western part of the country.

→ This rabi crop requires a cool growing season with 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall and a bright sunshine at the time of ripening.

→ Wheat growing regions are the Ganga-Satluj plains in the north- west and black soil region of the Deccan.

• Millets:
→ Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets grown in India.

→ These have very high nutritional value.

• Pulses:

→ India is the largest producer as well as the consumer of pulses in the world.

→ Major source of protein in a vegetarian diet.
→ These need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions.
→ Major producing states in India are Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka.

Food Crops other than Grains

• Sugarcane:

→ It is a tropical as well as a subtropical crop. 

→ It grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75 cm. and 100 cm.

→ Major producing states are Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Punjab and Haryana.

• Oil Seeds:

→ The oil seeds covers approximately 12 percent of the total cropped area of the country.

→ These are used as cooking mediums as well as used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.

• Tea:

→ Tea cultivation is an example of plantation agriculture.

→ It is an important beverage crop introduced in India initially by the British.

→ It requires warm and moist frost-free climate with frequent showers all through the year.

→ Major producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

• Coffee:

→ Indian coffee is known in the world for its good quality.

→ Its cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

• Horticulture Crops:

→ India is a producer of tropical as well as temperate fruits.

→ India produces about 13 percent of the world’s vegetables.

Non-Food Crops

• Rubber: 

→ It is an equatorial crop, but under special conditions, it is also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas. 

→ It requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and temperature above 25°C.

→ It is mainly grown in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya.

• Fibre Crops:

→ Cotton, jute, hemp and natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India.

→ Rearing of silk worms for the production of silk fibre is known as sericulture.

• Cotton:

→ It is a kharif crop grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau. 

→ It requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sun-shine for its growth.

→ Major producing states are – Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.

• Jute:

→ It grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every year.

→ Major jute-producing states West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya.

→ It is used in making gunny bags, mats, ropes, yarn, carpets and other artefacts.

Technological and Institutional Reforms

• More than 60 percent of India's population depends on agriculture.

• After independence, major institutional reforms such as Collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc. were given priority.

• In 1960s and 1970s, technical reforms such as Green Revolution and White Revolution also introduced to improved the condition of agriculture.

• In 1980s and 1990s, various provisions for crop insurance, establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest.

• Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.

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

• Minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.

Contribution of agriculture to the national economy, employment and output

• In 2010-11 about 52 percent of the total workforce of India was employed by the farm sector.

• India's GDP growth rate is increasing over the years but it is not generating sufficient employment opportunities in the country.

Food Security

• The government designed national food security system to ensure the food security to every citizen:

→ It consists of two components 

(a) buffer stock and 

(b) public distribution system (PDS)

• Food Corporation of India (FCI) is responsible for procuring and stocking foodgrains, whereas

distribution is ensured by public distribution system (PDS).

• PDS is a programme which provides food grains and other essential commodities at subsidised prices in rural and urban areas.

• The primary objective of national food security are:

→ Ensure availability of foodgrains to the common people at an affordable price.

→ The poor should have access to food.

→ Growth in agriculture production

→ Fixing the support price for procurement of wheat and rice, to maintain their stocks.

Impact of Globalisation on Agriculture

• Globalisation is present at the time of colonisation. 

→ During the British period, cotton was exported to Britain as a raw material for their textile industries.

• After 1990, the farmers in India have been exposed to new challenges under globalisation.

→ The agricultural products of India are not able to compete with the developed countries because of the highly subsidised agriculture in those countries.

• Genetic engineering is revolutionising the agricultural production now a days.

• Organic farming is also in fashion these days because it is practised without factory made chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides. Hence, it does not affect environment in a negative manner.

• Indian farmers should diversify their cropping pattern from cereals to high-value crops which will increase incomes and reduce environmental degradation simultaneously.

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Chapter-2, Sectors of Indian Economy, Class-X, Economics

Class-X, Economics

Chapter- 2 

Sectors of Indian Economy

Chapter Outline

• Three sectors of Economy
• Comparison of three sectors of the Economy
• Difference between organised and unorganised sectors
• Classification of economic activities

Economic Activities

• Those activities which generates some income are known as economic activities.
→ For example, a computer engineer creating software for profit is making money from his work.

• Division of Economic Activities:
→ Primary sectors: related to farming activities.
→ Secondary sectors: related to manufacturing.
→ Tertiary sector: provide support to other two sectors.

Comparison of three sectors of the Economy (Through productivity and population)

• As thousands of economic activities going around in all three sectors, it makes almost impossible to take account of every such activities.

• We check only final goods and services.

• for example, a farmer who sells wheat to a flour mill for Rs 8 per kg. 

→ The mill grinds the wheat and sells the flour to a biscuit company for Rs 10 per kg. 

→ The biscuit company uses the flour and things such as sugar and oil to make four packets of biscuits. 

→ It sells biscuits in the market to the consumers for Rs 60 (Rs 15 per packet). 

→ Biscuits are the final goods, i.e., goods that reach the consumers.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 

• The value of final goods and services produced in all three sectors during a particular year provides the total production of the sector for that year is called the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of a country. 

• More the GDP, more bigger the economy of the country is.

Historical Changes in sectors

• At initial stages of development, primary sector was the most important sector of economic activity in a country. 

• With the innovation in farming methods, agriculture sector began to produced much more food than before. 

• People started working in industries. 5. Some people also get involved in transportation.

• Gradually, Secondary sector became the most important in economy and providing employment. 2. 

• Different industries related to food processing, equipment’s making, textiles coming in large numbers. 

• This lead to start of services such as banking, health, education etc. 

• The service sector has become the most important sector in terms of total production and started employing more people.

Contribution in GDP

• In the period of 1973-74, the primary sector has contributed maximum to the GDP

• But in 2013-14 when tertiary sector has contributed maximum in GDP. Now the question is Why? There are various factors behind this. Let’s study these in detail.

Factors behind the shift in contribution in GDP

• The development of agriculture and industry leads to the development of services such as transport, trade, storage, banking. 

• The greater the development of the primary and secondary sectors, more would be the demand for such services. 

Where are most of the people employed? 

• In the period during 1973-74, 40% is contributed by the primary sector in GDP of the country 

→ Secondary sector contributed only 12% and 48% is contributed by the tertiary sector. 

→ Employment percent during the period of 1972-73, 74% people of India are engaged in primary sector while only 15% are involved in tertiary sector.

• In 2013-14, the percent of contribution of tertiary sector in GDP of the country increased and reached to 67% 

→ The primary sector reduced to only 12%. 

→ The primary sector continues to be the largest employer during 2011-12.

Disguised Unemployment

• More people engaged in agriculture than the necessity. 

• This kind of underemployment is hidden in contrast to someone who does not have a job and is clearly visible as unemployed, it is also called disguised unemployment.

How to create employment?

• Granting Loans at lower interest Rate

• Investing in infrastructure such as Building a dam at suitable place.

• Increasing efficiency of transportation and Storage. 

• Promoting small scale Industries such as mills, honey collection centers.

• Emphasis on Education and training center.

• Identifying Potential of an area. For example, an area can be developed as tourist site.

• Government Welfare Schemes like making well or pump near farms, providing electricity, building hospitals.

MGNREGA

• The central government in India made a law implementing the Right to Work in 625 districts called Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 known as MGNREGA 2005. 

• Under MGNREGA 2005:

→ In rural areas, all those who are able to, and are in need of work are guaranteed 100 days of employment in a year by the government.  

→ If the government fails in its duty to provide employment, it will give unemployment allowances to the people.

Difference between Organised and unorganised sectors

• Organised sector are registered by the government and have to follow its rules and regulations while unorganised sector are largely outside the control of the government. 

• Workers in the organised sector enjoy security of employment while in the unorganised sector, there is no job security. 

• Organised sector are expected to work only a fixed number of hours while in unorganised sector, there is no pay for overtime working. 

• Organised sector workers get paid leave, payment during holidays, provident fund, gratuity, medical benefits etc while no such benefits are given in unorganised sector. 

• Examples of organised sectors are government employees, banks while examples of unorganised sectors are home tutors, person working in small general stores.

Classification of Economic activities into sectors (on the basis of who owns assets and is responsible for the delivery of services)

Activities can be classified into two types:

• Private sector: 

→ The government owns most of the assets and provides all the services.

→ Example: Railways or post office

• Public sectors:

→ Ownership of assets and delivery of services is in the hands of private individuals or companies.

→ Example: Tata Iron and Steel Company Limited (TISCO) or Reliance Industries Limited (RIL).

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