Notes Class 10 Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

Notes For All Chapters Geography Class 10 CBSE

1. Importance of Agriculture in India

• India is an agriculturally important country.
• About two-thirds of the population depends on agriculture for livelihood.
• Agriculture is a primary activity that produces food and raw materials.
• Provides raw materials for many industries such as textile (cotton, jute), sugar, edible oils, beverages, etc.
• India also exports agricultural products like tea, coffee, spices, etc.

2. Types of Farming in India

(a) Primitive Subsistence Farming

• Practised in small patches of land using primitive tools (hoe, dao, digging sticks).
• Uses family/community labour.
• Depends on monsoon, natural fertility of soil, and natural environment.
• Includes ‘Slash and Burn’ agriculture:
  • Farmers clear a patch, grow crops, and move when soil fertility declines.
  • Low productivity, no use of fertilisers/modern inputs.
• Known by different names:
  • Jhumming – North-eastern states (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland)
  • Pamlou – Manipur
  • Dipa – Bastar (Chhattisgarh)
  • Bewar/Dahiya – Madhya Pradesh
  • Podu/Penda – Andhra Pradesh
  • Koman/Bringa – Odisha
  • Kumari – Western Ghats
  • Valre/Waltre – South-eastern Rajasthan
  • Khil – Himalayan belt
  • Kuruwa – Jharkhand

(b) Intensive Subsistence Farming

• Practised in high population pressure areas.
• Labour-intensive farming.
• Uses high doses of biochemical inputs (fertilisers, HYV seeds) and irrigation.
• Small landholdings due to inheritance laws but farmers try to get maximum output.
• Enormous pressure on agricultural land.

(c) Commercial Farming

• Uses modern inputs: HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides, pesticides.
• Aim: High productivity for sale in the market.
• Example:
  • Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab & Haryana but a subsistence crop in Odisha.
• Plantation farming (a type of commercial farming):
  • Large area, single crop grown (monoculture).
  • Requires capital, migrant labour, transport & processing industries.
  • Examples: Tea (Assam, North Bengal), Coffee (Karnataka), Rubber, Sugarcane, Banana.

3. Cropping Pattern in India

India has three cropping seasons:

1. Rabi (Winter Crops)

• Sown: October–December
• Harvested: April–June
• Major crops: Wheat, Barley, Peas, Gram, Mustard
• Important states: Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, J&K, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh
• Success factors: Western disturbances (winter rain), Green Revolution.

2. Kharif (Monsoon Crops)

• Sown: With onset of monsoon (June/July)
• Harvested: September–October
• Major crops: Paddy, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Tur, Moong, Urad, Cotton, Jute, Groundnut, Soyabean
• Important states: Assam, West Bengal, Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Maharashtra (Konkan coast), UP, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana.
• Special: In Assam, West Bengal & Odisha → three rice crops (Aus, Aman, Boro).

3. Zaid (Short Season)

• Between: Rabi and Kharif (summer months)
• Crops: Watermelon, Muskmelon, Cucumber, Vegetables, Fodder crops
• Sugarcane takes almost a year to grow.

4. Major Crops of India

(a) Food Crops

1. Rice

• Staple food for majority.
• Second largest producer in world (after China).
• Kharif crop, needs:
  • Temperature: above 25°C
  • Rainfall: more than 100 cm
  • High humidity
• Areas: Plains of north & northeast, coastal & delta regions.
• Irrigation makes rice possible in Punjab, Haryana, western UP, Rajasthan.

2. Wheat

• Second most important cereal.
• Rabi crop; requires:
  • Cool growing season
  • Bright sunshine at ripening
  • Rainfall: 50–75 cm
• Zones: Ganga-Satluj plains, black soil region of Deccan.
• States: Punjab, Haryana, UP, MP, Bihar, Rajasthan.

3. Millets (Coarse grains) – Jowar, Bajra, Ragi

• Nutritious (rich in iron, calcium, fibre).
• Jowar: Rain-fed, grown in Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP, MP.
• Bajra: Grows on sandy & shallow black soil; Rajasthan, UP, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana.
• Ragi: Grows in dry regions; Karnataka, TN, Himachal, Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, Sikkim, Arunachal.

4. Maize

• Used as food & fodder.
• Kharif crop; requires 21–27°C, old alluvial soil.
• Also grown in rabi season (Bihar).
• States: Karnataka, MP, UP, Bihar, AP, Telangana.

5. Pulses

• India = largest producer & consumer.
• Main source of protein in vegetarian diet.
• Major: Tur (arhar), Urad, Moong, Masur, Peas, Gram.
• Grow in dry conditions, need less moisture.
• Leguminous → restore soil fertility (fix nitrogen).
• States: MP, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, UP, Karnataka.

(b) Food Crops Other than Grains

1. Sugarcane

• Tropical & subtropical crop.
• Needs: 21–27°C, 75–100 cm rainfall, labour, irrigation.
• India = 2nd largest producer (after Brazil).
• Products: Sugar, Gur (jaggery), Khandsari, Molasses.
• States: UP, Maharashtra, Karnataka, TN, AP, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana.

2. Oilseeds

• Occupy ~12% of cropped area.
• Main: Groundnut, Mustard, Coconut, Sesamum, Soyabean, Castor seed, Cotton seed, Linseed, Sunflower.
• Used for cooking, soap, cosmetics.
• Groundnut: Kharif crop; Gujarat = largest producer.
• Mustard & Linseed = Rabi crops.
• Sesamum = Kharif (north), Rabi (south).

(c) Beverage Crops

1. Tea

• Plantation crop, introduced by British.
• Needs tropical/sub-tropical climate, fertile soil rich in humus, warm & moist, frost-free.
• Labour-intensive, processed in gardens.
• States: Assam, West Bengal (Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri), TN, Kerala, HP, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, AP, Tripura.
• India = 2nd largest producer (after China).

2. Coffee

• Indian coffee known for quality; mainly Arabica variety (brought from Yemen).
• Regions: Baba Budan Hills, Nilgiri (Karnataka, Kerala, TN).

(d) Horticulture Crops

• India = 2nd largest producer of fruits & vegetables (after China).
• Fruits:
  • Mango – Maharashtra, AP, Telangana, UP, WB
  • Oranges – Nagpur, Cherrapunji
  • Banana – Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, TN
  • Lichi & Guava – UP, Bihar
  • Pineapple – Meghalaya
  • Grapes – AP, Telangana, Maharashtra
  • Apple, Pear, Apricot, Walnut – J&K, Himachal Pradesh
• Vegetables: Pea, Cauliflower, Onion, Tomato, Brinjal, Potato.

(e) Non-Food Crops

1. Rubber

• Equatorial crop (also grows in tropical/sub-tropical areas).
• Needs: Above 25°C, >200 cm rainfall, humid climate.
• States: Kerala, TN, Karnataka, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Meghalaya (Garo Hills).

2. Fibre Crops

• Cotton: Black soil (Deccan plateau), needs high temperature, light rainfall/irrigation, 210 frost-free days, bright sunshine. States: Maharashtra, Gujarat, MP, Karnataka, AP, Telangana, TN, Punjab, Haryana, UP.
• Jute: “Golden fibre”. Needs fertile soil, floodplains, high temperature. States: WB, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Meghalaya. Used in gunny bags, ropes, mats, carpets, yarn.
• Hemp: Fibre crop.
• Silk: Obtained from silkworms (sericulture).

5. Technological and Institutional Reforms

Agriculture has been practised for thousands of years → but reforms needed for growth.

Post-Independence Reforms

• Abolition of Zamindari system.
• Land reforms: Consolidation of holdings, cooperative farming.
• First Five-Year Plan focused on land reforms.

Later Developments

• 1960s–70s: Green Revolution (HYV seeds, irrigation, fertilisers).
• White Revolution (Operation Flood) → milk production.
• 1980s–90s: Land development programme (technical + institutional).

Other Reforms

• Crop insurance (drought, flood, cyclone, fire, disease).
• Grameen Banks, Co-operative societies, Kisan Credit Card (KCC), PAIS.
• Agricultural weather bulletins, programmes on radio/TV.
• Minimum Support Price (MSP), procurement price, remunerative price → prevent exploitation of farmers.

6. Bhoodan – Gramdan Movement

• Started by Vinoba Bhave, spiritual heir of Gandhiji.
• 1951: At Pochampalli (Andhra Pradesh), Ram Chandra Reddy donated 80 acres → called Bhoodan (gift of land).
• Some zamindars donated entire villages → called Gramdan.
• Aimed at providing land to landless farmers.
• Also known as “Blood-less Revolution”.