NCERT Solutions for Class 10 Geography Chapter 4 - Agriculture

This chapter discusses Agriculture in India. Agriculture is a primary activity for India because 2/3 of the population is engaged in agricultural practices. India’s agriculture produces most of our food and raw materials. Also, some commercial products like tea, coffee, spices are exported to foreign countries. Different types of farming systems are practised in India. These are primitive subsistence farming, intensive subsistence farming, commercial farming, and plantation.

Primitive subsistence farming refers to farming practices involving primitive tools like hoes, daos and digging sticks. This method of farming is also called slash and burn farming. Currently, only a few parts of India practice this form. For example, in northeast India, this farming method is practised under the name jhumming.

Intensive subsistence farming refers to farming using techniques biochemical and irrigation to produce higher volumes of crops. Intensive subsistence farming is adopted in most parts of India.

Commercial farming refers to growing crops that are commercialised. For example, most crops like cotton, rice, wheat, tea, and coffee are sold throughout India and other parts of the world. Commercial farming is reliant on high yielding seeds to ensure high production without the risk of crop failure.

Indian agricultural crops can be classified as food crops and non-food crops. Food crops include grains and leguminous crops like rice, wheat, millets, pulses, and other crops. Sugarcane, oilseed, beverage crops like tea, coffee, and horticulture crops are also included.Non-food crops include fibre crops like cotton, jute, rubber.

Indian Agriculture is different from other parts of the world because it is divided into three agricultural seasons. The first season is rabi, during which crops like wheat, barley and mustard are sown in winter and harvested during summer. During the kharif season, crops like rice are grown during the monsoon. In-between rabi and kharif, the short summer period is referred to as zaid, during which crops like watermelons and cucumbers are grown.

Indian agriculture is facing problems since Independence, and the government has carried out several technological and institutional reforms. The Indian government has initiated land development programs and other programs that help the farmers. The contribution of agriculture to the GDP of India is increasing rapidly.

Globalisation has also adversely impacted Indian agriculture, and the farmers in India have been exposed to new challenges.

Gene evolution and organic farming are new dimensions in Indian agriculture that are based on innovative technology.