CBSE class 10 Geography Agriculture notes || NCERT ||

           Agriculture class 10 CBSE notes :- 

            Agriculture is the largest livelihood provider in India.  Two-third of India's population is engaged in agriculture. A healthy nation is a prosperous nation and to become healthy agriculture produces  most of the food that we consume. 

      Apart from producing food for  the nation agriculture also produces various raw materials for the  industries  like tea, coffee, spices  etc. 

   Being the primary sector of economy all types of farming activities comes under Agriculture. 

Types of Farming

Agriculture is not something new it's been carried out since  ages.  Hence there will be significant changes in the way it carried out. 

     In India there are various farming practices are there. These practices based on the physical environment such as rainfall pattern, land productivity, technological advancement and Socio-cultural Practices. 

    

     On these basis there are Three types of farming methods. They are

                1. Primitive subsistence farming

                 2. Intensive subsistence farming

                 3. Commercial farming

Primitive subsistence farming

This is the traditional way of farming.  It is carried out by the small farmers . On a small patch of land . 

        In this type of farming primitive tools like hoe, dao digging sticks are used and farming is done by the family members. 

It completely depends upon rainfall and natural fertility of soil and production is for self consumption only. 

    It is also called slash and burn Agriculture. 

Slash and burn agriculture

This is a type of agriculture, where the farmers clear a patch of land and burn it for their agricultural practices and then leave the land idle for few years. This allows the nature to replenish the fertility of the soil. 

  In India This slash and burn agriculture is known as jhumming in North-eastern region. 

Intensive Subsistence farming

Intensive subsistence farming is the type of farming practiced in areas with high population. The main intention of these farming to meet the need of the growing population. 

   It is a labour intensive farming, farmers use heavy biochemical inputs. 

    Intensive irrigation also involved to obtain higher production. 

Commercial Farming

The agricultural practice on large scale by using modern technology to earn good income from agriculture is called commercial farming. 

   In this type of farming a large land is taken and farmers make use of higher does of modern inputs, HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides etc. 

  The main purpose of this type of farming is earn profit by selling the product. The amount of commercialisation of farming varies from one area to another, depending on climatic conditions, irrigation facilities and other factors. 

          Plantation   farming  

      Plantation farming is a type of commercial farming. 

In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area, using capital intensive inputs with the help of migrant labourers. 

A good network of transport, communications, proper market facilities are required for this type of farming. 

 Tea, Coffee, sugarcane and rubber are some of the example of plantation farming. 

   Cropping Season in India

        There are three cropping seasons in India namely - Rabi

                 Kharif

                 Zaid. 

   Rabi Crops

   I.  These are sown in beginning of winter ( OCT-DEC) and harvested in Spring Or at the start of Summer ( April- June). 

 II.  Rabi crops include wheat, barley, gram, oilseeds, mustard etc. 

III.   These crops are grown in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and  Uttar Pradesh. 

Kharif Crops

I. These crops are sown onset of the monsoon (June-July) and continues till  the beginning of winter ( September- October). 

II.  The Kharif crops include rice, maize, cotton, jute, groundnut, moong, urad , soybean etc. 

III.  Important kharif growing states are : Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha , Andhra Pradesh,  Tamilnadu, Kerala and Maharashtra. 

Zaid  

   I.  Between Rabi and kharif a small crop season falls called Zaid( March - June). 

II. Major crops of this season are : watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops. 

       Major Crops in India

    Different types of food and nonfood crops are grown in various regions of the country depending upon the variations in soils ,  climatic and cultivation practices. 

     Some of the major crops of India are:-

                    Rice

                   Wheat 

                   Millets

                   Jowar

                   Bajra

                   Ragi 

                   Maize 

                   Pulses

                   Tea

                   Coffee

                   Oilseed

                   Sugarcane

                   Horticulture crops

  We will discuss all of the above in a detail manner. 

Rice

    I.  Rice is staple food crop  in India.

    II. It is a kharif crop. 

  III. It requires high temperature and high humidity. It is grown in  areas of heavy rainfall.

    

    IV.  In areas of less rainfall like  in Punjab, Haryana, western UP and part of Rajasthan, it is grown with proper irrigation through canals and tube wells. 

  Wheat

   

 I. It is second most important staple food crop in India. 

II.  It is a  Rabi crop. 

III.  It requires a cool growing  season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening. 

IV.   It requires 50-70 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season. 

                 

V.  The Ganga- Sutlej plains in the North-west and the black soil region of the Deccan are two important wheat growing zones in India. 

Millets ( Coarse Grains) 

         

I.  Jowar, bajra, and ragi are the important millets grown in India. 

II.  These are known as coarse grains and have very high nutritional value. 

             

      Jowar ( also known as sorghum) 

    a. It is rich in  potassium, phosphorus and calcium with small amount of iron and sodium. 

  b.  It is a rain-fed crop mostly grown in the moist areas which do not need much irrigation. 

   Bajra (  also known as pearl millet ) 

   a.  It contains iron, folate, magnesium, copper,zinc, calcium and vitamins. 

    b.  It grows well on sandy soils and shallow black soils. 

      Ragi ( also known as finger millet) 

  a.   It is rich in iron, calcium and roughage. 

   b.  Ragi grows well in dry regions on red and black, sandy, loamy and shallow black soils. 

    Maize   

  I.  It is a kharif crop( although in Bihar it is a rabi crop also). 

  II. It is used both as food and fodder. 

  III.  It requires  temperature between 21° C   to 27° C and grows well in old alluvial soil. 

 IV.  Major maize producing states are  Karnataka,madhyapradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 

      Pulses

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

      II.  These are the major source of protein in vegetation diet. 

    III. Major pulses that are grown in India are tur, urad, moong masur. Peas and gram. 

    IV. Pulses need less moisture and survive even in dry conditions. 

    V. Major pulses producing states in India are Madhyapradesh, uttar Pradesh,  Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and Karnataka. 

        Food crops other than                                Grains. 

 Sugarcane

I. This is a tropical as well as subtropical crop that requires almost a year to grow. 

II. India is the second largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.  

III. It can grown on a variety of soils as long as they are fertile and well - drained. 

IV.  It grows well in hot and humid climate with temperature of 21°c to 27° c and annual rainfall between 75cm to 100cm.

V.   Sugarcane is the raw material used for manufacture of gur ( jaggery),  khandsari,  and molasses. 

VI. The leading producing states are UP,  Maharashtra, Karnataka,  Tamilnadu, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Bihar, Punjab, Haryana. 

    Oil seeds

     In India total 12℅ of cropped areas are covered with oil seeds. The major oilseeds in India are  :-       

                                                     

      Groundnut : It is a kharif crop and accounts for half of the major  oilseeds produced in India. 

Gujarat is the largest producer of groundnut. 

  Mustard :  It is a Rabi crop. 

 Sesamum ( til) :  It is a kharif crop in the North and rabi crop I  South India. 

  Castor seeds : It is grown as both  Rabi and Kharif crop. 

  Linseed : It is a rabi crop. 

   Coconut, Soybean,  cotton seeds and sunflower. 

      Tea  

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

    II. It grows well in tropical and subtropical climates with deep and fertile well drained soil, rich in humus and organic matter. 

 III.  Tea bushes require warm and moist frost free climate all through the year. 

  IV.  Tea is a labour intensive industry. 

  V.  Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaigudi district,  west Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. 

         Coffee

       Yemen coffee is produced in India and this variety of coffee is in great demand all over the world. 

    Its cultivation was introduced on the Baba Budan Hills and is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamilnadu. 

            Horticulture   crops

      The cultivation of both Fruits and vegetables are called Horticulture. 

   Important vegetable produces of India are pea, cauliflower, onion, cabbage, tomato, brinjal and potato. 

      Fruits growing areas in India are 

   Mango      Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and  West Bengal. 

  Orange     Nagpur and  Cherrapunjee (  Meghalaya) 

  Banana     Tamilnadu, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala and  Mizoram. 

   Pineapple    Meghalaya

     Grapes        Maharashtr                                

   Lichi and  Guava    Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

 Apple, pear, apricot and walnut    Himachal Pradesh and  Jammu and Kashmir. 

            Non -  Food Crops

     Rubber   

  I. It is an equatorial crop. 

 

  II.  It is  an Industrial raw material and used for various purpose

 III.  Mainly grown in  Kerala,  Tamilnadu, Karnataka and Andaman and Nicobar islands and Garo hills of Meghalaya. 

        Fibre Crops

   I. Cotton, Jute, Hemp and  natural silk are the four major fibre crops grown in India. 

  II.  Cotton, jute and Hemp are  grown in the soil. 

III.   Natural silk is obtained from cocoons of  the silkworms fed on  green leaves specially  mulberry. 

          

          Rearing of  silkworms for the production of silk fibre is  known as Sericulture. 

            Cotton

    I.   It is a Kharif crop. 

     II.  It requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost free days  and  bright sunshine for its growth. 

  III.  Cotton grows well in black soil of the Deccan Plateau. 

  IV.  Major Cotton producing states are Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamilnadu, Punjab, Haryana and  Uttar Pradesh. 

       Jute  

   I.  Jute is known as Golden fibre  because of its colour and high cost. 

 II. It grows well on well- drained fertile soils in the flood plains. High temperature is required for its growth. 

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

IV.  Major jute  producing states are  West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and  Meghalaya. 

      Agricultural and  Institutional Reforms. 

   Agriculture Provides a  livelihood for  more than 60℅ of its population, so this sector needs some serious technical and institutional reforms. 

      The Green Revolution and  the  White Revolution were some of the reforms initiated by the people to improve agriculture. 

  

  Government's Initiatives

~    Schemes introduced by Government such as Kisaan Credit Card ( KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme ( PAIS). 

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

~   The Government also announces 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 Nation Economy, Employment and  output. 

   In  2010-11 about 52℅ of the total workforce was employed by the agricultural sector. 

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