COMPARE AND DRAW THE IMPORTANT FOOD AND CASH
CROPS OF TAMILNADU AND JAMMU AND KASHMIR IN
DIFFERENT SEASONS.
Answers
Answer:
Explanation:
India is an agriculturally important country.
Two-thirds of its population is engaged in
agricultural activities. Agriculture is a primary
activity, which produces most of the food that
we consume. Besides food grains, it also
produces raw material for various industries.
Can you name some industries based on
agricultural raw material?
Moreover, some agricultural products like
tea, coffee, spices, etc. are also exported.
TYPES OF FARMING
Agriculture is an age-old economic activity in
our country. Over these years, cultivation
methods have changed significantly depending
upon the characteristics of physical
environment, technological know-how and
socio-cultural practices. Farming varies from
subsistence to commercial type. At present, in
different parts of India, the following farming
systems are practised.
Primitive Subsistence Farming
This type of farming is still practised in few
pockets of India. Primitive subsistence
agriculture is practised on small patches of
land with the help of primitive tools like hoe,
dao and digging sticks, and family/community
labour. This type of farming depends upon
monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and
suitability of other environmental conditions
to the crops grown.
It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.
Farmers clear a patch of land and produce
cereals and other food crops to sustain their
family. When the soil fertility decreases, the
farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land
for cultivation. This type of shifting allows
Nature to replenish the fertility of the soil
through natural processes; land productivity
in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer
does not use fertilisers or other modern
inputs. It is known by different names in
different parts of the country.
Can you name some such types of farmings?
It is jhumming in north-eastern states like
Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland;
Pamlou in Manipur, Dipa in Bastar district of
Chhattishgarh, and in Andaman and Nicobar
Islands.
Jhumming: The ‘slash and burn’ agriculture
is known as ‘Milpa’ in Mexico and Central
America, ‘Conuco’ in Venzuela, ‘Roca’ in
Brazil, ‘Masole’ in Central Africa, ‘Ladang’
in Indonesia, ‘Ray’ in Vietnam.
In India, this primitive form of cultivation
is called ‘Bewar’ or ‘Dahiya’ in Madhya
Pradesh, ‘Podu’ or ‘Penda’ in Andhra Pradesh,
‘Pama Dabi’ or ‘Koman’ or Bringa’ in Odisha,
‘Kumari’ in Western Ghats, ‘Valre’ or ‘Waltre’
in South-eastern Rajasthan, ‘Khil’ in the
Himalayan belt, ‘Kuruwa’ in Jharkhand, and
‘Jhumming’ in the North-eastern region.
Fig. 4.1
2015-16
Fig. 4.2: Banana plantation in Southern
part of India
Fig. 4.3: Bamboo plantation in North-east
Can you name the type of farming Rinjha’s
family is engaged in?
Can you enlist some crops which are grown
in such farming?
Intensive Subsistence Farming
This type of farming is practised in areas of
high population pressure on land. It is labourintensive farming, where high doses of
biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for
obtaining higher production.
Can you name some of the states of India
where such farming is practised?
Though the ‘right of inheritance’ leading to
the division of land among successive
generations has rendered land-holding size
uneconomical, the farmers continue to take
maximum output from the limited land in the
absence of alternative source of livelihood.
Thus, there is enormous pressure on
agricultural land.
Commercial Farming
The main characteristic of this type of farming
is the use of higher doses of modern inputs,
e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical
fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order
to obtain higher productivity. The degree of
commercialisation of agriculture varies from
one region to another. For example, rice is a
commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but
in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop.
Can you give some more examples of crops
which may be commercial in one region and
may provide subsistence in another region?