Agriculture In India

Types of Agriculture in India  Subsistence Farming: • In this type of agriculture, farmers work hard to grow enough food to survive only. • In this type of farming the produce is consumed mainly by farmer and his family.  There remains no surplus to sell in the market.

^{Mixed Farming: 
• The combination of agriculture and pastoral farming is called mixed farming.
• In this type of farming, cultivation of crops and rearing of animals are done together on the same farm.}

Shifting Cultivation: • This is a primitive form of agriculture, in which a plot of land is cultivated for a few years and then is deserted. • This slash and burn method of farming is carried on in jungles of northeastern part of India. • A plot of land is cleared for cultivation. As the yield decreases after two or three years, the plot is abandoned and a fresh clearing is made. Intensive Farming: • This is a system of farming in which the cultivator uses large amount of labour and capital on a relatively small area. • In countries where the size of population is big but land is less, this type of farming is done. • Annually two or three crops are grown due to the demand of food for the large size of population. • Agriculture is done with the help of manual labour.

Extensive Farming: • This is a system of farming in which the cultivator uses a limited amount of labour and capital on relatively large area. This type of agriculture is practised in countries where population size is small and land is enough. • Here, per acre yield is low but overall production is in surplus due to less population. • Agriculture is done with the help of machines.  Planation Agriculture: • In this type of agriculture, trees or bushes are planted on huge estates. • A single crop like rubber, sugarcane, coffee, tea or banana is grown. These crops are major items of export. Problems of Indian Agriculture • The low productivity of our agriculture is mainly due to the difficulties faced by our peasants. • Deforestation, overgrazing and heavy rainfall have led to soil erosion. • Divisions of land have led to fragmentation.

^{A major part of the Indian soil has been impoverished because it has been under plough for the last 4000 or 5000 years.
• Indian agriculture is chiefly of subsistence type where a large manual labour is employed to work on farms to grow just enough food for the needs of the family and very little is left for marketing.}

• The size of land holding is very small and uneconomic. • The farmers are poor, illiterate and ignorant. • They use primitive tools and out-dated method. • They lack financial credit and investment.

^{•  Good seeds, fertilizers and improved technology are not available to them. They lack irrigation facilities and are still on the mercy of nature. Most of the farmers have no security against crop failure or loss caused by nature.
•  Generally farmers are uneducated and have no scientific approaches.}

^{Different Crop Seasons in India
•  There are three crop seasons in India: (i) Rabi    (ii) Kharif    (iii) Zayad.}

^{Rabi
•  This season starts after the rainy season.
•  Sowing begins in September-October and harvesting takes place in February- March.
•  Rabi season is cooler and drier than the Kharif season.
•  Wheat, barley, pulses and some oil seeds are grown in the Rabi season.}

Kharif •  The Kharif season begins with the onset of the monsoons in June-July. • The crop grows in the rainy season and harvesting takes place after the retreat of monsoon in September-October. Rice, maize, millets, groundnuts, cotton and jute are grown in the Kharif season.

^{Zayad
•  This is the summer season for growing crops which remain till April, May and June.
•  Products are mainly vegetables and fruits.}

^{Green Revolution}

•  The increase in agriculture productivity of cereals that has taken place since the 1960s mainly as a result of introduction of high yielding varieties of wheat and rice and use of fertilizers, machines and irrigation etc., is known as green revolution.

^{•  Green revolution has made us self-sufficient in food production.
•  This has not only saved our much precious foreign exchange but has also made us self-reliant.}

^{Land use Patern of India
•  The total geographical area of India is 32.88 crore hectares.
•  Of this, data is available for only 92.5% land area. Though land is put to different uses, but cultivation of land is its most important use.
Uses of land                                            % put to use of land
Cultivated land                                                  43.41
Forested area                                                    22.57
Wasteland (arid, rocky and sandy areas)                             6.29}

^{Uses of land                                                        % put to use of land
Cultivable waste                                                              4.41
Fallow land                                                                     10.85
Pastures and meadows(Up and Low lands)                      3.45
Area under non-agricultural use                                        6.29}

^{Water Resources and Their Utilization in India
• Water resources of India can be divided into two parts:
 i) Surface Water     ii) Underground Water Resources.}

Surface Water Resources • According to the estimate, India receives an average of 109 cm of rainfall annually. • This rainfall amounts to 37,000 million cubic metre. Out of this, 12,500 million cubic metres evaporates and another 7,900 million cubic metres is absorbed by land. Only 16,600 million cubic metres water is available in our rivers. Out of this, only 6,600 million cubic metres of water can be used for irrigation.

^{Underground Water Resources}

• Out of total rainfall, only 7900 million cubic metres of water percolates inside/ beneath the earth. • Out of this, only 4300 million cubic metres of water is able to reach the upper layer of the soil. • This water is more important for agricultural production.

^{• Rest 3600 million cubic metres reaches the impervious rocks which can be used by digging wells or tubewells. Out of this only 2250 million cubic metres of water is economically viable.}

^{Sources of Irrigation in India}

There are various sources of irrigation which are : (a) Wells & Tubewells 46% of total irrigation (b) Canals 39% of total irrigation (c) Tanks 8% of total irrigation (d) Other Sources 7% of total irrigation (Dongs, Kuhls, Springs etc.,) Power Resources of India India uses a large amount of fossil fuels as a source of energy alongwith a number of renewable sources of energy, viz., hydroelectric power, thermal power, petroleum, nuclear or atomic power, solar energy, wind energy, tidal energy, bio-gas etc.