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.

11:51 AM - By yatra 0

Mountain Passes in Western and Eastern Ghats India

Mountain Passes in Peninsular India

Amba ghat (pronounced as Aamba ghat) is a mountain pass on Ratnagiri-Kolhapur road (NH 204) in Maharashtra, India, at a height of 2000 ft above sea-level,This ghat lies in the Sahyadri mountain ranges (Western Ghats) and has picturesque mountain-scapes and a pleasant climate. It is situated near Shahuwadi, Kolhapur district,and has nearby interesting places are Pawankhind and Vishalgad fort (including Rehan Baba Dargah). It is a convenient weekend destination for Kolhapur tourists.

Palakkad Gap is a 30-40 kilometers (19–25 miles) wide low mountain pass in the Western Ghats, near Palakkad town (previously known as Palghat) in the South Indian State of Kerala. 

It has an elevation of 300 metres (980 ft). The gap is the lowest pass through the Western Ghats. It is also the only break in that stretch of the Ghats that otherwise runs along the entire eastern edge of Kerala, isolating the State from neighbouring Tamil Nadu. It acts as a corridor between the two States by linking Palakkad District of Kerala with Coimbatore District of Tamil Nadu, and has served as a vital part of the important trade route between the East and West coasts of peninsular India since ancient times. Palakkad Fort, stands as a reminder of the strategic importance the gap once had as a gateway to Kerala for would be invaders from the other side of the Ghats. The gap is important to the climate of southern India in that it allows the moisture-laden Southwest monsoon winds into the Coimbatore region, which moderates Coimbatore's summer temperatures and generates greater rainfall in the region relative to the rest of lowland Tamil Nadu. At the same time, due to hot winds coming from Tamil Nadu, the district of Palakkad is warmer than the rest of Kerala during summer.Both the NH 47 highway and the Coimbatore-Shornur rail link joining Kerala to Tamil Nadu pass through this gap.

Bhor Ghat or Bor Ghat: Bhore Ghaut is a mountain passage located between Karjat and Khandala in Maharashtra, India along the railway line and between Khopoli and Khandala for road Old Mumbai Pune Road and the Mumbai Pune Expressway.

(Read About Mountain Passes in Himalayas)

Chorla Ghat pass is a nature destination located on the intersection of the borders of Goa, Karnataka and Maharashtra. It lies to the north-east of Panaji, Goa (about 50 kilometers by road). It is a part of the Western Ghats in the Sahyadri mountain range and is at an elevation of 800 meters. Chorla ghat boasts of a few rare species of wild-life such as the barred wolf snake (Lycodon striatus) in its sub-tropical forests.

Kasara ghat Pass (also called as Thal Ghat or Thul Ghat) is a ghat section (mountain incline or slope) in the Western Ghats near the town of Kasara in Maharashtra. The Kasara Ghat is located on the busy Mumbai–Nashik route, and is one of the four major routes, rail and road routes, leading into the Mumbai. The railway line, which passes through the ghat is the steepest in India with a gradient of 1 in 37.

The Kumbharli Ghat pass is a mountain pass in Maharashtra, India cutting across the Western Ghats range. It connects the coastal Ratnagiri District Konkan region of Maharashtra with the Satara District Desh region on the Deccan plateau. It is one of few link roads between the Konkan and Ghatmaatha in Maharashtra. The road, a state highway, is at an average elevation of 625 m (2,051 ft). It links the cities of Chiplun (Ratnagiri district) and Karad (Satara district). Near the eastern end is the Koyna Dam.

Malshej Ghat Pass : is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range in the Thane district of Maharashtra, India. The site is nestled in the lofty rugged hills of the Western Ghats. It is notorious for landslides during monsoons.

Nane ghat pass : Naneghat is a mountain pass in the Western Ghats range near Junnar in Pune district of Maharashtra, India. During the reign of the Satavahana (200 BCE–190 CE), the pass was extensively used as a trade route between Kalyan and Junnar. Literally, the name nane means "coin" and ghat means "pass". The name is given because this path was used as a tollbooth to collect toll from traders crossing the hills.

Varandha Ghat Pass is a mountain passage located between NH4 and Konkan in Maharashtra, India for road traffic. Situated on the crest of the Western Ghat mountain ranges, Varandha Ghat is noted for its surroundings comprising scenic waterfalls, lakes and dense wood.

Haldighati Pass is a mountain pass in the Aravalli Range of Rajasthan in western India. It connects Rajsamand and Pali districts, 40 kilometres from Udaipur. The name is believed to have come from the turmeric-coloured yellow soil (Turmeric is haldi in Hindi). The mountain pass is historically significant as the location of the historic Battle of Haldighati, which took place in 1576 between Rana Pratap Singh of Mewar and Raja Man Singh of Amber, general of the Mughal emperor Akbar.

Asirgarh Qila Pass is an Indian fortress (qila) situated in the Satpura Range, about 20 km north of the city of Burhanpur, in Burhanpur District of Madhya Pradesh state. Because the fortress commands a pass through the Satpuras connecting the valleys of the Narmada and Tapti rivers, one of the most important routes from northern India to the Deccan,it was known as the "key to the Deccan". During Mughal Era, it was considered that Deccan starts from here: the empire from Asirgarh to Delhi was considered as Hindustan. The fort was built by Asa Ahir of the Ahir dynasty.

12:19 PM - By yatra 0