Class 8 Geography | Chapter 3 |Agriculture

Introduction

• Transformation from plant to product involves primary (extraction), secondary (processing), and tertiary (services) economic activities.

• Agriculture is a primary activity, with 50% globally and two-thirds of India's population engaged.

• Favorable soil and climate are crucial for agriculture, and arable land is where crops grow concentrated in regions with suitable factors.

• Key Points:

  • Farmer tilling land, growing wheat with added manure.

  • Economic activities: primary, secondary, tertiary.

  • Agriculture: primary activity, 50% global engagement, two-thirds in India.

  • Favorable soil and climate vital for agriculture.

  • Arable land concentrates agricultural activity globally.

Farm System

• Agriculture is viewed as a system with key inputs: seeds, fertilizers, machinery, and labor.

• Operations include ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding, and harvesting.

• Outputs consist of crops, wool, and dairy/poultry products.

Class 8 Geography | Chapter 3 |Agriculture

Types of Farming:

• Subsistence Farming:

  • Intensive Subsistence Agriculture:

    • Small plots, simple tools, high labor.

    • Multiple annual crops like rice, wheat, maize.

    • Prevalent in densely populated monsoon regions (e.g., South, Southeast, East Asia).

  • Primitive Subsistence Agriculture:

    • Shifting Cultivation:

In Amazon, tropical Africa, Southeast Asia, Northeast India.

• Clearing land by burning, planting crops (maize, yam, potatoes), moving after soil depletion.

• Also known as 'slash and burn.'

• Nomadic Herding:

  • In semi-arid/arid regions like Sahara, Central Asia, Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir.

  • Herdsmen move for fodder and water with sheep, camel, yak, and goats.

  • Provides milk, meat, wool, hides, etc.

• Commercial Farming:

  • Commercial Grain Farming:

    • Large-scale cultivation for sale in markets.

    • Emphasizes wheat and maize.

    • Practiced in temperate grasslands of North America, Europe, Asia.

  • Mixed Farming:

    • Combines food/fodder crops and livestock.

    • Practiced in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.

• Plantation Agriculture:

  • Single crops like tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, cotton.

  • Requires significant labor and capital.

  • Found in tropical regions (e.g., rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka).

• Major Crops:

  • Food Crops:

    • Wheat, rice, maize, and millets.

  • Fibre Crops:

    • Jute and cotton.

  • Beverage Crops:

    • Tea and coffee.

• Rice:

  • Staple diet in tropical and sub-tropical regions.

  • Grown in alluvial clayey soil with high temperature, humidity, and rainfall.

  • Leading producers: China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka, Egypt.

• Wheat:

  • Requires moderate temperature, rainfall during the growing season, and bright sunshine at harvest.

  • Thrives in well-drained loamy soil.

  • Grown extensively in USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, and India.

• Millets:

  • Also known as coarse grains, grown on less fertile and sandy soils.

  • Hardy crop requiring low rainfall and high to moderate temperature.

  • Grown in India, Nigeria, China, Niger.

• Maize:

  • Requires moderate temperature, rainfall, and ample sunshine.

  • Grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.

• Coffee:

  • Requires warm and wet climate, well-drained loamy soil.

  • Grown on hill slopes.

  • Leading producers: Brazil, Colombia, India.

• Tea:

  • Beverage crop grown on plantations.

  • Requires cool climate, well-distributed high rainfall throughout the year.

  • Grows on well-drained loamy soils with gentle slopes.

  • Leading producers: Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka .

Agricultural Development 

• Agricultural Development:

  • Efforts to increase farm production for the growing population.

  • Achieved by increasing cropped area, variety of crops, improving irrigation, using fertilizers, and high-yield seeds.

  • Mechanization is a crucial aspect of agricultural development.

  • Ultimate goal: Enhance food security.

• Global Agricultural Development:

  • Developing Countries:

    • Practise intensive agriculture on small holdings, mostly for subsistence.

• Key Aspects of Agricultural Development:

  • Increase in Cropped Area:

    • Expansion of agricultural land.

  • Diversification of Crops:

    • Growing a variety of crops.

  • Improved Irrigation:

    • Enhancement of water supply for crops.

  • Use of Fertilizers:

    • Application of fertilizers for soil enrichment.

  • High-Yielding Seeds:

    • Adoption of seeds with higher productivity.

  • Mechanization:

    • Introduction of machinery for efficient farming.

• Ultimate Goal:

  • Enhance food security to meet the demands of a growing population.

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