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ICSE Class 10 Geography Goyal Brothers Solutions Chapter 10 Agriculture in India 1: Introduction
Question 1.
What do you mean by the term ‘agriculture’?
Answer:
The use of land in order to grow crops and rear livestock is called agriculture. The term ‘ agriculture’ broadly means – man’s management of the environment to produce food.
Question 2.
What is meant by the term ‘subsistence agriculture’?
Answer:
The type of agriculture in which the farmer grows a variety of crops only to maintain his family.
Question 3.
What is commercial Farming?
Answer:
Commercial farming:
It is a system of agriculture in which food crops are produced specifically for sale in the market, by using improved variety of seeds and machinery.
Commercial farming is of two types:
- Intensive Commercial farming.
- Extensive Commercial farming.
Question 4.
What is mixed farming?
Answer:
Cultivation of crops and rearing of animals done together on the same farm is called mixed farming. Subsidiary occupations like Suit and vegetable gardening or poultry-farming may also be practiced. Two or more crops are grown together. In such cases, a number of crops having varying maturing periods are sown at the same time. The crop maturing early is generally harvested before growth of the long maturing crop.
Question 5.
What is meant by the term ‘Plantation farming’? Give two examples.
Answer:
The type of farming being practiced for the cultivation of a single crop on a large tract of land is called plantation farming, e.g. tea and rubber plantation.
Question 6.
How important is agriculture to India?
Answer:
India is basically an agricultural country. Majority of its people are dependent on agriculture. India’s rural economy is still based on agriculture and agro-based industries. Agro-based industries include cotton textiles, tobacco, jute sugar etc.
India earn a substantial foreign exchange by the export of agricultural commodities like cotton, tea, cashew nuts, spices, oilseeds, etc. to industrialised country.
Agriculture, being a good source of income, prevent the migration of rural population to urban areas to some extent.
Question 7.
Give a few important characteristics of Indian agriculture.
Answer:
Important characteristics of Indian agriculture are following:
- Dependence on Monsoons.
- Variety of crops.
- Preponderance of Food crops.
- Agricultural Pattern-Crop Seasons.
(i) Dependence on Monsoons :
Indian agriculture has always been dependent on the arrival of monsoon which is highly unreliable – both uncertain and irregular.
The large-scale irrigation serves only one-third of crop area. The remaining has to suffers the vagaries of monsoon.
(ii) Variety of Crops:
India’s vast relief, varying climatic and soil conditions produce a variety of crops. Both tropical, subtropical and temperate crops like wheat and barely are grown.
(iii) Preponderance of Food Crops:
Since India has to feed to large population, preponderance of food crops over other crops is the most important feature of Indian agriculture. More than 2/3 rd of the total cropped area is taken up by cultivation of food crops.
Agricultural Pattern :
India has three main Crop Seasons which are most influenced by the changing seasons:
- Kharif Season
- Rabi Season
- Zayad Season
Question 8.
What are rabi and kharif crops? Give examples.
Answer:
Rabi crops – The ground is prepared by the end of October and harvesting takes place in March.
Examples: Wheat, barley, Jowar, gram, oilseeds and tobacco.
Kharif Crops – Ground is prepared in April-May and seeds are sown in June on arrival of rain. Harvesting is done in the beginning of November.
Examples : Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, cotton, sesame, groundnut, pulses and jute.
Question 9.
Give any three problems of Indian agriculture. [2005]
Answer:
Problems of Indian Agriculture are following:
- Erratic Nature of Rainfall:
Agricultural production is affected in many areas due to unprecedented rainfall or a full season of little rainfall. - Poor Quality of Seeds:
Poor quality of seeds and fertilizers are responsible for poor productivity or low yields. - Lack of proper use of Manure and Fertilizer:
Manures and fertilizers are fertility of the soil. Unfortunately, continuous use of Indian soil without use of proper manure has led to depletion and exhaustion of soil, resulting in low productivity. - Traditional Upbringing:
Most of the Indian farmers do not like change. They stick to their traditional ways of farming or produce only for their own need. - Heavy Rains in many areas cause heavy soil erosion affecting agricultural production.
Question 10.
What type of agriculture is practiced in India.
Answer:
Indian agriculture can be divided into the following categories :
- Subsistence Farming
- Commercial Fanning
In India, agriculture is still of the subsistence type:
It is a system of agriculture in which the farmer produces exlusively for his own consumption.
This involves the cultivation of food crops like rice, wheat and pulses.
Question 11.
How is ‘jhooming’ carried out?
Answer:
It is a primitive agricultural practice in which a patch of forest is cleared, trees are felled and stumps set on fire. The cleared patch is then cultivated for a few years until the fertility of the soil is seriously reduced.
Question 12.
What is done in primitive type of agriculture?
Answer:
Primitive Type is used to be practiced in the past in backward equatorial areas. In this type, farmers use simple tools and primitive techniques to grow food for their own use.
Question 13.
Where is intensive commercial farming done?
Answer:
Intensive Commercial Farming is done in that countries where the population pressure reduces the size of land holdings.
Question 14.
What happens in extensive commercial farming?
Answer:
Extensive Commercial Farming is a system of agriculture in which relatively small amounts of capital or labour investment are applied to relatively large areas of land. At times, the land is left follow to regain its fertility.
It is mostly mechanized as labour is very expensive or may not be available to all. It usually occurs at the margin of the agricultural system, at a great distance from market or on poor land of limited patential. It is practised usually in the terai regions of north India.
Examples: Sugarcane, rice and wheat.
Question 15.
What is meant by monoculture?
Answer:
In this type of agriculture, only one crop is grown in the whole plantation. It is more common in tropical countries because there is no fear of frosts, e.g. tea and rubber.
Goyal Brothers Prakashan Class 10 ICSE Geography Solutions