Agriculture in India, explained simply

1. What is agriculture?

Agriculture means growing crops and keeping animals for food and other materials.

• About two-thirds of India’s people depend on agriculture.

• Agriculture gives us:

  • Food, such as rice and wheat

  • Materials for industries, such as cotton for clothes

  • Products for export, such as tea, coffee, and spices

Important: Agriculture is a major activity and source of livelihood in India.

2. Types of farming

A. Primitive subsistence farming

This is small-scale farming done mainly to feed the farmer’s family.

Farmers usually use:

• Simple tools

• Family labour

• Rainwater

• Natural soil fertility

Slash-and-burn farming

Farmers:

1. Cut trees and plants.

1. Burn them.

1. Use the ash as natural manure.

1. Grow crops for a few years.

1. Move to another piece of land when the soil becomes less fertile.

This is also called shifting cultivation.

Different names in India

• Jhumming: Northeast India

• Pamlou: Manipur

• Dipa: Bastar

• Bewar or Dahiya: Madhya Pradesh

• Podu or Penda: Andhra Pradesh

• Kuruwa: Jharkhand

Important: Primitive subsistence farming uses simple tools and has low productivity.

B. Intensive subsistence farming

This happens where many people depend on a small amount of land.

Farmers try to grow as much as possible by using:

• A lot of labour

• Irrigation

• Fertilisers

• Better seeds

Important: The main goal is to get maximum production from limited land.

C. Commercial farming

Commercial farming means growing crops mainly to sell in the market.

Farmers use:

• HYV seeds

• Chemical fertilisers

• Insecticides

• Pesticides

• Irrigation

A crop can be commercial in one place but used for family food in another.

Example:

• Rice is a commercial crop in Punjab and Haryana.

• Rice is mainly a subsistence crop in Odisha.

D. Plantation farming

Plantation farming means growing one crop over a very large area.

Examples:

• Tea

• Coffee

• Rubber

• Sugarcane

• Banana

Plantations need:

• Large areas of land

• A lot of money

• Many workers

• Transport

• Processing factories

Important: Plantation farming connects agriculture with industry.

3. Cropping seasons

India has three main cropping seasons.

A. Rabi season

• Sown: October to December

• Harvested: April to June

• Grows during winter

Examples:

• Wheat

• Barley

• Peas

• Gram

• Mustard

Important: Wheat is the most important rabi crop.

B. Kharif season

• Sown with the arrival of the monsoon

• Harvested in September and October

Examples:

• Rice

• Maize

• Jowar

• Bajra

• Cotton

• Jute

• Groundnut

• Soyabean

Important: Kharif crops need the rainy season.

C. Zaid season

This is a short summer season between rabi and kharif.

Examples:

• Watermelon

• Muskmelon

• Cucumber

• Vegetables

• Fodder

Important: Sugarcane takes almost one full year to grow.

4. Major crops

A. Rice

Rice is the staple food crop of most Indians.

It needs:

• High temperature, above 25°C

• High humidity

• More than 100 cm of rainfall

• Irrigation in areas with less rainfall

Major rice-growing areas:

• West Bengal

• Assam

• Odisha

• Andhra Pradesh

• Telangana

• Tamil Nadu

• Kerala

• Uttar Pradesh

• Bihar

• Punjab and Haryana

Important: Rice is a kharif crop.

B. Wheat

Wheat is the second most important cereal crop.

It needs:

• A cool growing season

• Bright sunshine while ripening

• About 50 to 75 cm of rainfall

Major wheat-producing states:

• Punjab

• Haryana

• Uttar Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh

• Bihar

• Rajasthan

Important: Wheat is a rabi crop.

C. Millets

The important millets are:

• Jowar

• Bajra

• Ragi

They are called coarse grains, but they are very nutritious.

Jowar

Main states:

• Maharashtra

• Karnataka

• Andhra Pradesh

• Madhya Pradesh

Bajra

It grows well in sandy and shallow black soils.

Main states:

• Rajasthan

• Uttar Pradesh

• Maharashtra

• Gujarat

• Haryana

Ragi

Ragi is rich in:

• Iron

• Calcium

• Micronutrients

• Fibre

Important: Millets are nutritious and can grow in dry areas.

D. Maize

Maize is used as:

• Food

• Animal fodder

It needs:

• Temperature between 21°C and 27°C

• Old alluvial soil

Major states:

• Karnataka

• Madhya Pradesh

• Uttar Pradesh

• Bihar

• Andhra Pradesh

• Telangana

Important: Maize is mainly a kharif crop.

E. Pulses

Pulses include:

• Tur or arhar

• Urad

• Moong

• Masur

• Peas

• Gram

Pulses are important because they provide protein, especially in vegetarian diets.

They:

• Need less moisture

• Can grow in dry conditions

• Help improve soil fertility by adding nitrogen

Major states:

• Madhya Pradesh

• Rajasthan

• Maharashtra

• Uttar Pradesh

• Karnataka

Important: Pulses help make the soil more fertile.

F. Sugarcane

Sugarcane is used to make:

• Sugar

• Gur

• Khandsari

• Molasses

It needs:

• Hot and humid weather

• Temperature between 21°C and 27°C

• About 75 to 100 cm of rainfall

Major states:

• Uttar Pradesh

• Maharashtra

• Karnataka

• Tamil Nadu

• Andhra Pradesh

• Telangana

• Bihar

• Punjab

• Haryana

Important: India is the second-largest producer of sugarcane after Brazil.

G. Oilseeds

Oilseeds are used to make cooking oil.

Examples:

• Groundnut

• Mustard

• Coconut

• Sesame

• Soyabean

• Castor

• Sunflower

• Linseed

They are also used to make:

• Soap

• Cosmetics

• Ointments

Important points:

• Groundnut is mainly a kharif crop.

• Mustard and linseed are rabi crops.

• Sesame can be kharif in North India and rabi in South India.

H. Tea

Tea is a plantation crop and an important beverage crop.

It needs:

• A warm and wet climate

• Heavy and regular rainfall

• Deep, fertile, well-drained soil

• No frost

• Plenty of workers

Major tea-producing areas:

• Assam

• Darjeeling

• Jalpaiguri

• Tamil Nadu

• Kerala

Important: Tea is labour-intensive, meaning it needs many workers.

I. Coffee

Indian coffee is known for its good quality.

The main variety is Arabica.

It is mainly grown in:

• Karnataka

• Kerala

• Tamil Nadu

Important: Coffee cultivation began in the Baba Budan Hills.

J. Horticulture

Horticulture means growing fruits, vegetables, flowers, and spices.

Examples of fruits:

• Mango

• Orange

• Banana

• Litchi

• Guava

• Pineapple

• Grapes

• Apples

• Pears

• Apricots

• Walnuts

Examples of vegetables:

• Peas

• Cauliflower

• Onion

• Cabbage

• Tomato

• Brinjal

• Potato

Important: India produces both tropical and temperate fruits.

5. Fibre crops

Fibre crops provide material for making clothes, ropes, bags, and other goods.

A. Cotton

Cotton is used in the cotton textile industry.

It needs:

• High temperature

• Light rainfall or irrigation

• Bright sunshine

• About 210 frost-free days

• Black soil

It is a kharif crop.

Important: Cotton is mainly grown in the Deccan Plateau.

B. Jute

Jute is called the golden fibre.

It is used to make:

• Gunny bags

• Mats

• Ropes

• Yarn

• Carpets

It grows well in:

• Fertile floodplain soil

• Hot and wet conditions

Major states:

• West Bengal

• Bihar

• Assam

• Odisha

• Meghalaya

Important: Jute grows best where floods regularly renew the soil.

C. Silk

Silk comes from the cocoons of silkworms.

The process of raising silkworms is called sericulture.

Important: Silk comes from animals, while cotton and jute come from plants.

D. Rubber

Rubber is an important industrial raw material.

It needs:

• Very hot weather

• More than 200 cm of rainfall

• Temperature above 25°C

• Moist and humid conditions

Major areas:

• Kerala

• Tamil Nadu

• Karnataka

• Meghalaya

• Andaman and Nicobar Islands

6. Problems in Indian agriculture

Indian farmers face problems such as:

• Dependence on monsoon rainfall

• Small and divided landholdings

• Low access to modern technology

• Lack of affordable loans

• Soil losing fertility

• Natural disasters such as floods and droughts

• Exploitation by middlemen

Important: Land is often divided among children through inheritance, making farms very small.

7. Technological and institutional reforms

The government introduced reforms to help farmers.

Institutional reforms

These include:

• Land reforms

• Consolidation of landholdings

• Cooperation

• Abolition of zamindari

• Cooperative societies

• Grameen banks

• Low-interest loans

Technological reforms

These include:

• Green Revolution

• Use of HYV seeds

• Irrigation

• Fertilisers

• Modern machines

• Better farming methods

Other government support

• Crop insurance

• Kisan Credit Card

• Personal Accident Insurance Scheme

• Weather information

• Agricultural programmes on radio and television

• Minimum Support Price, or MSP

Important: MSP helps protect farmers from selling crops at very low prices.

8. Green Revolution

The Green Revolution increased crop production through:

• HYV seeds

• Irrigation

• Chemical fertilisers

• Pesticides

• Modern farming methods

It was especially successful in:

• Punjab

• Haryana

• Western Uttar Pradesh

Important: The Green Revolution increased production, but its benefits were stronger in some regions than others.

9. White Revolution

The White Revolution is also called Operation Flood.

Its purpose was to increase:

• Milk production

• Dairy farming

• Farmers’ income

Important: Green Revolution means more crops. White Revolution means more milk.

10. Bhoodan and Gramdan movements

These movements were started by Vinoba Bhave.

Bhoodan

A landowner donated land to poor, landless villagers.

Gramdan

A landowner donated an entire village or village land for community use.

This movement was also called the Blood-less Revolution.

Important: The purpose was to give land to landless people peacefully.

Quick revision table

The most important points to remember

1. Rabi means winter crops.

1. Kharif means monsoon crops.

1. Zaid means summer crops.

1. Rice needs high temperature and plenty of water.

1. Wheat needs a cool growing season.

1. Pulses provide protein and improve soil fertility.

1. Tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, and banana can be plantation crops.

1. Cotton grows well in black soil.

1. Jute is called the golden fibre.

1. Green Revolution increased crop production.

1. White Revolution increased milk production.

1. Bhoodan means donating land to the landless.