Salient Features of Indian Agriculture Part 1

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Agriculture backbone of Indian economy

India is an agricultural economy where approx. 49% of the people depend on agriculture.
Net sown area still accounts for about 47% of the total cultivable area of India.
Accounts for about 35% of our national income.
Share in GDP 14 %
Provides food for the people and fodder for the animals.
Main source of raw materials to the agro-based industries viz. sugar, textile, edible oil, etc.
Provides market for many agricultural finished products
Source of Foreign exchange through exports of agriculture-based produce.
Helps in better distribution of income and wealth.

Salient Features of Indian Agriculture

Subsistence Type
Dependent on unreliable monsoon (60 %)
Indias vast relief, varying climate and soil conditions produce a variety of crops
All tropical, subtropical and temperate crops are grown

Predominance of food crop 2/3rd of total cropped area

Poor electricity, storage, water, credit & marketing
Less Mechanization; Inadequate Agricultural research
1st rank in Milk (17% of world production), Mango, banana, coconut, cashew, papaya, peas, cassava and
pomegranate
Largest producer and exporter of spices, Millets, Pulses, Dry Bean, Ginger
Overall, second largest producer of vegetable, fruits and fishes
Have three main cropping seasons viz. Kharif, Rabi & Zaid

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Kharif
Crops Also known as Monsoon / Summer Crops
Requires plenty of water
Require long hot weather for growth
Sown May July , Harvest Sep Oct
Major Crops Paddy, Sugarcane, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Cotton, Pulses, Groundnut, Soybean,
Sunflower, Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Sesame, Guar etc.

Rabi
Crops Also known as Winter Season Crops
Requires less water
Require cold weather for growth
Sown Oct Nov, Harvest Feb April
Major Crops Wheat, Gram, Potato, Peas, Oil seeds (Rapeseed, linseed), Mustard etc.

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Zaid
Crops Sown between Rabi & Kharif crops i.e. from March to June
Requires warm dry weather for growth & longer day length for flowering
Major Crops Seasonal fruits & vegetables (Musk melon, Water melon, Cucumber, China
Paddy, Gourds, Fodder crops)

Causes for backwardness of Indian Agriculture

Old methods of cultivation due to illiteracy & unawareness

Over-dependence on monsoons
Floods and droughts; Soil erosion
Small and fragmented land holding
Practice of dividing and subdividing land for inheritance
Poor quality of seeds poor productivity
Faulty & unreliable irrigation facilities
Lack of proper use of manure and Fertilizer
Reluctant to use modern scientific methods of cultivation
Excessive pressure on land High crop intensity
Unsound credit system and poverty of the farmers
Defective marketing and low prices of produces
Poor electricity, storage, water, credit & marketing
Less Mechanization ; Inadequate Agricultural research

Solutions for Indian Agriculture

Better irrigation facilities viz. Drip & sprinkler irrigation

Consolidation of Land Holdings & land reforms
Deploy Soil Conservation techniques
Mechanization, hybrid seeds, fertilizer, pesticides
Scientific farming & educating the farmers about the same
Spread Green revolution to all states
Financial inclusion in rural areas to provide sound credit system
Providing proper electricity & storage system for agricultural produces
Storage house near farms for better food processing
Skilling farmers to prevent wastage of labour use
Improving rural infrastructure
Providing real time market price for agri produces
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Drip Irrigation Current Irrigation
Resources
Also Known as low- ow, Micro, and Trickle Irrigation
Frequent, slow application of water, drop by drop, at the plant base through a Wells & Tube wells =
network of pipelines. 60 %

Most suitable for arid, semi arid & rainfed regions where dry farming is Canal Irrigation = 30
practiced %

NABARD provides subsidized loans to farmers to buy sprinkler & drip Tanks = 6 %
irrigation system Multipurpose
Projects = 2 %

Agricultural Practices & Terminologies

Agriculture
Science of cultivating soil, raising crops and rearing livestock including fishing and
forests

Agricultural Land
Net Cropped area + Fallow Land Cultivated Area

Net Cropped Area

Total area sown in country
Also known as net sown area
Area sown more than once in a year counted only once

Fallow Land
Land left out of cultivation for a definite period of time to restore its fertility

Gross Sown Area

Also known as Gross Cropped Area
Sum total of Area sown more than once in agricultural year + Net sown area

Cropping intensity
No. of crops raised on field during an agricultural year
(Total Crop Area / Net sown area) * 100 ~132 % for India

Agricultural
Efficiency Ratio of Output to input
Input includes manpower, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides etc.

Yield / Area
Intensive agriculture
Heavy manpower & inputs deployed India, Japan

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Yield / Person
Extensive agriculture
Very large land holdings & very less manpower USA, Russia, Canada

Cropping Pattern
Refers to proportion of area under different crops at a given point of time
Broadly, cropping pattern in India shows greater production of food grains than
non-food grains

Food Crops
Food Grains
Cereals & Millets + Pulses
Fruits & Vegetables

Non Food Crops

Oil seeds
Fiber crops
Forage crops

Commercial
Agriculture Farmer grows the crop with the aim of selling it in the market i.e. for monetary
purpose
Also known as cash crops
Ex: Cotton, Sugarcane, Tobacco, Tea etc.

Plantation
Agriculture A large-scale farming of one crop resembling the factory production
Processing and marketing the final products
Ex: Coffee, Rubber, Coconut, Spices etc.

Fiber Crops
Cash crops which yield fibers
Used for making textiles or packaging materials
Examples include Jute & Cotton

Fodder Crops
Harvested when green
Used as cattle fodder ex. Barseem
Some fodder crops can also be matured as food grains ex. Jowar

Mixed Cropping
Also known as Multiple cropping
When two or more than two crops are grown simultaneously on the same field
Increases crop yield & Fertility of soil

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Mixed Farming
Cultivation of crops + Rearing of animals
Fodder crops >> An important component of mixed farming along with other crops

Dryland Farming
Adopted in scanty rainfall areas viz. < 75 cm /year
Draught resistance crops are grown as they require less irrigation
Farming of arid & semi-arid regions
Also known as Rain fed Farming
Rainwater is only source of moisture for crops
Minimal use of chemicals, Pesticides, fertilizers etc.
Contributes 40% of the food production
Provide support to nearly 45% of the population

Wet Land farming

Practiced in high rainfall and irrigated areas

Terrace Farming
Farming on steps cut on mountainous region
Mainly for prevention of soil erosion
Also provides easy irrigation

Extensive
Agriculture Farmers tries to get the greater output by bringing more and more new land areas
under cultivation
Agriculture at large farm with extensive use of machinery
Yield / Area is low but Yield / Labour is high
Crops are grown solely for the purpose of commercial activities

Intensive
Agriculture Land holding is small which is intensively used by means of labour provided by
family members
Hence, Yield / Area is high but Yield / Labour is low

Subsistence
Agriculture Farming in which the main production is consumed by the farmers household
For Livelihood, Small land area & Great no. of labours

Shifting Agriculture
Farmers clear the forestland and use it for growing crops.
The crops are grown for 2 to 3 years.
When the fertility of the soil decreases, the farmer shifts to a new land
Also known as Slash & Burn agriculture
Practised in East India, Central Africa, America

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Horticulture
Intensive cultivation of vegetables, fruits and flowers

Dairy Farming
Animals are reared for milk & main emphasis is on cattle breeding & vetenary
services
Rearing of Milch animals is an important aspect of Dairy farming

Mediterranean Agriculture

Practised in Mediterranean lands surrounding Mediterranean Sea

Highly specialized commercial agriculture, done mainly for citrus fruits
Famous for Viticulture i.e. grape cultivation for wines

Market Gardening / Horticulture

Cultivation of high valued day to day market crops like fruits, flowers & vegetation
Grown on small farms which are well connected with urban markets by cheap n efficient means of
transportation
Netherland >> Famous for flowers, especially Tulips
Farmers specialised in vegetables only mainly practice Truck farming with overnight market transportation

Cooperative Farming

Farmers voluntarily pool their resources together like land, machinery etc. to form a co-operative society.
Cooperative societies help farmers to procure more inputs, sell farm products at best prices & procure
essentials in quantity at cheaper rates
For Ex. Denmark, Netherland

Collective Farming

State owned agriculture esp. in socialist countries like Russia

Farmers pool their resources together to achieve yearly targets set by gov. to sell their produce at fixed rates.
Excess of produce is distributed among members or are sold in the market
Members are also paid according to the nature of work allotted to them

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