CBSE 8 Geography Ch 3 Agriculture Notes

Chapter 3 Agriculture Notes

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Agriculture

The word agriculture comes from the Latin words, ager or agri meaning soil and culture meaning, cultivation. Agriculture is a primary activity, which means growing crops, like fruits, vegetables, flowers etc. In the world, 50 per cent of people are engaged in agricultural activity. 
Good soil, suitable land, and an ideal climate are essential for farming. 
Land used for growing crops is called arable land.

Types of cultures

1. Agriculture – Farming is a mixture of science and art, that is the practice of growing crops, raising animals, and working with soil.
2. Sericulture -Sericulture is the process of raising silkworms to produce silk, which is a supplementary income for farmers. 
3. Piselculture – Pisciculture is the practice of cultivating and growing fish in controlled environments like ponds, and tanks. 
4. Viticulture – It is the cultivation of grapes. 
5. Horticulture– Cultivation of plants like vegetables, flowers, and fruits for commercial use.

Farm system

A farm system refers how farming is planned and done.
it involving inputs such as seeds, fertilisers, machinery and labour, and outputs such as crops, wool, dairy and poultry products. Farming activities are ploughing the land, planting seeds, watering crops, removing weeds, and harvesting.

Types of farming

Farming is practised in various ways across the world, depending on the geographical conditions, demand, labour and technology.

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Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is focused on the needs of the farmer’s family and uses simple tools and family labour to produce a small number of crops or goods. 

Intensive subsistence agriculture

Intensive subsistence is the process of farming, where farmers use small land, basic tools and a lot of labour, sunlight and fertile soil help farmers to grow multiple crops like rice, wheat, pulse, and oilseed on the same land in a year, that is common in heavily populated areas, such as South, Southeast, and East Asia.

Primitive subsistence agriculture

Primitive subsistence farming is a basic form of agriculture, where farmers use simple tools and natural resources to grow food. 

Shifting cultivation

Shifting cultivation practiced in forest area like the Amazon, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia, and Northeast India, get heavy rainfall and vegetation regrows quickly, so the farmers clear land by cutting and burning trees, and mix the ash with soil, and grow crops like maize, yam, potatoes, and cassava.
When the soil becomes less fertile, the land is left unused to recover its fertility, then they move to the new area and repeate the process.

Nomadic herding

Nomadic herding is done in dry areas like the Sahara, Central Asia, and parts of India, such as Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir, where people move from one place to another with their animals in search of food, water, and grazing land. This movement depends on the climate and land conditions, the herders raise animals like sheep, camels, yaks, and goats providing milk, meat, wool, and other products for the herders and their families.

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Commercial farming

Commercial farming is a method where crops and livestock are produced in large quantities to sell in the grasslands of North America, Europe, and Asia, these areas have large farms covering hundreds of hectares and are less populated because of harsh winters, they grow the crop only once each year and use modern equipment, technology, and methods to grow crops like wheat, rice, and cotton or raise animals for trade in local or global markets. 

Mixed farming

Mixed farming includes growing crops for food and fodder and keeping livestock, It is practised in regions like Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Plantation

Plantations are commercial farming where only one crop, like tea, coffee, sugarcane, rubber, or bananas, is grown and needs lots of workers and money. The crops are processed on farms or nearby factories, so good transport is important, these are common in tropical regions. 
Examples are rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, and tea in India and Sri Lanka.

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Major crops

A large variety of crops are grown to fulfil the needs of a growing population, crops also
supply raw materials for agro-based industries. Examples of major crops are wheat, rice, maize, and millet, Jute and cotton are fibre crops, beverage crops are tea and coffee.

A. Rice

Rice is the major food crop, It grows best in alluvial clayey soil, warm and humid regions and rainfall areas. 
China, India, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and Vietnam are examples of rice-growing countries. It is a key source of food for millions of people worldwide.

B. Wheat

Wheat grows in mild temperatures and rainfall areas along with plenty of sunlight during harvest, It grows best in well-drained loamy soil. 
Examples of wheat-producing countries are the USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, and India. In India, it is grown during the winter.

C. Millet

These crops, known as coarse grains, grow in less fertile, sandy soils, low rainfall, mild to high temperatures, and sufficient water. In India, the crops are known as jowar, bajra, or ragi. They are grown in countries like Nigeria, China, and Niger.

D. Maize

Maiize are grown in high to low temperatures, rainfall, sunshine, and fertile soils. Maize is grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.

E. Cotton

Cotton grows in high temperatures, light rainfall, and bright sunshine, it grows best in black and alluvial soils. China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton. It is one of the main raw materials for the cotton textile industry.

F. Jute

Jute is known as the Golden Fibre, It grows best in alluvial soil, high temperatures, heavy rainfall and humid climates. These are grown in tropical areas. India and Bangladesh are the producers of jute.

G. Coffee

Coffee is grown in warm, wet climates and well-drained loamy soil, hill slopes are best for the growth of this crop. Brazil is the leading producer followed by Columbia and India.

H. Tea

Tea is a plantation crop used to make beverages, it grows best in cool climates with regular, high rainfall all year round for its soft leaves, well-drained loamy soil and gentle slopes. Many workers are needed to pick the leaves. Top producers include Kenya, India, China, and Sri Lanka.

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Agriculture development

Agricultural development means improving farming to produce more food and fulfil the needs of a growing population. This can be done in many ways like increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high-yielding variety of seeds.
The main aim of agricultural development is to increase food security. In developing countries with large populations, farming is often intensive; crops are grown on small farms mainly for the farmers’ use, and bigger farms are better for commercial farming.

A farm in India 

A farm in India is a small, where crops like rice, wheat, and vegetables are grown mainly for the farmer’s household, farmers use traditional tools and techniques, depending on water from wells or canals for irrigation. Many farms also keep livestock like cows, goats, and chickens for milk, meat, and eggs.

A farm in the USA

A farm in the USA is large and focuses on commercial farming, growing crops like corn, wheat, and soybeans, they keep livestock such as cows, pigs, and chickens, and they use modern equipment and technology for planting, irrigating, and harvesting. Farms, which helps increase production. These farms are more productive and efficient, and the crops and livestock produced are sold in local and global markets.

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