Learning Objectives
- Understand the types of farming practised in India
- Learn about major crops, their geographical requirements, and producing states
- Study cropping patterns and the impact of the Green Revolution
- Understand institutional and technological reforms in Indian agriculture
Key Concepts
Types of Farming in India
Subsistence Farming: Most common type. Farmers cultivate small plots using traditional tools, family labour, and depend on monsoon. Both intensive (high labour input on small land) and primitive (shifting cultivation in northeast India, called jhum) types exist.
Commercial Farming: Uses modern inputs like HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and irrigation. Aim is profit. Examples: sugarcane in Uttar Pradesh, wheat in Punjab-Haryana.
Plantation Farming: Large estates growing a single cash crop for market. Tea in Assam, coffee in Karnataka, rubber in Kerala.
Cropping Seasons
Kharif (June-October): Rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut, soyabean.
Rabi (October-March): Wheat, barley, peas, gram, mustard, linseed.
Zaid (March-June): Short season between rabi and kharif. Watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, seasonal vegetables.
Major Crops
Rice: Kharif crop requiring high temperature (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm. Leading producers: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu. India is the second-largest producer in the world after China.
Wheat: Rabi crop requiring cool growing season (10-15°C) and bright sunshine at harvest. Rainfall: 50-75 cm. Leading producers: Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan. India is the second-largest producer after China.
Millets: Jowar (Maharashtra, Karnataka), Bajra (Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh), Ragi (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu). Known as coarse grains, highly nutritious, grow in less fertile soils with low rainfall.
Sugarcane: Tropical and subtropical crop. Requires hot and humid climate with temperature 21-27°C, rainfall 75-100 cm. India is the second-largest producer after Brazil. Leading states: Uttar Pradesh (largest), Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu.
Cotton: Kharif crop. Requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days, black soil. Leading producers: Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu.
Tea: Requires warm moist climate, well-distributed rainfall (150-300 cm), well-drained loamy soil, gentle slopes. Leading producers: Assam (largest), West Bengal (Darjeeling), Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka.
Coffee: Grown on hill slopes, 15-28°C, rainfall 150-250 cm. India produces Arabica (Karnataka's Bababudan Hills) variety. Karnataka is the largest producer.
Rubber: Equatorial crop requiring moist and humid climate with rainfall above 200 cm, temperature above 25°C. Kerala is the largest producer (about 90% of total).
Jute: Known as the "golden fibre". Requires high temperature, heavy rainfall (150 cm+), and alluvial soil. West Bengal is the largest producer. Used for making gunny bags, mats, ropes, carpets. India is the largest producer of jute in the world.
Green Revolution and Institutional Reforms
The Green Revolution (1960s-70s) introduced HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and modern irrigation, dramatically increasing wheat and rice production. It was most successful in Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh. However, it led to regional inequalities, environmental degradation (soil exhaustion, water depletion), and benefited large farmers more than small farmers.
Institutional reforms: Land reforms, consolidation of holdings, cooperative farming, establishment of Minimum Support Price (MSP), crop insurance schemes, Kisan Credit Card, and NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) were introduced to support farmers.
Summary
India practises subsistence, commercial, and plantation farming. Three cropping seasons — kharif, rabi, and zaid — support diverse crops. Major food crops include rice, wheat, and millets; cash crops include sugarcane, cotton, tea, coffee, rubber, and jute. The Green Revolution increased food production but created environmental and social challenges. Government reforms aim to support farmers through MSP, credit, and insurance schemes.
Important Terms
- Kharif Season
- Monsoon cropping season from June to October
- Rabi Season
- Winter cropping season from October to March
- Green Revolution
- Introduction of HYV seeds and modern technology to boost food production in the 1960s-70s
- MSP (Minimum Support Price)
- Government-guaranteed minimum price for agricultural produce
- Jhum Cultivation
- Shifting cultivation practised in northeastern India
- Golden Fibre
- Jute — called so because of its golden colour and economic importance
Quick Revision
- Three seasons: Kharif (June-Oct), Rabi (Oct-March), Zaid (March-June)
- Rice: WB, UP, Punjab; Wheat: UP, Punjab, Haryana
- Sugarcane: UP largest; India 2nd largest producer after Brazil
- Tea: Assam largest; Coffee: Karnataka largest
- Jute = golden fibre; WB largest producer; India = world's largest producer
- Green Revolution = HYV seeds + fertilisers + irrigation; strongest in Punjab-Haryana
- Rubber: Kerala (90%); Cotton: Maharashtra, Gujarat
Practice Tips
- Make a table: crop, season, temperature, rainfall, soil, leading states
- Practise map work: mark tea, coffee, rubber, cotton, jute producing areas
- Know advantages and limitations of the Green Revolution for 5-mark answers