GEOGRAPHY 2019 Board Paper Chapter-4: Agriculture

Chapter-4: Agriculture

3 marks

Q1: Describe any three main features of 'Rabi crop season.'

1. Rabi crops are sown in Winter from October to December.

2. Harvested in Summer from April to June.

3. Important Rabi crops are Wheat, Barley, Peas, Gram and Mustard.

4. Availability of precipitation during winter months due to western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops.

Q2: Describe any three main features of 'Kharif crop season.'

1. Grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country.

2. Harvested in September-October.

3. Important Kharif crops are Paddy, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Tur (arhar) etc.

Q3: Highlight any three differences between Kharif cropping season and Rabi cropping season

Difference between Kharif cropping season and Rabi cropping season –

Kharif cropping season	Rabi cropping season
i. Kharif crops are sown with the onset of monsoon.	i. Rabi crops are sown in winters from October and November.
ii. Harvested in September-October.	ii. Harvested in summer from April and May.
iii. Important crops- paddy, maize, jowar,bajra, tur, cotton, jute, ground nuts etc.	iii. Important crops – wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.

 Q4: Highlight any three differences between primitive subsistence farming and commercial farming.

Primitive Subsistence Farming	Commercial Farming
1. This type of farming is done to grow crops so as to sustain the family of farmer	1. This type of farming is done to produce crops for selling in market and earn money
2. This is done using primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks, and family/ community labour.	2. This is done using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.
3. This type of farming depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.	3. This type of farming does not depends much upon monsoon and natural fertility of soil as there are proper irrigation fascilities and uses higher doses of modern inputs in order to obtain higher productivity
4. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation.	4. No shifting as fertilisers are used to maintain soil fertility.
5. Land productivity in this type of agriculture is low as the farmer does not use fertilisers or other modern inputs.	5. Land productivity in this type of agriculture is high as the farmer uses fertilisers or other modern inputs. e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides

 

Q5: Highlight any three differences between primitive subsistence farming and intensive subsistence farming.

Primitive Subsistence Farming

i. Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools

ii. Family/community labour work in fields.

iii. It depends upon monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions to the crops grown.

iv. It is also called as a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

Intensive Subsistence Farming

i. This type of farming is Practiced in areas of high population pressure on land.

ii. These are Labour intensive farming.

iii. High dose of bio chemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining high production.

Q6: Categorise the following as Kharif crops and Rabi crops : (i) Wheat (ii) Maize (iii) Barley (iv) Peas (v) Bajra (vi) Tur (Arhar)

Q7: Categorise the following as ‘Rabi crops’ and ‘Zaid crops’ : (i) Wheat (ii) Watermelon (iii) Fodder crops (iv) Mustard (v) Cucumber (vi) Peas

Q8: Categorise the following as ‘Kharif crops’ and ‘Zaid crops’ : (i) Paddy (Rice) (ii) Cucumber (iii) Bajra (iv) Cotton (v) Fodder crops (vi) Muskmelon

 

Wheat	Rabi
Maize	Kharif/ Rabi
Barley	Rabi
Peas	Rabi
Bajra	Kharif
Tur (Arhar)	Kharif
Watermelon	Zaid
Fodder crops	Zaid
Mustard	Rabi
Cucumber	Zaid
Paddy (Rice)	Kharif
Cotton	Kharif
Muskmelon	Zaid

 

 

 

5 marks

Q9: Name the two major beverage crops grown in India. Describe their growing areas.

Two major beverage crops: Tea and coffee

Tea Growing areas:- Major tea producing states are Assam, hills of Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri districts, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Apart from these, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Tripura are also tea-producing states in the country.

Coffee producing states: Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu

 

Q10: Name the two most important cereal crops grown in India. Describe the conditions required to grow these two crops.

The main cereal crops – Rice & Wheat

Conditions for growing rice –

(i) High temperature above 250C

(ii) High Humidity with annual Rainfall above 100 cms

(iii) Important Kharif crop

Condition for growing wheat –

(i) Annual Rainfall 50-75 cms

(ii) Low temperature with bright sunshine

(iii) Important Rabi crop

Q11: Name any two major fibre crops grown in India. Describe the conditions required to grow these two crops.

Q12: Name the two major fibre crops grown in India. Describe the conditions required for growth of these two crops with their growing areas.

Two major fibre crops are cotton and jute

Geographical condition require for Cotton

1. It requires black soil

2. It requires high temperature and light rainfall or irrigation

3. It requires 210 frost free days and bright sun shine

4. It is grown in the states of Maharashtra, Gujarat, M.P, Karnataka etc.

Geographical condition require for Jute

1. It requires well drained fertile soil in the flood plains

2. It requires high temperature

3. It requires high rainfall

4. Requires fresh water & Cheap labour

5. It grows in west Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Orissa & Meghalaya etc.

Q13: Describe any five technological and institutional reforms undertaken by the Government of India to improve Indian agriculture.

Five technological and Industrial reforms

1.   Collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc. were given priority to bring about institutional reforms in the country after Independence.

2.   Government of India embarked upon introducing agricultural reforms to improve Indian agriculture in the 1960s and 1970s. The Green Revolution based on the use of package technology and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) were some of the strategies initiated to improve the lot of Indian agriculture.

3.   Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities to the farmers at lower rates of interest

4.   Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.

5.   Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes for farmers were introduced on the radio and television.

6.   The government also announces minimum support price, remunerative and procurement prices for important crops to check the exploitation of farmers by speculators and middlemen.

 

Q14: Describe any five features of commercial farming.

Five features of Commercial Farming

1.   The main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides in order to obtain higher productivity

2.   The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one region to another. For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but in Odisha, it is a subsistence crop.

3.   Plantation is also a type of commercial farming. In this type of farming, a single crop is grown on a large area.

4.   The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry. Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.

5.   All the produce is used as raw martial in respective industries ex. Tea, coffee, rubber, sugar cane, banana etc.