Geography

Geography - Agriculture(Farming)

Geography notes is helpful in UPSC exams, RRB NTPC exams, SSC CGL exams, Bank exams and more. This is part of UPSC syllabus, RRB NTPC syllabus, SSC CGL syllabus etc.

Agriculture is the cultivation of soil for the growing of crops, and rearing of animals to provide other products
Types of Farming
 • Subsistence farming (practiced to meeting the needs of the farmer’s family)
    Primitive
        Shifting cultivation
             A plot of land is cleared by cutting and burning trees. The cleared                   ground is cultivated until the soil is fertile.
              The land is later abandoned, and cultivator moves to new location.
              This is popular in Amazon basin and tropical Africa
         Nomadic herding
              Herdsmen move from place to place depending on climatic                                conditions and terrain.
               This is popular in Sahara and central Asia
    Intensive
        The farmer cultivates small piece of land using simple tools.
        Climatic conditions are important.
        Rice, Wheat, Maize, Pulses and Oilseeds are generally the crops.
        Popular in monsoon regions of south and east Asia  

• Commercial farming
     Commercial grain farming
          Crops are grows and animals are reared for sale
          Wheat and maize crops are common
          This is popular in temperate grasslands
      Mixed farming
          Food and fodder crops are cultivated
          Livestock is reared
          Popular in New Zealand and UK
        Plantation agriculture
          Requires huge capital and labour
          Important crops are tea, coffee, cotton, sugarcane and rubber
          Popular in tropical regions (Malaysia, Brazil, India etc.)  

Soil is a mixture of living organisms, organic matter, liquids, gases and minerals. The texture of soil depends on the percentage of sand, clay and silt in the soil.
Types of Soil (based on the size of particles)
• Sandy soil
    Size of the particles are the largest
    Around 70% sand, around 20% silt and around 10% clay
    Gritty and dry
    Warms up quickly
    Not able to use nutrients as they are washed away easily
    Potatoes, carrots, tulips, hibiscus are some examples that can grow in            this soil
• Silt soil
    More fertile than Sandy soil
    Holds water better than Sandy soil
    Water filtration is poor
    Easier to work with
    Tendency to become crust
    Grasses and shrubs are some examples that can grow in this soil
• Clay soil
    Heaviest and hard to work with
    Takes longer to warm in spring
    Holds on to water and nutrients
    Poor in draining water
    It compacts easily
    Good for growing fruits and ornamental plants

• Loamy soil
    Most fertile soil
    It has 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay
    They have sandy, clay and silt particles
    They neither dry out in summer nor water-logged in winter
    Holds water and nutrients
    Warms up faster in spring
    Water and air infiltration is good
    All types of fruits and vegetables grow
• Peat soil
    Retains lot of moisture
    High in organic matter
    Prevents compaction. Increases aeration
    It is acidic
    It is non-renewable
• Chalk soil
    Highly alkaline
    Supports only plants that need alkaline soil

Types of Soil in India (based on nature and composition)
• Alluvial Soil
    Soil deposited by surface water. Forms by flooding
    Favourable for agriculture
    Covers a lot of area in India. Found in Indo-Gangetic plain, deltas in the          south, north Gujarat
    Improve water quality
    They are greyish in colour
    Rich in potash and poor in phosphorous
    Oilseeds, sugarcane, wheat, rice, maize and pulses are grown
• Black Soil (Regur Soil)
    Deccan Plateau has black soil
    It is deep and impermeable. Retains water
    When wet it swells and is sticky. When dry it shrinks and develops                   cracks
    Colour is black
    Rich in minerals and good for cultivation
    Retains moisture for a long period
    Rich in lime, iron, aluminium and magnesium
    cotton, pulses, millets, sugar cane, tobacco, citrus fruits are grown
• Red Soil (omnibus group)
    Formed by weathering of some igneous rocks and metamorphic rocks
    Found in parts of Odisha, Chhattisgarh, piedmont zone of western                 ghats and some parts of Ganga plain
    Colour is red or yellow
    Generally fertile soil
    Need irrigation for cultivation
    Oilseeds, potato, wheat, maize, cotton, pulses, tobacco etc are grown
• Laterite Soil
    Formed by leaching
    Found in areas of high rainfall. Found in Karnataka, Kerala, Tamilnadu,           Madhya Pradesh, hilly areas of Odisha and Assam
    Soft when wet and hard when dry
    Rich in iron and aluminium
    Cashew nut, Sugarcane, tea etc.

• Desert Soil (Arid Soil)
    Low water retaining capacity
    Lack of moisture
    Saline in nature
    Have phosphate but not nitrogen
    Colour is red to brown
    Sandy in texture
    More calcium content at lower horizons leads to kankar formation and            restrict penetration of water
    Found in western Rajasthan
• Peaty Soil and Marshy Soil
    Found in high humidity and rainfall areas
    Alkaline because there is lot of dead organic matter and humus
    Colour is black
    Heavy soil
    Found in coastal areas Tamilnadu, Odisha and West Bengal. Also in                 south Uttarakhand and north Bihar
• Mountain Soil (Forest Soil)
    Found in forests and regions of heavy rainfall
    Acidic Soil as there is low humus content
• Saline and Alkaline Soil
    This has large content of sodium, potassium and magnesium
    Infertile Soil
    Found in deltas of east coast, west Gujarat, Rajasthan, UP, Bihar,                    Maharashtra, Punjab and Haryana
    Suitable for leguminous crops

Crops
Crops are plants that are grown and harvested for profit or subsistence.
Categories of Crops
   • Food crops: These are food for humans and livestock
   • Horticulture crops: These are wide variety of mixed crops grown in              small plots of land
   • Floriculture crops: These are flower plants
   • Industrial crops: These are crops for clothing, fuel or medicine
Crop Seasons in India
   • Kharif Season
       This is monsoon season (June to October)
       The crops grown in this season are Rice, Maize, Millet, Bajra, Jowar,                 cotton, Tea, Coffee etc
   • Rabi Season
       This is the season where crops are sown in November and harvested             in April or May
       The crops grown in this season are Wheat, Barley, Gram, Mustard etc
   • Zaid Season
       They are sown and harvested between March and June
       The crops grown in this season are Cucumber, Bitter Gourd and                      Pumpkin etc.