Salient Features of Indian Agriculture

Salient Features of Indian Agriculture – Part 1

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.

Subsistence Type
Dependent on unreliable monsoon (60%)
India’s vast relief, varying climate and soil conditions produce a variety of crops
All tropical, subtropical and temperate crops are grown
Predominance of food crop > 2/3^rd 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

Salient Features of Indian Agriculture

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.
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

Drip Irrigation

Also Known as low- ﬂow, Micro, and Trickle Irrigation
Frequent, slow application of water, drop by drop, at the plant base through a network of pipelines.
Most suitable for arid, semi – arid & rainfed regions where dry farming is practiced
NABARD provides subsidized loans to farmers to buy sprinkler & drip irrigation system

Current Irrigation Resources

Wells & Tube wells = 60 %
Canal Irrigation = 30 %
Tanks = 6 %
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
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
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 farmer’s 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
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

For more updates about Salient Features of Indian Agriculture – Part 1, explore the Geography . Feel free to share your thoughts and comments.

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3 comments

nancy seni says:

28/11/2020 at 7:27 AM

thankyou very much to share the knowledge.

Himanshu Agrawal says:

06/10/2016 at 1:07 PM

Very Usefull content (Full at one place) & in systemetic way…

kushagra says:

15/02/2016 at 7:42 PM

very useful & informative