Agriculture

Agriculture

Learn about various types of farming and developments in agriculture in two different regions.

Multiple Choice

Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand of produce, labour, and level of technology, farming can be classified into two main types: subsistence farming and commercial farming. In commercial farming, as practised extensively in countries like the USA, crops are grown and animals are reared on a large scale for sale in the market. Most of the work is done by machines, and the area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large. What are the types of commercial farming?

• nomadic herding and plantations

• mixed farming and shifting cultivation

• commercial grain farming, mixed farming, and plantations

• shifting cultivation and nomadic herding

Multiple Choice

Rice is a major source of food for humans, and China leads the world in the production of rice, followed by India, Japan, Sri Lanka, and Egypt. In favourable climatic conditions, as in West Bengal and Bangladesh, two to three crops a year are grown. What are the conditions required for rice to grow?

• high temperature, high humidity, and alluvial, clayey soil

• low temperature, high humidity, and rainfall

• high temperature, low humidity, rainfall, and alluvial, clayey soil

• low temperature, low humidity, and rainfall

Multiple Choice

Tina was walking through the village where she saw a farmer tilling land. The farmer told her that he was growing wheat and had just added manure to the soil to make it more fertile. He told her that the wheat would fetch a good price in the mandi from where it would be taken to factories to make bread and biscuits from flour. What is agriculture?

• It is the science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising crops, and rearing livestock.

• It is the commercial rearing of silk worms.

• It is the breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

• all of the above

Multiple Choice

This transformation from a plant to a finished product involves three types of economic activities: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Agriculture is a primary activity, and it includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rearing of livestock. In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity. What are the inputs in a farm system?

• seeds, fertilisers, machinery, and labour

• ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding, and harvesting

• crops, wool, dairy and poultry products

• crops, seeds, and weeding

Multiple Select

Agriculture is the science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising crops, and rearing livestock. Transformation from a plant to a finished product involves three types of economic activities. These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities. Primary activities include all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources. What are some examples of primary activities?

• agriculture, fishing and gathering

• manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth

• transport, banking, and insurance

• transport, trade, and advertising

Multiple Choice

Farmers till their land, grow food crops, and add manure to the soil to make it more fertile. Foodcrops are then taken to factories to make bread, buiscuits, and other foods from flour. Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity. What is the land on which the crops are grown known as?

• arable land

• barren land

• swamp land

• arid land

Multiple Choice

Farming is practised in various ways across the world. Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand of produce, labour, and level of technology, farming can be classified into two main types: subsistence farming and commercial farming. What is subsistence farming?

• farming that provides for the basic needs of the farmer without surpluses for marketing

• farming that provides for the basic needs of the government without surpluses for marketing

• farming that provides for the complex needs of the farmer without surpluses for marketing

• farming that provides for the unnecessary needs of the farmer without surpluses for marketing

Multiple Choice

Subsistence farming, in which low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce a small output, is practised to meet the needs of a farmer’s family. It is further classified as intensive subsistence farming and primitive subsistence farming. In which of these types of subsistence farming does the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour?

• intensive subsistence agriculture

• primitive subsistence agriculture

• both of the above

• none of the above

Multiple Select

Wheat requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season, and bright sunshine at the time of harvest. It is grown extensively in USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia, and India. In India, it is grown in winter. What kind of land is required to grow wheat?

• sandy soil

• loamy soil

• silt soil

• peat soil

Open Ended

Why do we consider agriculture as a farm system? Explain in five points (5 marks)

Agriculture

• Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants and fungi for food, fiber, biofuel, medicinal plants and other products used to sustain and enhance human life. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the development of civilization.

Commercial Farming

Commercial farming occurs when a farm is set up for the sole purpose of producing crops and farm animals for sale, with the sole intention of making a profit.

Primitive Shifting Cultivation

• Shifting cultivation is an agricultural system in which plots of land are cultivated temporarily, then abandoned and allowed to revert to their natural vegetation while the cultivator moves on to another plot. The period of cultivation is usually terminated when the soil shows signs of exhaustion or, more commonly, when the field is overrun by weeds.

Intensive Subsistence Farming

Subsistence agriculture is self-sufficiency farming in which the farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families. The output is mostly for local requirements with little or no surplus for trade. The typical subsistence farm has a range of crops and animals needed by the family to feed and clothe themselves during the year.

Developing Agriculture

The history of agriculture in India dates back to Indus Valley Civilization Era and even before that in some parts of Southern India. Today, India ranks second worldwide in farm output.

Open Ended

Food for Thought Agriculture in India can be improved by…...................... It's important to eat healthy food every day, because...............................… Rice, one of the world's most popular crops, is rich in..................................... Fertilisers are used by farmers to.......................................................................... There are many reasons why agriculture plays an important role in the development of various industries, such as.......................................................................................................................................…