Agriculture: CBSE Class 8 Geography Chapter 4

Understanding Agriculture: From Field to Table

Agriculture is a primary activity, which means it involves the extraction and production of natural resources. The word 'agriculture' comes from the Latin words 'ager' or 'agri' meaning soil, and 'cultura' meaning cultivation. It's not just about growing crops; it includes animal rearing, fishing, and forestry. The journey of a product like a bag of chips involves multiple stages. Growing the potato is a primary activity (agriculture). Processing the potatoes into chips in a factory is a secondary activity (manufacturing). Transporting and selling the chips in shops is a tertiary activity (services). For agriculture to be successful, several factors are important. These are called physical and economic inputs. Physical inputs include sunlight, rainfall, temperature, soil type, and the slope of the land (topography). Economic inputs include labour, machinery, seeds, fertilizers, and storage facilities.

Types of Farming Systems

Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is practiced to meet the needs of the farmer's family. It uses low levels of technology and household labour to produce a small output. It can be further divided into Intensive Subsistence and Primitive Subsistence.

Intensive Subsistence Agriculture

The farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and a lot of labour. Rice is the main crop, and the climate allows for multiple crops to be grown on the same plot in a year. This is common in densely populated areas of South and Southeast Asia.

Primitive Subsistence Agriculture

This includes Shifting Cultivation and Nomadic Herding. Shifting cultivation involves clearing a plot of land by cutting and burning trees (slash-and-burn), growing crops, and then moving to a new plot when the soil loses its fertility. Nomadic herding involves herders moving with their animals for fodder and water along fixed routes.

Commercial Farming

In this type, crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in the market. The area cultivated is large and a lot of capital is invested. It includes Commercial Grain Farming, Mixed Farming, and Plantation Agriculture.

Plantation Agriculture

A type of commercial farming where a single crop, like tea, coffee, sugarcane, or rubber, is grown on a large scale. It requires a large amount of labour and capital and the produce is processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories.

From Sowing to Harvest: The Agricultural Process

1. Step 1: Soil Preparation — The first step is to prepare the soil. This involves ploughing or tilling the land to loosen the soil, which helps roots to penetrate deeply and breathe easily.
2. Step 2: Sowing — Once the soil is prepared, high-quality, healthy seeds of the chosen crop are selected and planted (sown) in the soil at the right depth and distance.
3. Step 3: Irrigation — Supplying water to the crops at regular intervals is called irrigation. The method and frequency of irrigation depend on the crop, soil type, and season. Sources include wells, canals, and rivers.
4. Step 4: Weeding — Unwanted plants called weeds grow along with the main crop and compete for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Removing these weeds is crucial for a healthy crop yield.
5. Step 5: Harvesting — The cutting of the crop after it is mature is called harvesting. This can be done manually with a sickle or by a machine called a harvester.
6. Step 6: Storage — After harvesting, the grains need to be stored safely to protect them from moisture, insects, and rats. They are stored in jute bags or silos for future use or sale.

Exam Tip: Memorizing Crop Requirements

For your exams, questions about the geographical conditions for major crops are very common. Instead of just reading, try creating a table with columns for 'Crop', 'Temperature', 'Rainfall', and 'Soil Type'. For example, for Rice, you'd write: High temp, High humidity, High rainfall, Alluvial clayey soil. For Cotton: High temp, Light rainfall, 210 frost-free days, Black soil. This visual method makes it much easier to compare and remember the facts for different crops!

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: A farmer grows oranges in a large orchard, processes them into juice on the farm, and sells the packaged juice to a large supermarket chain. Identify the primary, secondary, and tertiary activities in this process.
  A: Step 1: Identify the activity involving the extraction of a natural resource. Growing oranges is the cultivation of a plant, which is a primary activity.
  Step 2: Identify the activity involving processing or manufacturing. Processing the oranges into juice in a factory or processing unit is a secondary activity.
  Step 3: Identify the activity involving services like transport and trade. Selling the packaged juice to a supermarket chain involves transport and commerce, which are tertiary activities.
  Final answer: Primary activity: Growing oranges. Secondary activity: Processing oranges into juice. Tertiary activity: Selling the juice to a supermarket.

• Q: What is shifting cultivation? Why is this practice being discouraged today?
  A: Step 1: Define shifting cultivation. It is a type of primitive subsistence agriculture where a plot of land is cleared by cutting and burning trees (slash-and-burn). Crops are grown for a few years until the soil loses its fertility, after which the farmer moves to a new plot.
  Step 2: Explain the negative environmental impact. This practice leads to deforestation as forests are cleared repeatedly. The burning of trees releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to pollution and climate change.
  Step 3: Explain the impact on soil. When the farmer moves to a new plot, the old plot is left to recover, but repeated use can lead to soil erosion and permanent loss of fertility.
  Final answer: Shifting cultivation is a 'slash-and-burn' agricultural method. It is discouraged because it causes deforestation, contributes to air pollution, leads to soil erosion, and is not a sustainable way to farm in the long term.

• Q: Rohan lives in a region with well-drained loamy soil, cool winters, and bright sunshine during the harvest season. Which major food crop, other than rice, would be ideal to grow here? Mention one country that is a major producer of this crop.
  A: Step 1: Analyze the given climatic and soil conditions: well-drained loamy soil, moderate temperature (implied by cool winters), and bright sunshine at harvest.
  Step 2: Compare these conditions with the requirements of major crops. Rice needs high rainfall and clayey soil. Wheat, however, requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growth and bright sunshine at harvest, and it grows well in loamy soil.
  Step 3: Identify the crop. The conditions perfectly match the requirements for growing Wheat.
  Step 4: Name a major producing country for wheat. India, USA, Canada, and Russia are all major producers of wheat.
  Final answer: The ideal crop to grow would be Wheat. A major producer of wheat is India (or USA, Canada, etc.).

• Q: Differentiate between Subsistence Farming and Commercial Farming on the basis of purpose, labour, and scale.
  A: Step 1: Compare the purpose. The main purpose of subsistence farming is to meet the needs of the farmer's own family. The purpose of commercial farming is to grow crops and rear animals for sale in the market to earn a profit.
  Step 2: Compare the labour used. Subsistence farming typically uses household or family labour with simple tools. Commercial farming uses hired labour and heavy machinery.
  Step 3: Compare the scale of operation. Subsistence farming is done on small plots of land, producing a small output. Commercial farming is done on a large scale, with large land holdings and high output.
  Final answer: Subsistence farming is for self-consumption, uses family labour, and is small-scale. Commercial farming is for profit, uses hired labour and machines, and is large-scale.

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