CLASS 10 GEOGRAPHY · CHAPTER 4 · STUDY NOTES
Agriculture
Read the crop-season calendar, compare growing conditions and connect farming systems with markets, technology and institutions.
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Importance and Types of Farming
Farming supplies food, raw materials and livelihoods. Its methods depend on land, climate, tools and people’s needs.Different farming systems, different conditions
- Shifting cultivation
Small patches and periodic movement
- Intensive subsistence
High labour input on limited land
- Commercial farming
Production mainly for the market
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Subsistence farming
- Farming mainly to meet the cultivator’s household needs.
| Region | Local Name for Slash and Burn |
|---|---|
| North-eastern States (Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland) | Jhumming |
| Manipur | Pamlou |
| Bastar (Chhattisgarh) / Andaman and Nicobar | Dipa |
| Madhya Pradesh | Bewar or Dahiya |
| Andhra Pradesh | Podu or Penda |
| Western Ghats | Kumari |
Take a moment. What do you think?
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Question
Why might a family put more labour and irrigation into a small field instead of expanding it?
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Commercial Farming and Plantations
Commercial farming mainly produces for sale. Plantations connect farms closely with processing industries.A plantation connects farm and industry
- Grow
For example, tea bushes
- Harvest
Collect the crop
- Process
Prepare it for use
- Market
Transport and sell
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Plantation agriculture
- Commercial cultivation of a crop over a large area with organised inputs and processing links.
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Question
What are the primary requirements for a successful plantation system?
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Cropping Patterns in India
Use the season calendar as a broad guide. Local climate and irrigation can change the timing.Three cropping seasons
- Kharif
Monsoon sowing; often September–October harvest
- Rabi
October–December sowing; often April–June harvest
- Zaid
Short summer season between rabi and kharif
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Cropping season
- A period associated with sowing and harvesting particular crops.
| Season | Sowing Period | Harvesting Period | Major Crops |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rabi | Oct - Dec | Apr - Jun | Wheat, Barley, Peas, Gram, Mustard |
| Kharif | Jun - Jul | Sep - Oct | Rice, Maize, Jowar, Bajra, Cotton, Jute |
| Zaid | Summer | Summer | Watermelon, Cucumber, Fodder crops |
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Question
Which weather phenomenon aids the growth of Rabi crops in North India?
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Major Cereal Crops: Rice and Wheat
Compare growing conditions, not just crop names.Rice and wheat need different growing conditions
- Rice
Warm, humid; above 25°C and typically over 100 cm rain
- Wheat
Cool growing season; sunshine at ripening; 50–75 cm rain
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- Cereal
- A grain crop such as rice or wheat.
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Question
Compare the rainfall requirements for rice and wheat.
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Millets and Maize
These crops have different uses and growing conditions. “Coarse grain” does not mean poor food.Millets are not all the same crop
- Jowar
Often rain-fed in moist areas
- Bajra
Suited to sandy and shallow black soils
- Ragi
Grown in dry regions on varied soils
- Maize
Usually kharif; food and fodder
Choose an idea to look closer.
- Millets
- A group of small-grained cereal crops including jowar, bajra and ragi.
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Question
Why are millets considered important despite being called 'coarse grains'?
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