Agriculture

Agriculture: The science and art of cultivation of the soil, raising crops and rearing livestock.

Agricultural resources: Gifts of nature that include fertile soils, water for irrigation and favorable climatic conditions for the growth of plants.

Types of farming: Primitive Subsistence farming, Intensive subsistence farming, commercial farming

Primitive farming: It is done in a small patch of land with the help of tools like hoe, digging sticks etc.It is practiced with the help of family/community labour.

Intensive subsistence farming: It is labor intensive farming where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production.

Commercial farming: The main characteristic of this type of farming is the use of higher doses of modern technology.

Major crops of India: Rice,wheat,millets,maizes,pulses etc

Non food crops: Rubber,fibre crops,cotton and jute are non food crops.

Horticulture crops: Fruits and vegetables

Kharif: Crops sown soon after the onset of the south-west monsoon in India and harvested in autumn.

Rabi crops: Crops sown in India in winter and harvested in early summer.

Mixed farming: A type of farming in which cultivation of crops and raising of livestock hand in hand.

Plantation agriculture: A large scale one crop farming resembling factory production is usually characterized by large estate, huge capital investment and modern scientific technique of cultivation and trade. This type of agriculture is associated with the production of tea,coffee,rubber,sugarcane,coca ,banana,oilpalm etc.

Rotation of crops: A systematic succession of different crops on  given piece of land carried out in order to avoid exhaustion of soil.

Shifting agriculture: A method of farming in which a patch of ground is cultivated for a period of few years until the soil is partly exhausted or overrun by weeds and after which the land is left to natural vegetation which cultivation is  carried elsewhere.