Agriculture
1. Strike the odd one out and give a reason for the same.
a. Rice, wheat, jute, oats
= Rice, wheat, jute, oats
= Jute is cash crop, while the others are food crops.
b. Rubber, kharif, rabi, zayad
= Rubber, kharif, rabi, zayad
= Rubber is a crop of plantation farming, while the others are cropping seasons in India.
c. Fruits, cotton, vegetables, flowers
= Fruits, cotton, vegetables, flowers
= Cotton grows in black soil, but the others grow well in alluvial soil.
d. Tea, oats, coffee
= Tea, oats, coffee
= Oats is grown in extensive commercial farming, but the others are of plantation farming.
2. Give two names as examples of the following.
a. Horticultural crops.
= Fruits; Flowers;
b. Fibre crops.
= Cotton; Jute;
c. Types of soil.
= Alluvial soil; Black soil;
d. Crops that benefitted from the Green Revolution.
= Rice; Wheat;
3. Fill in the blanks.
a. The alluvial soil is extremely fertile.
b. Dead and decomposed organic remains known as humus makes soils more fertile.
c. Cotton grows best in black soil.
d. Cereals form the staple diet of people of various regions.
e. Punjab was the first state in India where the Green Revolution was introduced.
4. Match the two columns.
=
|
a. Chernozem |
i. Malaysia. [d] |
|
b. Tea |
ii. Brazil. [c] |
|
c. Terra Roxa |
iii. Darjeeling. [b] |
|
d. Rubber |
iv. Ghana. [e] |
|
e. Cocoa |
v. Russia. [a] |
5. State one important point of difference for each of the following.
a. Subsistence and commercial farming.
= In subsistence farming, farmers focus on growing enough food to feed themselves and their families.
On the other hand, in commercial farming, farmers grow food to sell in the market and earn a living.
b. Food crops and cash crops.
= Food crops are for human consumption, but cash crops are for selling in the market.
c. Traditional and modern method of farming.
= Manual labour were used in traditional method of farming. But in modern method of farming, machines are used in a large way.
d. Kharif and Rabi crops.
= Kharif crops are sown at the beginning of monsoon, it is dependent on rain water.
Rabi crops are sown at the end of monsoon, it does not totally depend on the rain water.
e. Farming in plains and terrace cultivation.
= Farming in plains is easier than that of the terrace cultivation; as levelled landscape always helps in ploughing, irrigation and harvesting crops.
6. Give one reason to explain each of the following statements.
a. Intensive subsistence farming is done on small-sized farms.
= Intensive subsistence farming is done on small-sized farms because the large size of families leads to fragmentation of landholdings.
b. Plains are the major farming areas of the world.
= Plains are the major farming areas of the world as levelled landscape always help in ploughing, irrigating and harvesting crops.
c. Modern methods of farming are not environment friendly.
= Modern methods of farming are not environment friendly because chemical fertilisers and pesticides are used in large quantities.
7. State whether the following statements are true or false. Correct the false statements.
a. Animals play an important role in extensive commercial farming. [F]
Correct statement :- Machinery play an important role in extensive commercial farming.
b. Crops such as wheat and corn are grown as plantation crops. [F]
Correct statement :- Crops such as tea and coffee are grown as plantation crops.
c. Terra roxa supports coffee cultivation in Brazil. [T]
d. Rice can not be grown on hill slopes. [F]
Correct statement :- Rice can be grown on the flat terrains on the hill slopes.
8. Answer the following questions.
a. What do we mean by agriculture? How did it change the lifestyle of early humans?
= Agriculture is the science of cultivating land to grow crops and rear livestock suck as sheep, goat, cows, buffaloes, ducks, chickens and also fish.
Early humans led a nomadic lifestyle by hunting and gathering food mostly in the forest. With time, they learnt to domesticate animals and grow crops. That is how they developed a settled lifestyle.
b. Explain three geographical conditions that influence the cultivation of crops.
= The geographical conditions required for the growth of crops differ from one crop to the other. Climate, soil and topography are the main determination factors.
Climate :- Temperature and rainfall conditions influence the cultivation of crops.
❐ The hot and humid lands are suitable for the growth of crops such as cotton, sugar cane, jute and rice.
❐ Cooler and drier places are more suitable for growing wheat, corn and mustard.
❐ Very dry or very cold conditions are not suitable for the growth of crops.
Soil :- Some soils such as alluvial soil are extremely fertile. They are excellent for the growth of all types of crops.
❐ Chernozem of Russia is also extremely fertile as it is rich in humus.
❐ Again, a crop may also be found to be extremely suitable for a particular type of soil. For example, cotton grows extremely well in the black soil of the Deccan Plateau in India while the Terra Roxa soil of Brazil is excellent for growing coffee. Laterite soils are ideals for growing tea.
Topography :- Topography refers to the relief features.
❐ Levelled landscape always helps in ploughing, irrigation and harvesting crops. Thus, a look at the physical map of the world will show that the major farming areas are in the plains.
❐ On the other hand, crops such as tea and coffee grow better on hill slopes as they cannot withstand stagnant water at the base of the plants.
❐ Crops such as rice and jute that require more water are ideally grown in the lowlands.
c. What is terrace cultivation?
= Sometimes broad steps have to be cut on highlands such as mountain slopes, to get the flat terrain required for cultivation of these crops. This is known as terrace cultivation.
d. State four silent features of intensive subsistence farming.
= Four silent features of intensive subsistence farming are -
❐ This form of farming is practised widely in densely populated regions of the world such as the monsoon regions of Asia, i.e., India, China, Thailand, Bangladesh and Myanmar.
❐ The size of the farm is small because the large size of families leads to fragmentation of landholdings.
❐ The fields are cultivated throughout the year so that there is enough food for the large family.
❐ Food crops such as rice, pulses, wheat, millets and oilseeds are popularly grown.
e. Evaluate primitive subsistence farming.
= Primitive subsistence farming is practiced mostly by tribes dwelling in forests as is found in the north-eastern hills of India. First, a small clearing is made by cutting down the trees and burning the remaining vegetation. The ash is then mixed with the soil to enhance soil fertility. After a few years, when the fertility of the soil declines, the farmers abandon the piece of land and make a fresh clearing in the forest. This type of farming is nor eco-friendly as it involves deforestation.
f. State two similarities between plantation farming extensive commercial farming.
= Two similarities between plantation farming extensive commercial farming are -
❐ Only one crop is cultivated in the whole year.
❐ The entire produce is sold in the market.
g. What is mixed farming? Give two advantages of this type of farming.
= Mixed farming is a method of raising livestock as well as crops on the same farm, simultaneously.
Two advantages of this type of farming are -
❐ This type of farming not only gives supplementary income to the farmer but also provides alternative income in case of crop failure.
❐ Mixed farming is economical as the crop residue serves as animal fodder while animal dung serves as manure to keep the soil fertile.
h. Name the two chief cropping seasons of India giving suitable examples of crops cultivated in each.
= The two chief cropping seasons of India are -
❐ Kharif. Examples of crops cultivated - rice, sugar cane, cotton and jute.
❐ Rabi. Examples of crops cultivated - wheat, mustard and gram.
i. What do we mean by Green Revolution? How did it help to increase food grain production?
= Green Revolution is a modern method of farming which was born out of the need to solve the problem of poverty and hunger in the developing countries in the 1960s.
An American scientist, Norman Ernest Borlaug, introduced this method of farming. It was first tried on wheat and later on rice. In India, Punjab was the first state to introduce Green Revolution techniques in wheat farms.
j. Enumerate at least three shortcomings of Green Revolution.
= Three shortcomings of Green Revolution are -
❐ Only rich farmers with large farms gained benefit. Small farmers could not afford the expensive inputs.
❐ Use of machines led to severe unemployment.
❐ Overuse of chemicals reduced the quality of soil.
9. Thought provoking questions.
a. Why was the Green revolution not beneficial for all farmers?
= The Green revolution not beneficial for all farmers because it needed modern machinery, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and large farms. Small farmers could not afford the expensive inputs. Only rich farmers with large farms gained benefit.
b. Why is there a predominance of food crops in intensive subsistence farming?
= There a predominance of food crops in intensive subsistence farming because farmers grow crops so that there is enough food for their large family.
c. Why does plantation farming require huge capital?
= Plantation farming requires huge capital because growing and processing of crops are done on the same farm scientifically.