Agriculture is the science and art of cultivating the soil and making it fertile so that we can get useful products from it. The art of agriculture has been developed in the Indian subcontinent from Vedic times.
The major crops grown here are paddy, wheat, sugar cane, pulses, vegetables, cotton and jute. India is the largest producer of fruits and vegetables in the world. Our country is geographically divided into four agro-climatic zones viz., north-west, north-east, south-west and south-east.
The development of agriculture has been one of the most striking achievements in human history as it has transformed many populations from hunter gatherers to farmers and their diets have shifted from only meat to a broadened dietary base – a transformation that has been ongoing since the time of the first agricultural revolution 10,000 years ago.
Farming in India has gone through various stages of development right from the time when people used primitive tools such as ploughs, hoes and spades to modern tractors and combine harvesters. With its unique geography, climate and natural resources, India has a wide diversity in terms of crops and livestock development.
A number of systems have been in vogue with different regions in which prevailing environmental conditions with soil and terrain affect agricultural practices in one way or another.
Farming varies from subsistence to commercial type. In different parts of India, the following farming systems are practiced:
1. Primitive Subsistence Farming: It is a ‘slash and burn’ agriculture Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops. When the soil fertility decreases, the farmers shift and clear a fresh patch of land for cultivation.
It is known by different names in different parts of the country. It is known as Jhumming in north-eastern states. Land productivity is low in this type of agriculture. This type of farming depends on monsoon. This farming is practised in few parts of India.
2. Intensive Subsistence Farming: This type of farming is practised in areas of high population pressure on land. It is labour-intensive farming, where high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for higher production.
3. Commercial Farming: This type of farming uses higher doses of modern inputs such as high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides to obtain higher productivity.
4. Plantation: Plantation is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown on a large area. Plantations cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers. All the produce is used as a raw material in industries. Eg: Tea, Coffee, Rubber, Sugarcane, Banana.
