Agriculture Overview

Learning Outcomes:

1. Understanding agriculture’s scope, types, and classifications.
2. Exploring agronomic practices, crop patterns, and soil management.
3. Identifying the importance of sustainable agriculture and integrated farming.

Agriculture derives from Latin terms ager (soil) and cultura (cultivation). It encompasses activities related to crop production, livestock farming, fisheries, forestry, etc. Subfields include:

1. Silviculture: Cultivation of forest trees.
2. Sericulture: Rearing silkworms for silk production.
3. Apiculture: Maintenance of honey bee colonies.
4. Olericulture: Vegetable growing involving herbaceous plants.
5. Viticulture: Science and production of grapes.
6. Floriculture: Cultivation of flowering plants.
7. Arboriculture: Management of trees and shrubs.
8. Pomology: Focuses on fruit cultivation.
9. Aeroponics: Growing plants in an air/mist environment without soil.
10. Hydroponics: Plant cultivation using nutrient-rich water.
11. Geoponic: Farming practices in traditional soil.

Scope and Importance of Agriculture

1. GDP Contribution: Agriculture contributes 17.2% to GDP and supports two-thirds of the population.
2. Employment: Provides 56.7% of the workforce’s employment, being the largest private-sector occupation.
3. Exports: Accounts for 14.7% of total export earnings, supplying raw materials to industries like textiles, silk, sugar, and dairy.
4. Food Security: Maintains national food security, impacting overall security.
5. Allied Sectors: Horticulture, dairy, animal husbandry, and fisheries enhance rural economies, health, and nutrition.

Important Note: Fragmented land holdings, regional variations, and dependence on rainfall are persistent issues in Indian agriculture.

Crop Classification

Based on Climate

1. Tropical: Thrives in warm climates (e.g., Rice, Sugarcane).
2. Temperate: Requires cooler climates (e.g., Wheat, Potato).

Based on Growing Season

1. Kharif Crops: Grown during monsoon (June-November), needs warm, wet conditions (e.g., Cotton, Rice).
2. Rabi Crops: Cultivated in winter (October-March), prefers cold, dry weather (e.g., Wheat, Sunflower).
3. Summer/Zaid Crops: Grown in summer (March-June), needs warm, dry conditions (e.g., Watermelon, Groundnuts).

Agronomic Classification

1. Cereals: Staple crops with edible grains (e.g., Rice, Wheat, Maize).
2. Millets: Grasses grown as staple food for poorer populations. Divided into:

• Major Millets: Sorghum, Pearl Millet.
• Minor Millets: Fox Tail Millet, Little Millet.

1. Pulses: Main protein source in Indian diets (e.g., Red Gram, Green Gram).
2. Oil Seed Crops: For oil production, edible or medicinal (e.g., Groundnut, Sunflower).
3. Sugar Crops: For sugar extraction (e.g., Sugarcane, Sugar Beet).
4. Fibre Crops: Cultivated for their fibrous content (e.g., Cotton, Jute).
5. Narcotics: Stimulate the nervous system (e.g., Tobacco, Betelvine).

Concept: Mixed cropping helps prevent complete crop failure by diversifying types grown together, providing minimum yield insurance.

Soil and Tillage

Tillage: Mechanical soil manipulation for ideal crop growth conditions.

1. On-Season Tillage: Conducted in the same season as the crop.

• Preparatory Tillage: Deep opening and loosening of soil.
  1. Primary Tillage: Post-harvest soil preparation using ploughs.
  2. Secondary Tillage: Refines soil, incorporating manure and fertilizers.

1. Off-Season Tillage: Prepares soil for upcoming crop seasons.

Advantages: Enhances soil aeration, promotes water penetration, and controls weeds.

Important Note: Zero tillage avoids soil disturbance, enhancing organic matter but may lead to weed proliferation.

Cropping Systems

Cropping Pattern: The arrangement and sequence of crops on a farm annually.

1. Multiple Cropping: Growing multiple crops successively on the same land.
2. Intercropping: Simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops with distinct row arrangements.
3. Sequential Cropping: Succeeding crop planted post-harvest of the preceding.
4. Relay Cropping: Next crop sown before harvesting the existing one.
5. Mixed Cropping: Simultaneous, intermingled growth of different crops without specific row arrangements.

Do you know? Maharashtra plans to set up a Tiger Research Institute, suggesting Nagpur or Chandrapur as the location due to proximity to 13 tiger reserves.

Farming Systems

1. Wetland Farming: Utilizes flooded soils, mostly through natural water flow.
2. Dryland Farming: Relies on rainfall, prevalent in areas with annual rainfall below 750mm.
3. Garden Land/Irrigated Farming: Employs groundwater sources for irrigation.
4. Mixed Farming: Integrates crop production with livestock, poultry, and fisheries to optimize resource utilization.
5. Specialized Farming: Derives over 50% income from a single crop.
6. Diversified Farming: Multiple production enterprises, none exceeding 50% of the total income.

Mixed Farming	Specialized Farming
Diverse production	Single primary crop
Sustains farmer needs	Market-oriented
Resource utilization	Focused investments

Concept: Integrated Farming Systems combine enterprises like cropping, animal husbandry, and forestry for optimized resource use, risk coverage, and sustainable income.

Sustainable Agriculture

Definition: Aimed at fulfilling current needs without compromising the future resource base.

1. Prevents soil erosion and land degradation.
2. Incorporates biological and cultural methods to manage weeds, pests, and nutrient replenishment.
3. Reduces dependency on synthetic inputs.

Organic Farming: Excludes synthetic fertilizers, focusing on natural soil fertility management, crop rotation, and biological pest control.

Principles:

1. Mixed Farming: Diverse crop-livestock integration.
2. Crop Rotation: Optimizes nutrient cycles.
3. Organic Cycle Optimization: Uses on/off-farm organic waste.

Note: Organic farming enhances soil texture, retains nutrients, and improves water-holding capacity compared to inorganic fertilizers.

Integrated Nutrient Management (INM)

INM: Combines organic, inorganic, and bio-fertilizers to maintain soil health.

1. Sustains crop productivity without degrading soil.
2. Efficiently utilizes farm resources, enhancing yield and reducing environmental impact.

Important Concept: The Buckingham Palace Declaration aims to counter wildlife trafficking through global transportation networks.

Soil Management

Soil forms through interactions of parent material, climate, living organisms, and topography. Soil profiles differ by region due to these factors.

1. O Horizon: Organic material layer.
2. A Horizon: Rich in minerals and organic matter.
3. B Horizon: Accumulated minerals leached from above layers.
4. C Horizon: Least weathered, comprising unconsolidated parent material.

Soil Type	Characteristics
Sandy Soils	High percolation, nutrient losses
Saline Soils	Excessive salts, impedes crop growth
Acid Soils	Low pH, deficiencies in key nutrients

Do you know? The National Green Tribunal established an expert panel to evaluate the environmental impact of the Renuka Dam project, intended to supply water to Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh.

Soil Erosion

1. Splash Erosion: Initial stage caused by raindrop impact.
2. Sheet Erosion: Uniform soil movement over large areas.
3. Rill Erosion: Visible scouring on the landscape, leading to gully formation.

Concept: Desertification reduces productive potential by at least 10% due to human activities and climate change.

Manures and Fertilizers

1. Manures: Organic waste (plant and animal) improving soil fertility.

• Farmyard Manure: Cattle dung and bedding residues.
• Compost: Decomposed organic matter.

1. Fertilizers: Chemically manufactured with higher nutrient content.

• Organic vs. Inorganic: Organic manures improve soil texture; inorganic fertilizers offer immediate nutrient availability but risk soil degradation.

Modern Agricultural Techniques

1. System of Rice Intensification (SRI): Increases rice yield with less water by altering conventional practices.
2. Sustainable Sugarcane Initiative (SSI): Enhances sugarcane yield through optimized spacing and nutrient management, reducing water and chemical inputs.

Do you know? India’s national carrier, Air India, signed the Buckingham

Palace Declaration to combat wildlife trafficking.

Permaculture

A sustainable design system emphasizing ecology for food production, housing, and community development. Promotes multi-use plants, cultural practices, and integration of animals to recycle nutrients.

1. Characteristics:

• Holistic and integrated.
• Enhances degraded ecosystems.
• Advocates organic agriculture without pesticides.

Integrated Farming System (IFS)

Incorporates crops, livestock, and forestry for optimal resource use. Benefits include risk coverage, employment generation, higher productivity, and organic recycling.

Do you know? The Pench Tiger Reserve has initiated public participation projects to protect tigers and forests, involving villagers and women’s self-help groups.

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MCQ: What is the primary objective of crop rotation?

1. To increase soil erosion.
2. To maximize the use of soil nutrients.
3. To utilize synthetic fertilizers.
4. To maintain monoculture farming.

Correct Answer: 2. To maximize the use of soil nutrients.