Agriculture Question Answers: NCERT Class 10 Social Science - Contemporary India – II

(i) b) Plantation Agriculture
This type of farming involves the growing and processing of a single cash crop. The plantation is organized on an efficient basis. The land is devoted to a single crop and the entire production is exported.

Ans. b) Gram
Rabi crop grown in the winter season. The rabi crops are cultivated in the dry season so timely irrigation is required to grow these crops.

(iii) a) Pulses
In these plants the seeds are found inside pods and the root nodules have the capacity of nitrogen fixation in the soil.

(iv) b) Minimum support price
The minimum support prices are a guarantee price for their produce from the government. To support the farmers from distress sales and to procure food grains for public distribution.

(i) Tea is the important beverage crop, It is an example of plantation agriculture. The geographical conditions required for its growth are:

1. Soil: Deep and Fertile, well-drained soil, rich in humus and organic matters.

2. Rainfall: Tea grows well in the regions which receive rainfall in between 150-200 cm frequent showers evenly distributed through the year.

3. Temperature: Tea requires a temperature ranging from 21°C to 29°C.

4. Regions: It grows well in tropical and subtropical climates.

5. Labour: It requires abundant cheap and skilled labour.

(ii) Rice is a staple food crop of India. It grows in the plains of north and north-east India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.

(iii) The various institutional reform programmes introduced by the government in the interest of farmers are:

1. Grameen banks, Kissan Credit Card and Personal Accident Insurance Scheme.

2. Subsidy on agricultural inputs and resources such as Power and fertilisers.

3. Minimum support Price Policy.

4. Provision for crop insurance.

(iv) The land under cultivation has got reduced day by day its consequences are as follows:
• Increasing Population can lead to food grain shortages.
• Increase imports of food grains.
• Rise in price of food grains.
• Unemployment and loss of livelihood for farmers.
• The economy is under huge debt.
• Shortage of supply of raw material for agro-industries.

(i) The initiative taken by the government to ensure the increase in agricultural productions are:

        (a) Collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of the zamindari System.

        (b) Land reform was the main focus of the First Five year plans. In the 1960’s and 1970's agricultural reforms were the order of the day.

        (c) The Green Revolution and the white revolution were aimed at improving Indian agricultural productivity.

        (d) Various technical and institutional reforms were introduced by the government for the benefit of farmers eg: Minimum support price policy, provision for crop insurance, Subsidy on agricultural inputs and resources such as power and fertilizers, Grameen Banks, Kissan credit card and Personal Accident Insurance.

        (e) Special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes like “Krishi Darshan” on national television.

(ii) Globalisation has affected the Indian agriculture during the colonial times. Indian spices and cotton was exported to Europe. British textile industries flourished due to the availability of fine quality of cotton from India. The impact of globalisation on Indian agriculture has been felt since colonial times. In 1917, Indian farmers revolted in champaran against being forced to grow indigo in place of food grains in order to supply dye to Britain's flourishing textile industry. Thus, globalisation has had its boons and banes for Indian agriculture. During the 1990s, globalisation impacted the Indian agriculture. Indian farmers were not able to compete with the developed countries due to being highly subsidised in these countries. The need for making - Indian agriculture successful and profitable by improving the conditions of small and marginal farmers. Countering the negative effects of Green Revolution, developing and promoting organic farming and diversifying cropping patterns from cereals to high - value crops.

(iii) The geographical conditions required for the growth of rice are: It is the staple food crop of a majority of the people in India. Our country is the second largest producer of rice in the world after china.

        (a) Rice is a Kharif crop.

        (b) Temperature: Rice requires a high temperature hot and humid climate for cultivation above 25°C.

        (c) Rainfall - High humidity with annual rainfall above 100cm. In the areas of less rainfall, it grows with the help of irrigation.

        (d) Soils: Rich alluvial soils of the flood plains and deltaic areas which are renewed every year are ideal for rice cultivation.

        (e) egions: It is grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions.

        (f) Development of a dense network of canal irrigation and tubewells have made it possible to grow rice in areas of less rainfall such as Punjab and Haryana.