WHAT IS AGRICULTURE ? EXAMPLE THE TYPES OF AGRICULTURE IN INDIA ?
Meaning:
It is thus described as both an art and a science (needs skill and founded on scientifically verified facts) and thus includes specialized disciplines; the words “growing” and “raising” are descriptive of enterprise, activity or practice. It has two main divisions: plant or crop production and animal or livestock production; and it’s ultimate purpose is for food production, other human needs such as clothing, medicines, tools, artistic display, dwelling, and feed for animals, or for economic gain or profit.
India has a long agricultural history, which dates back approximately ten thousand years. Today, India has the second-highest crop output in the world and agriculture-related jobs employ nearly 60% of the total workforce. However, as India’s population grows, the country is having difficulties meeting the demand for food products like wheat and rice. There are currently eight types of agriculture in India:
Definition:
"Agriculture is the art and science of growing plants and other crops and raising animals for food, other human needs, or economic gain."
The whole structure combines two descriptive introductory clauses: (1) "the art and science of growing plants and other crops" and (2) "the art and science of raising animals". The purpose clause "for food, other human needs, or economic gain" applies to both divisions of agriculture.
TYPES OF THE AGRICULTURE :
There are currently Nine types of agriculture---
A form of agriculture, used especially in tropical Africa, in which an area of ground is cleared of vegetation and cultivated for a few years and then abandoned for a new area until its fertility has been naturally restored.
Shifting agriculture
2. Subsistence farming: This is a widely-practiced farming technique can be seen all over India. The farmer and/or his family grow grains for themselves or for sale at the local market.
Subsistence farming, form of farming in which nearly all of the crops or livestock raised are used to maintain the farmer and the farmer’s family, leaving little, if any, surplus for sale or trade. Preindustrial agricultural peoples throughout the world have traditionally practiced subsistence farming. Some of these peoples moved from site to site as they exhausted the soil at each location. As urban centres grew, agricultural production became more specialized and commercial farming developed, with farmers producing a sizable surplus of certain crops, which they traded for manufactured goods or sold for cash.
3. Intensive agriculture: This farming practice can be seen in densely populated areas in India. It is an attempt to maximize the output of the land, through the use of every possible effort. It requires a huge amount of capital in addition to a great deal of human labour, but more than one crop can be raised per year.
DEFINITION:
A type of agricultural production system that uses high inputs of fertilizer, pesticides, labour and capital in relation to the size of the land area being farmed.
International Resource Panel (IRP) 2011 1
INTENSIVE AGRICULTURE
4. Extensive agriculture: This is the modern type of farming that can be seen largely in the developed world and in some parts of India. It relies largely on machinery as opposed to a human labour force and raises one crop per year.
Extensive agriculture, in agricultural economics, system of crop cultivation using small amounts of labour and capital in relation to area of land being farmed. The crop yield in extensive agriculture depends primarily on the natural fertility of the soil, the terrain, the climate, and the availability of water.
EXTENSIVE AGRICULTURE:
5. Commercial agriculture: The goal of commercial agriculture is a high yield, so that produce can be exported to other countries or areas for profit. Wheat, cotton, sugarcane, and corn are some commercial crops and they are grown in states including Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
6. Plantation agriculture: This style is often used for crops which require a lot of space and a long growing period, such as rubber, tea, coconut, coffee, cocoa, spices, and fruits. Plantations are only capable of producing a single crop. Plantation agriculture is practised in Kerala, Assam, Karnataka, and Maharashtra.
Plantation agriculture is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown for the entire year. This type of farming requires large amount of labour and capital. The crop production may be further processed on the farm itself where it is grown or in nearby factories or small scale industries. A transport network is essential for such farming and hence such transport network is developed.
7. Dry land farming: As the name suggests, dry land farming is practised in the more arid and desert-like areas of the country, including northwest and central India. Crops such as gramjowar, bajra, and peas have lower water requirements and can therefore be grown in these conditions.
8. Wet land farming: Many areas of India are affected by heavy monsoon rains and subsequent flooding. Well-irrigated areas, such as those in the northeast India and the Western Ghats, are suitable for farming rice, jute, and sugarcane.
Wetlands are areas where water covers the soil, or is present either at or near the surface of the soil all year or for varying periods of time during the year, including during the growing season. Water saturation (hydrology) largely determines how the soil develops and the types of plant and animal communities living in and on the soil. Wetlands may support both aquatic and terrestrial species. The prolonged presence of water creates conditions that favor the growth of specially adapted plants (hydrophytes) and promote the development of characteristic wetland (hydric) soils.
WET LAND FARMING :
9. Aquaponics :Today, aquaponics farming systems are rare in the subcontinent. But we’re working to change that … We’re ready to make it nine types of agriculture in India.
A system of aquaculture in which the waste produced by farmed fish or other aquatic creatures supplies the nutrients for plants grown hydroponically, which in turn purify the water.