Agriculture Scenario in India Notes with PDF

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Sustainable Agricultural Practices

Permaculture Farming

• Definition: A farming system based on three ethics: care for the earth, care for people, and fair share.
• Key Features:
  • Discourages monoculture (single-crop farming).
  • Promotes multi-cropping and integrated farming systems.
  • Relies on organic fertilizers, crop rotation, and mulching.
  • Does not cause an increase in soil salinity.
• Limitation: Not easily applicable in semi-arid or dry, arid regions.

Zero Tillage

• Definition: Planting seeds directly into the soil without prior land preparation or tilling.
• Advantages:
  • Allows sowing of wheat without burning the residue of the previous crop.
  • Enables Direct Seeded Rice (DSR), eliminating the need for nurseries and transplanting, thus saving water.
  • Promotes carbon sequestration (capturing carbon in the soil), reducing the greenhouse effect.

Eco-Friendly Practices in India

• Crop Diversification: Adding different crops suited to the local climate and water supply to the existing cropping pattern.
• Legume Intensification: Growing legumes, which fix nitrogen in the soil, improving fertility.
• Tensiometer Use: A tool that measures soil moisture, aiding in water conservation.
• Vertical Farming: Growing crops indoors in stacked layers, using less water and pesticides.

Fertigation

• Definition: Application of fertilizers through irrigation water, typically using a drip system.
• Advantages:
  • Allows for control of the alkalinity of irrigation water.
  • Increases nutrient availability to plants.
  • Reduces the leaching of chemical nutrients.
• Limitation: Not suitable for all phosphatic fertilizers like Rock Phosphate, as they can cause clogging.

Indian Agriculture: Context & History

History and Literature

• Key Text: ‘The History of Indian Agriculture’ was written by M.S. Randhawa.

Agricultural Institutions

• First Agricultural University: Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology (GBPAU), Pantnagar, established in 1960.

Characteristics of Indian Agriculture

• General Features:
  • Over-dependence on nature.
  • Low level of productivity.
  • High diversity of crops.
  • Predominance of small and fragmented land holdings (not large farms).
• Reasons for Low Productivity: Overcrowding in agriculture, small land holdings, and traditional practices.
• Dry Zones: The dry zones of India have a predominantly agrarian economy and hold potential for a second Green Revolution with improved irrigation.

Land Use and Zoning

Land Use Classification in India (Approximate)

• Net Area Sown: ~47%
• Forest Cover: ~23%
• Other Uses (fallow land, uncultivable land, etc.): ~30%

Agro-Climatic and Agro-Ecological Zones

• Agro-Climatic Regions: India is divided into 15 agro-climatic regions (Planning Commission).
• Agro-Ecological Regions: India is divided into 20 agro-ecological regions (National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning – NBSS&LUP).
• Example: The coverage area of the ‘Western Himalaya cold arid’ eco-region is less than the coverage area of the broader ‘Western Himalaya’ region.

Regional Variations

• High Agricultural Land States: Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh.
• Low Agricultural Land State: Sikkim (due to its hilly and forested terrain, less than 10% of land is net sown area).

Crop Management

Cropping Patterns

• Double Cropping: Raising two crops on the same land in a year, one after the other (e.g., wheat followed by soybeans).
• Mixed Farming: An agricultural system that involves both growing crops and rearing livestock on the same farm.
• Intercropping: Growing two or more crops simultaneously on the same field.

Seed Management

• Seed Replacement Rate (SRR): Enhancing SRR is crucial for future food production targets.
• Constraint: A major constraint is the demand-supply gap for quality seeds of low-value and high-volume crops. Private companies focus on high-value, low-volume seeds.
• Policy: A National Seeds Policy (2002) is already in place.

Post-Harvest Management

• Safe Storage: For safe storage of food grains, the moisture content at harvesting should not be higher than 14%.

Agricultural Productivity & Challenges

Factors Influencing Productivity

• Pathways to Increase Productivity: No single factor is sufficient. A combination of efficient irrigation, quality seeds, pesticides, and fertilizers is required.
• Reasons for Low Productivity:
  • High population pressure on land.
  • Prevalence of disguised unemployment.
  • Prevalence of small land holdings.
• Reason NOT causing Low Productivity: Cooperative farming is actually a method to improve productivity, not a cause of low productivity.

Regional Productivity in India

• High Productivity Region (South India): The Tamil Nadu coast is an area of high agricultural productivity.
• State with Largest Land Holdings: Rajasthan has the largest average size of operational holdings in India.

Agricultural Inputs & Practices

Seeds

• Seed Village Concept: Aims to train farmers in quality seed production to make seeds available at the right time and affordable cost for the local area.

Fertilizers and Manure

• Balanced Fertilizers: Used to increase production, improve fertilizer use efficiency, and maintain soil productivity.
• Top Consumers of Chemical Fertilizers: Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh are among the largest consumers.
• Green Manure Crops:
  • For Arid Lands: Lobia (Cowpea) is suitable for newly improved arid land.
  • Highest Nitrogen Content: Cowpea has the highest nitrogen content (0.49%) among common green manure crops.

Modern Farming Concepts

• Green Agriculture: Involves integrated pest management, integrated nutrient supply, and integrated natural resource management.
• Contract Farming Pioneer: Punjab was the first state in India to introduce contract farming.

Agricultural Policies & Transformations

The Green Revolution

• Role: Played a crucial role in transforming traditional agriculture into modern scientific agriculture.
• Costs: This transformation involved significant social and environmental costs, contrary to the belief that it did not.

Globalization’s Impact

• Impacts include: A shift in emphasis towards cash crops, growth in income inequality, and reduction of subsidies.
• Not a Direct Impact: Climate change is not primarily a result of globalization’s impact on agriculture.

Characteristics of Indian Agriculture

Nature and Statistics

• Primary Role: Agriculture in India is primarily considered a means of livelihood, not just a profession, trade, or industry.
• Pulse Cultivation: A very high percentage (approx. 90%) of the area under pulses is rainfed, with minimal irrigation coverage.

Natural Resources

• Groundwater Resources: Uttar Pradesh has the highest replenishable groundwater resources in India.

Quality Standards

Certification

• Agmark: It is a quality certification mark (Mark of Standard Guarantee) for agricultural produce, governed by the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act, 1937.

Know More About the Agriculture Scenario in India:

• Agriculture Scenario in India – Old Year Questions
• Agriculture Scenario in India One Liner Questions & Answers