Agriculture Scenario in India – Old Year Questions

• Sustainable agriculture is when we use natural resources without harming the environment.
• This is done with soil, water, and organic fertilizer, and by using crop rotation and mulching.
• So statements 1, 2, and 4 are true.
• This method isn’t effective in dry, arid areas, so statement 3 is false.

• Zero tillage is the process of planting seeds directly into the ground without any prior land preparation.
• This means no disturbing of the soil with crop stubble present.
• Zero tillage and direct seeded rice (DSR) make it possible to sow wheat without burning the residue and saves water by eliminating the need for transplanting paddy.
• It also helps the environment by reducing the greenhouse effect through carbon sequestration.

• Crop diversification is when different types of crops are added to the existing crops grown in an area, which are suited to the climate and the water supply.
• Legumes are plants that help put nitrogen back into the soil.
• Tensiometers are a tool that can be used to measure the moisture in the soil and help with water conservation.
• Vertical farming is when crops are grown indoors, using less water and pesticides than traditional farming.

• Fertigation is a way of adding fertilizer to the water used for irrigation using a drip system.
• Urea, potash and other easily-dissolved fertilizers can be used with this method.
• Super Phosphorus should not be used as it can cause the precipitation of phosphate salts, so option (c) is the correct answer.

• M.S. Randhawa, whose full name is Mohinder Singh Randhawa, wrote ‘The History of Indian Agriculture’.
• He was very important in the research of agriculture and the Green Revolution in India.

• The National Bureau of Soil Survey has split India into 20 different agro ecological zones.
• Each zone is very similar in terms of geography, climate, length of growing season, and the type of soil in order to help with land-use planning and technology transfer.

• The country has been divided into 15 different farming and climate areas for resource development.
• The National Bureau of Soil Survey & Land Use Planning says there are 20 farming and ecological areas.
• The Western Himalaya cold arid ecoregion has a larger area than the Western Himalaya region.

• India is split into 20 different areas according to land type, climate, length of growing season, and soil type.
• This is important for land use planning and for ensuring that the right technology is used in each area.

• Providing irrigation facilities in dry regions of India can bring about a Green Revolution.
• Agriculture is the foundation of the economy in these areas, so both the statement and the reason are accurate, but the reason does not explain the statement.

• In India, the National Seed Policy 2002 is already in place, so statement (1) is incorrect.
• Private sector seed companies do participate in providing quality seeds for vegetables and planting materials for horticultural crops, but they mostly supply higher priced seeds in lower quantity which makes them accessible to only a few farmers.
• They mainly provide the hybrid seeds for vegetables.
• For crops that are low value and need high volume, there is a gap in quality seed supply, so statement (3) is the only correct one.

• Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology was established in 1960 by Jawaharlal Nehru and was initially called the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University.
• After some time, the name was changed to Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology in honour of the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
• The university is located in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand, which was previously a part of Uttar Pradesh.

• The Govind Ballabh Pant University of Agriculture and Technology was the first agricultural university in India, founded in 1960 by Jawaharlal Nehru.
• It was originally called the Uttar Pradesh Agricultural University, and was located in Pantnagar, Uttarakhand.
• The name was changed to honor the first Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Govind Ballabh Pant.

• The FAO states that food grains should be harvested when the moisture content is no more than 14%, in order to keep them safely stored.

• The data from 2009-10 shows that 45.27% of the land is used for farming, 23.28% for forests, and 31.45% for other areas.
• The data from 2016-17, released by the Ministry of Agriculture, shows that 45.22% of the land is used for farming, 23.36% for forests and 31.42% are for others.

• Double cropping means planting two different crops, either the same or different, on the same piece of land in a year.
• A good example is to harvest wheat in the early summer, and then plant either corn or soybeans in the same area for harvest in the fall.
• This method only works in places with long growing seasons.
• Intercropping is when two or more crops are planted on the same field at the same time.

• Mixed farming involves growing both crops and raising animals.
• It makes use of crop rotation and intercropping to keep the soil healthy.
• The main income usually comes from animals such as sheep, cattle, pigs, and poultry, as well as the crops.

• Mixed farming involves growing crops and raising animals like sheep, cattle, pigs, and poultry.
• Crop rotation and planting different crops together helps keep the soil healthy.
• Selling the animals and crops provides most of the income.

• Sikkim is a state in Northeast India that is mostly hilly and covered by forests.
• Only a small portion of the land can be used for farming (10% or less).
• According to reports, Sikkim had an annual rainfall of 3105.2 mm in 2018.
• Meanwhile, the states of Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh are the top producers of crops in India.

• In India, most farms are small and not very big.
• This is a typical feature of Indian agriculture.

• Agriculture in India has low productivity due to too many people farming, not enough land to farm on, and traditional farming methods.

• The statements mentioned will help make farming more productive.

• The Green Revolution was an important part of changing farming from traditional methods to modern, scientific methods, which used irrigation, special seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, and machines.
• This is true, however, it does come with social and environmental costs.
• It was successful because of a lot of investment in crop research and infrastructure.
• Its environmental costs are seen as a possible danger for the future.
• So, both statements are true, but the second is not the right explanation of the first.

• The growth of the population, people having jobs but not doing any work, and having small parcels of land are why Indian farming is not very productive.
• Cooperative farming is a way to help improve agriculture.
• This is where each farmer owns their own land, but works together and shares the profits.

• Operational holdings in India are biggest in Rajasthan, followed by Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

• In India, farming is seen as a way to make a living.
• Government officials say that most of India’s population works in farming or related fields, but doesn’t bring in much money for the country’s total GDP.

• In 2011-12, only 12.7% of land used for growing pulses had access to irrigation.
• The rest relied on rain.
• Statement 1 is almost correct.
• In 1990-91, 246.62 Lakh hectares of land was used for pulses but that decreased to 227.6 Lakh hectares in 2004-05.
• According to the FAO, India accounts for about 23.56% of the world’s top 10 rice producing countries.
• This means statement 2 is wrong as it says the share of pulses in the gross cropped area has doubled in the last two decades.
• India also accounts for 29% of the world’s total rice cultivation.
• This makes statement 3 wrong.
• Rice takes up 23.7% of India’s gross cropped area, not 34% which means statement 4 is also wrong.

• According to data for the year 2013-14, the fertilizer consumption of the given States is –

State                                               Total fertilizer consumption (Thousand tons)

• • Uttar Pradesh                                      3842.04
  • Andhra Pradesh                                  3119.43
• Right now, the three states that use the most chemical fertilizers are :
  • Uttar Pradesh has used 5172.97 thousand tonnes
  • Maharashtra has used 2941.29 thousand tonnes
  • Madhya Pradesh has used 2683.39 thousand tonnes

• Lobia is a good crop for restoring fertility in recently improved dry land.

• Cowpea has the most Nitrogen of all the green manures, with 0.49%.
• Sunhemp, Dhaincha, and Guar have 0.43%, 042% and 0.34% nitrogen content.

• Balanced fertilizers are used to make more food, make the food better, and keep the soil healthy so it will keep producing.

• The most productive agricultural areas in South India are along the coasts of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Surat in Gujarat, and Satara and Kolhapur in Maharashtra.
• Therefore, answer (b) is correct.

• Uttar Pradesh has the greatest amount of renewable groundwater resources in 2011. In 2020, the amount of groundwater that can be recharged each year in Uttar Pradesh (measured in bcm) is listed below :

State                      Replenishable groundwater resource (in billion cubic meters/year)

• • Andhra Pradesh                                    24.15
  • Madhya Pradesh                                   36.16
  • Uttar Pradesh                                        72.20
  • West Bengal                                           29.33
• Note : Only data from 2013 is available for West Bengal.

• Punjab was the first state in India to start contract farming.

• Green Agriculture involves using methods to control pests, supplying nutrients, managing water in a scientific way, and choosing the right crops.

• In 1991, the Narasimha Rao Government changed their economic policy by introducing Globalization to India.
• This had a major effect on Indian Agriculture, such as focusing more on cash crops, growing the gap between rich and poor, and cutting down on subsidies.
• Therefore, option (a) is not correct when it comes to the effect Globalization had on Indian Agriculture.

• The seed village concept is about a village where farmers who have been trained work together to produce seeds of different crops and make sure they have enough for their village, neighboring villages, and themselves at an affordable price and when needed.
• The goal is to increase seed production, have enough for everyone to buy at a fair price, and for the farmers to be independent.

• The government of India provides Agmark, a quality certification, under the Agricultural Produce (Grading and Marking) Act of 1937.
• This Act sets standards for grading and marking agricultural and other products.
• It has been in place in India since 1938.