Geography
Your penfriend, who lives in Australia, has read that India is an agricultural country. He wants to know the details about the nature of agriculture practised in India and the problems faced by the farmers. Write to your friend replying to his queries.
Indian Agriculture Introduction
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Answer
Dear Friend,
India is primarily an agricultural country, and agriculture plays a vital role in its economy. Farming includes both subsistence farming, where crops are grown for personal consumption, and cash crop cultivation of crops like cotton, sugarcane, tea, coffee, and spices for commercial purposes.
The Green Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s introduced high-yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds, modern farming methods, fertilisers, and irrigation. This greatly increased agricultural productivity and made India self-sufficient in food production.
However, Indian farmers face several challenges such as fragmented landholdings, dependence on monsoons, lack of access to credit, inadequate infrastructure, climate change, and the use of old and inefficient farming techniques, all of which affect agricultural productivity and farmers' incomes.
Yours sincerely, Your Friend
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Related Questions
Punjab is known as the food granary of India growing most of the cereal and cash crops but is facing declining crop yields and poor soil conditions. It is one of the biggest exporter of rice and cotton crops.
(a) What climatic conditions favour rice growth in the above-mentioned area?
(b) What is the difference between cereal and cash crops? Can a cereal be a cash crop?
(c) How did the Green Revolution impact agriculture in Punjab?
(d) Suggest the sustainable agricultural practices to improve soil fertility.
(a) Refer to the picture given below, identify the farming method used. What are the crops cultivated by this method?
(b) List two of its main features.
(c) How does this method of farming differ from subsistence farming?
(d) With the help of an example of an area where this farming is practised explain how is it beneficial to the farmer.

Your grandfather, a farmer, was a young boy when the Green Revolution began. What does he tell you about the pros and cons of the Green Revolution.
Your uncle, who lives in Punjab, is a farmer involved in the cultivation of crops and livestock rearing. He sells the crops and dairy products in the market. Name the type of agriculture practised by him, the crops he grows and the main features of the agriculture practised by him. Why is this type of agriculture not popular throughout the country?