Agriculture in India — Part 2: Types of farming and agricultural seasons: visual lesson, ICSE Class 10 Geography (H.C.G. Paper 2)

Lesson

Many ways to farm

Part 2 — Indian farms range from tiny hill plots that feed one family to vast tea estates with their own factories. The type of farming depends on land, labour, capital, climate and markets. Crops also follow a calendar of three seasons.

In this lesson you will

Distinguish subsistence from commercial farming and intensive from extensive farming
Describe the features of plantation and mixed farming with Indian examples
State the sowing and harvesting months of kharif, rabi and zayad and name two crops of each

Table of five types of farming with an Indian example of each
Type	Indian example
Subsistence	Hill farms of Mizoram and Uttarakhand
Commercial	Grapes of Nashik; sugarcane of Maharashtra
Intensive	Paddy of the Ganga delta and Kerala
Plantation	Tea in Assam; rubber in Kerala
Mixed	Crops and dairy in Haryana

Concept

Subsistence and commercial farming

Subsistence farming: crops grown mainly to feed the farmer’s family; small plots, simple tools, family labour, little use of fertiliser; little surplus to sell; a mix of food crops. Examples: hill farms of the north-east and Uttarakhand, much of rain-fed central India. Commercial farming: crops grown mainly for sale; larger farms, purchased inputs (HYV seeds, fertilisers, machines), often one main crop. Examples: grapes of Nashik, sugarcane of western Maharashtra, wheat and rice of Punjab.

Table comparing subsistence and commercial farming
Feature	Subsistence	Commercial
Purpose	Family food	Sale in the market
Size	Small	Medium to large
Inputs	Family labour, simple tools	Machines, HYV seeds, fertilisers
Crops	Several food crops	Often one main crop

Concept

Intensive and extensive farming

Intensive farming: small holdings in densely populated areas; much labour and inputs per hectare; two or three crops a year (multiple cropping); high yield per hectare. Examples: the Ganga–Brahmaputra delta of West Bengal, coastal Kerala, Tamil Nadu deltas. Extensive farming: large farms in thinly populated areas; heavy use of machines, little labour per hectare; usually one crop a year; low yield per hectare but high output per worker. It is uncommon in India; large mechanised farms are found in only a few areas.

Table comparing intensive and extensive farming
Feature	Intensive	Extensive
Farm size	Small	Large
Labour per hectare	High	Low (machines)
Crops a year	Two or three	Usually one
Yield per hectare	High	Low
Output per worker	Low	High

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