Agriculture – Class 10 Social Science notes, important questions and MCQs

Chapter overview

Agriculture is the main occupation of a large part of India's population. Farming ranges from primitive subsistence to commercial and plantation farming. Crops are grown in three seasons, and technological and institutional reforms aim to raise output and farmers' incomes.

Types of farming

• Primitive subsistence farming uses simple tools and family labour; slash-and-burn (shifting) farming is called jhumming in the north-east and pama dabi, koman or bringa in Odisha.
• Intensive subsistence farming uses high inputs on small plots in densely populated areas.
• Commercial farming uses modern inputs for sale; plantation farming grows a single crop such as tea, coffee, rubber or sugarcane over large areas.

Cropping seasons

• Rabi: sown in winter (October–December), harvested in summer (April–June); wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard.
• Kharif: sown with the monsoon; rice, maize, jowar, bajra, tur, moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soybean.
• Zaid: a short summer season between rabi and kharif; watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber and fodder crops.

Major crops and reforms

• Rice is the staple food crop of most people; India is the second largest rice producer after China.
• Wheat grows in the Ganga–Satluj plains and the black soil of the Deccan; pulses are grown in rotation because they fix nitrogen.
• Cotton grows in black soil; jute is called the golden fibre; tea and coffee are plantation crops.
• The Green Revolution and White Revolution (Operation Flood), crop insurance and the Bhoodan–Gramdan movement of Vinoba Bhave are part of reforms.

Key terms

Shifting agriculture

farmers clear land by burning, grow crops for a few years and then move to a new patch

Rabi crops

crops sown in winter and harvested in summer

Kharif crops

crops sown with the onset of the monsoon and harvested in September–October

Plantation

a type of commercial farming in which a single crop is grown on a large area

Important questions with answers

Quick revision

• Jhumming in the north-east; pama dabi, koman, bringa in Odisha.
• Rabi = wheat; kharif = rice; zaid = watermelon.
• Black soil = cotton; jute = golden fibre.
• Bhoodan–Gramdan by Vinoba Bhave.

Exam tips

• Prepare a crop chart: crop, season, soil, temperature, rainfall and major states.
• Do not mix rabi and kharif: rabi = winter sowing (wheat), kharif = monsoon sowing (rice).

Practice MCQs

1. Wheat is a

   1. kharif crop
   2. plantation crop
   3. zaid crop
   4. rabi crop
   Show answer

   Answer: (d) rabi crop. It is sown in winter and harvested in summer.

2. Slash-and-burn agriculture in north-eastern India is called

   1. bewar
   2. jhumming
   3. podu
   4. kuruwa
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) jhumming. It is practised in Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Nagaland.

3. Jute is known as the

   1. white gold
   2. black gold
   3. golden fibre
   4. green gold
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) golden fibre. It is valued for its colour and high value.

4. Which of these is a zaid crop

   1. wheat
   2. rice
   3. watermelon
   4. mustard
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) watermelon. Zaid crops grow in the short summer season.

5. In Odisha, slash-and-burn farming is known as

   1. jhumming
   2. pama dabi, koman or bringa
   3. milpa
   4. roca
   Show answer

   Answer: (b) pama dabi, koman or bringa. These are local names used in Odisha.

6. Pulses are grown in rotation with other crops because they

   1. fix nitrogen in the soil
   2. need a lot of water
   3. grow only in hills
   4. are plantation crops
   Show answer

   Answer: (a) fix nitrogen in the soil. Leguminous crops restore soil fertility.

7. Which statement about rice is correct

   1. It needs low temperature and low rainfall
   2. It grows only in black soil
   3. It is a rabi crop in the north
   4. It needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall above 100 cm
   Show answer

   Answer: (d) It needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall above 100 cm. Irrigation helps it grow in areas of less rainfall too.

8. The Bhoodan–Gramdan movement was started by

   1. Mahatma Gandhi
   2. Jawaharlal Nehru
   3. Vinoba Bhave
   4. Sardar Patel
   Show answer

   Answer: (c) Vinoba Bhave. Landowners donated land to the landless.