Agriculture — I

ICSE Class 10 · Geography · Chapter 12

What this chapter covers

Agriculture in India
Importance of agriculture
Benefits of agriculture
Problems of Indian agriculture
The Green Revolution: meaning
Impact of the first Green Revolution
Types of farming in India: subsistence and commercial
Intensive and extensive farming
Plantation farming
Mixed farming
Agricultural seasons: rabi, kharif and zayad
Common mistakes to avoid

Key points

Agriculture employs nearly half of India's workers, feeds the world's largest population and supplies raw materials to major industries.
Its share in national income has fallen to about one-sixth to one-fifth, but total farm output has risen steadily.
Benefits of agriculture include food security, rural livelihoods, support to dairying and other allied activities, growth of industry and transport, and export earnings.
Major problems are dependence on the monsoon, small and fragmented holdings, soil degradation, uneven irrigation, traditional methods, lack of credit, poor marketing and storage, and pressure of population on land.
The Green Revolution, from the late 1960s, raised wheat and rice production sharply through high-yielding seeds, fertilisers, irrigation, pesticides, machinery and assured prices.
The first Green Revolution made India self-sufficient in food grains but widened regional and farmer inequality, neglected pulses and oilseeds, and damaged soil and groundwater.
Subsistence farming grows food mainly for the family; commercial farming grows crops mainly for sale.
Intensive farming uses much labour and capital on small plots for high yields per hectare and is common in India; extensive farming uses little input per hectare on huge farms and is rare in India.
Plantation farming grows one cash crop such as tea, coffee or rubber on a large estate with heavy capital and labour, mainly for export.
Mixed farming combines crops and livestock on the same farm; it is different from mixed cropping.
Kharif crops are sown with the monsoon in June–July, rabi crops in winter, and zayad crops in the short summer season between them.

Questions answered

Define agriculture.

Agriculture is the science and practice of growing crops and rearing animals for food, fibre, fuel and other products used by people.

Give two reasons why agriculture is called the backbone of the Indian economy.

It employs nearly half of India's workforce, and it supplies food for the entire population as well as raw materials such as cotton, jute and sugarcane to major industries.

State three benefits of agriculture to the country.

It provides food security through stocks of grain, supports allied activities such as dairying and poultry, and earns foreign exchange through exports of rice, tea and spices.

What is meant by fragmentation of holdings? Give one cause and one effect.

Fragmentation of land holdings is the division of a farmer's land into many small plots scattered over the village. It is caused mainly by the equal division of land among heirs, and it prevents the economical use of machines and irrigation.

Name three problems of Indian agriculture other than small holdings.

Dependence on an uncertain monsoon, lack of credit leading to indebtedness, and poor storage and marketing facilities. (Also acceptable: soil erosion and loss of fertility, low use of modern inputs, pests and diseases.)

What is the Green Revolution? Name the inputs that formed its package.

The Green Revolution is the sharp increase in food grain production, especially of wheat and rice, achieved in India from the late 1960s. Its package of inputs was high-yielding variety seeds, chemical fertilisers, assured irrigation, pesticides, farm machinery and credit, backed by assured prices.

Name the three states where the first Green Revolution was most successful and give one reason.

Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh (western part). These areas already had good canal and tube-well irrigation, so the new seeds received the assured water they needed.

Give two harmful effects of the Green Revolution on the environment.

Over-irrigation and overuse of fertilisers caused waterlogging, salinity and loss of soil health; heavy pumping of groundwater lowered the water table sharply in Punjab and Haryana.

Past board exam questions

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 1 mark

Assertion (A): In intensive farming, most of the work is done by manual labour. Reason (R): The landholdings are small in size.

(A) is true but (R) is false.
(A) is false but (R) is true.
Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Both (A) and (R) are true, but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Show answer

Both (A) and (R) are true, and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 1 mark

Bhanu cultivates jute in the state that leads in the production of this crop. Which state does he work in?

Karnataka
West Bengal
Andhra Pradesh
Gujarat

Show answer

West Bengal

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 2 marks

Despite being the backbone of the Indian economy, our agricultural sector faces several problems. Mention any two such problems.

Show answer

Any two: excessive dependence on erratic, unevenly distributed monsoon rainfall; small and fragmented landholdings; poverty and lack of credit, so farmers cannot afford HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation; illiteracy and reluctance to adopt modern methods; pressure of population on land lowering soil fertility; exploitative land tenure / moneylenders.

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 2 marks

The Green Revolution marked a transformation in Indian agriculture. (a) In the light of the above statement, explain how Green Revolution has been particularly significant for the Indian economy. (b) State two key inputs whose widespread use helped usher in the Green Revolution.

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(a) Any one: it brought bumper production of food grains and made India self-sufficient, ending food scarcity; it reduced imports and saved foreign exchange; it raised rural incomes and stimulated industrial growth. (b) Any two: High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds; chemical fertilisers; irrigation; pesticides; farm machinery.

ICSE 2027 sample paper · 3 marks

With reference to the cultivation of cash crops, answer the following questions: (a) Name the crop that predominantly grows in the hilly regions of West Bengal. (b) Give two climatic conditions present in this state that favours the cultivation of the crop mentioned in (a). (c) Which other state of India is noted as the leading producer of the crop mentioned in (a)?

Show answer

(a) Tea. (b) Any two: temperature of about 10 °C–35 °C; heavy rainfall of 150–250 cm well distributed through the year; (also: sloping, well-drained land at 900–2000 m; deep loamy soil rich in humus/nitrogen; shade trees). (c) Assam.

ICSE 2026 sample paper · 1 mark

Assertion (A): Agriculture in India is heavily dependent on monsoon rains. Reason (R): Most Indian farmers practice rainfed agriculture and lack access to irrigation facilities.

(A) is true but (R) is false.
(A) is false but (R) is true.
Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).
Both (A) and (R) are true but (R) is not the correct explanation of (A).

Show answer

Both (A) and (R) are true and (R) is the correct explanation of (A).

ICSE 2026 sample paper · 1 mark

Which crop is associated with Retting?

Sugarcane
Jute
Rice
Cotton

Show answer

Jute

ICSE 2026 board paper · 1 mark

The residue of __________ forms an important part of the cattle feed and manure.

groundnut
coffee
jute
pulses

Show answer

groundnut