LIWA

Types of Agriculture

ICSE Class 6 · Geography · Chapter 5

What this chapter covers

Key definitions

Agriculture is the work of growing crops and rearing animals for food, fibre and other useful things.

Subsistence farming is a type of farming in which a farmer grows crops mainly to feed his own family, with little or nothing left to sell.

Intensive subsistence farming is a type of farming in which a farmer works very hard on a small piece of land to get the largest possible harvest from it.

Extensive farming is a type of farming in which large areas of land are farmed with few workers and little labour or money spent on each field.

Shifting cultivation is a type of subsistence farming in which a patch of forest is cleared and burnt, farmed for a few years, and then left so that the farmers can move to a new patch.

Commercial farming is a type of farming in which crops are grown and animals are reared mainly for sale in the market, to earn money.

Plantation farming is a type of commercial farming in which a single crop, such as tea, coffee or rubber, is grown on a very large estate for sale.

The Green Revolution is the name given to the large and quick increase in the production of food grains, especially wheat and rice, that came from using new farming methods.

Key points

Questions answered

What is agriculture?
Agriculture is the work of growing crops and rearing animals for food, fibre and other useful things.
What is the main difference between subsistence farming and commercial farming?
In subsistence farming the farmer grows food mainly for his own family. In commercial farming crops are grown mainly for sale.
Why do farmers in crowded regions practise intensive farming?
Land is scarce and there are many people to feed, so every small field must give as much food as possible.
How is extensive subsistence farming different from intensive subsistence farming?
In extensive farming a family spreads its work over a large area of poor or dry land, with little labour on each field and a small harvest from each. In intensive farming a family works very hard on a small plot to get the largest possible harvest from it.
Why is shifting cultivation harmful when too many people practise it?
Large areas of forest are cut down, and the land does not get enough time to recover, so the soil is washed away.
Name the three plantation crops in this chapter and one Indian state for each.
Tea in Assam, coffee in Karnataka and rubber in Kerala.
How did the Green Revolution help India?
Wheat production rose very fast, so India grew enough grain to feed its people and to store some for bad years. Farmers who used the new methods earned more money.
Name three new methods that came with the Green Revolution.
High-yielding variety seeds, irrigation and chemical fertilisers (pesticides and machines are also correct).