NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 2 Chapter 01 The Story of Indian Farming PDF Download

Chapter 1: The Story of Indian Farming

[Figure 1.1: (1) Ploughing a field with a ploughshare pulled by oxen. (2) A farmer uses a tractor to plough the land. (3) Women transplanting rice seedlings. (4) Transplanting seedlings using a transplanter. (5) Separating wheat from the stalk using a threshing machine. (6) Transporting vegetables on the Dal Lake, Kashmir, See in your textbook]

The Big Questions

1. What are the main characteristics of Indian agriculture?
2. How are farming, climate, soil, and water interrelated?
3. How can traditional practices and contemporary ones complement each other?

India's Agricultural Landscape

Farming or agriculture is one of the oldest occupations of humankind. It encompasses the preparation of soil, cultivation of plants, rearing of livestock, and, in many cases, the growing of trees as part of a comprehensive farming system. In some areas, farmers also practice pisciculture (fish rearing) or rear cocoons to extract silk thread. Very broadly, the term 'agriculture' encompasses farming, animal husbandry (raising livestock), forestry, and horticulture.

Don't Miss Out

The word agriculture comes from Latin. Agri means field and culture means to cultivate. The Government of India classifies economic activities related to agriculture as 'agriculture and allied activities'. Broadly, this includes agriculture, livestock-related activities, beekeeping (apiculture), fisheries, rearing of silkworms and preparing silk yarn, and fibre production, such as cotton and hemp.

A little over 18 per cent of the country's total value of goods and services produced in a year (gross domestic product) comes from agriculture and allied activities (2022-2023). Approximately 46 per cent of India's working population is engaged in agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood (2022-2023). A large proportion of families in India are closely connected to the land in one way or another, and in many cases, have been cultivating it for generations. Farming activities are, of course, essential for nurturing and sustaining the human population.

Think About It

When you read or hear the word 'farmer', what do you visualise? Many people imagine a man. However, in rural areas of India, more than 75 per cent of people working in the agriculture sector are women (2025). They perform most of the farming operations, from sowing to harvesting and threshing.

Teacher's Note

Notice that agriculture in India is not just one type of activity - it includes farming crops, raising animals, beekeeping, fishing, and silk production. When the chapter mentions "agriculture and allied activities," it means all these are linked together. In your exam, if asked to name different types of agricultural work, remember to include animal husbandry, forestry, and horticulture alongside crop farming.

India's agricultural landscape is a vibrant blend of traditional and modern farming practices, with diverse crops and deep-rooted cultural traditions. From the golden wheat fields of Punjab, the saffron valley of Kashmir, the lush tea gardens of the Northeast or the Nilgiris to the emerald paddy fields of Kerala, agriculture has long been a fundamental part of the nation's identity.

Let's Explore

Create a list of the foods you typically eat. Identify the grains, pulses, oils, vegetables, and fruits in them. Now locate where you live on a physical map of India. (You may refer to the political map of India at the end of the book if you wish.) Which of the food items do you think grow in and around where you live? What do you think are the reasons that they are cultivated in your region? Which of them comes from other places? Why do you think they are not grown in your area?

You may have reasoned that growing crops is dependent on several factors - the soil, the climate, the availability of water, the terrain, and so on. The story of farming is, therefore, linked to these factors. We will look at some of these factors in this chapter. But before that, we need to go back a little in time...

Echoes from the Past

The story of Indian farming goes back to prehistory. Archaeological investigations have shown the presence of rice grains in the Ganga Plain as early as the 7th or 8th millennium BCE. Some experts have, however, pointed out that this need not mean that rice cultivation was already systematic; that may have taken a few more millennia to be mastered. At Mehrgarh (in Baluchistan, a site antecedent of the Sindhu-Saraswati civilisation), the cultivation of barley and millets is also dated to the 7th millennium BCE. Later, barley and wheat were the staple crops of the Harappans; several Harappan sites also point to the presence of rice in the 3rd millennium BCE, at least in some regions, apart from millets and several vegetables.

Teacher's Note

Be careful not to confuse the presence of rice grains with systematic cultivation of rice. The text says rice grains were found in the Ganga Plain in the 7th or 8th millennium BCE, but experts think it took several more centuries for proper rice farming to develop. This is an important distinction when you answer questions about early agriculture in India.

Key Points

• Agriculture in India includes farming, animal husbandry, forestry, horticulture, and related activities like fishing and beekeeping.
• About 46 per cent of India's working population depends on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood, with women performing most farming operations in rural areas.
• Growing crops depends on several factors such as soil, climate, water availability, and terrain.
• Archaeological evidence shows that rice grains were present in the Ganga Plain and barley and millets were cultivated at Mehrgarh as early as the 7th millennium BCE, though systematic cultivation took longer to develop.
• India's agricultural landscape varies across regions, from wheat fields in Punjab to tea gardens in the Northeast and paddy fields in Kerala.

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