CBSE Class 8 Geography Agriculture Worksheet Set B

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ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES

All those activities which gives us income are called economic activities. There are three types of economic activities. These are primary, secondary and Tertiary activities.

• (i) Primary activities: It includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources. Such as agriculture, fishing and gathering.
• (ii) Secondary activities: Such activities are concerned with the processing of these resources. Manufacturing of steel, baking of breadand weaving.
• (iii) Tertiary activities: These activities provide support to the primary and secondary sector through services, transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising.

Agriculture:

• (i) The word agriculture is derived from Latin words ‘ager’ or ‘agri’ meaning soil and ‘culture’ meaning, cultivation or tilling of soil. Agriculture is a primary activity. It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock. In the world, \( 50 \) percent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity. Two thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture.
• (ii) Favorable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity. The land on which the crops are gown is known as arable land. Agricultural activity is concentrated in those regions of the world where suitable factors for the growing of crops exist.

FARM SYSTEM

Agriculture or farming can be looked at as a system. The important inputs are seeds, fertilisers, machinery and labour. Some of the operations involved are ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting. The outputs from the system include crops, wool, dairy and poultry products.

TYPES OF FARMING

SUBSISTENCE FARMING

This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family. Traditionally, low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce on small output. Subsistence farming can be further classified as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

In intensive subsistence agriculture the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. Climate with large number of days with sunshine and fertile soils permit growing of more than one crop annually on the same plot. Rice is the main crop. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.

Primitive subsistence agriculture includes shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.

Shifting cultivation is practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of southeast Asia and Northeast India. These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation. A plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil and crops like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown. After the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot. Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

Nomadic herding is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. In this type of farming, herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes. This type of movement arises in response to climatic constraints and terrain. Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared. They provide milk, meat, wool, hides and other products to the herders and their families.

COMMERCIAL FARMING

In commercial farming crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market. The area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large. Most of the work is done by machines. Commercial farming includes commercial grain farming, mixed farming and plantation agriculture.

In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose. Wheat and maize are common commercially grown grains. Major areas where commercial grain farming is pracised are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia. These areas are sparsely populated with large farms spreading over hundreds of hectares. Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a single crop can be grown.

In mixed farming the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock. It is practised in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, southeast Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

Plantations are a type of commercial farming where single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown. Large amount of labour and capital are required. The produce may be processed on the farm itself or in nearby factories. The development of a transport network is thus essential for such farming. Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the world. Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka are some examples.

MAJOR CROPS

Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and millets. Jute and cotton are fibre crops. Important beverage crops are tea and coffee.

• 1. Rice: Rice is the major food crop of the world. It is the staple diet of the tropical and sub-tropical regions. Rice needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial clayey soil, which can retain water. China leads in the production of rice followed by India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt. In favourable climatic conditions as in West Bengal and Bangladesh two to three crops are grown in a year.
• 2. Wheat: Wheat requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest. It thrives best in well drained loamy soil. Wheat is grown extensively in USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India. In India it is grown in winter.
• 3. Millets: They are also known as coarse grains and can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils. It is a hardy crop that needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate rainfall. Jowar, bajra and ragi are grown in India. Other countries are Nigeria, China and Niger.
• 4. Maize: Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine. It needs well-drained fertile soils. Maize is grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico.
• 5. Cotton: Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth. It grows best on black and alluvial soils. China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton. It is one of the main raw materials for the cotton textile industry.
• 6. Coffee: Coffee requires warm and wet climate and well- drained loamy soil. Hill slopes are more suitable for growth of this crop. Brazil is the leading producer followed by Columbia and India.
• 7. Tea: Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations. This requires cool climate and well distributed high rainfall throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves.
• 8. Jute: Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’. It grows well on alluvial soil and requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate. This crop is grown in the tropical areas. India and Bangladesh are the leading producers of jute.

AGRICULTURE DEVELOPMENT

Agricultural Development refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand of increasing population. This can be achieved in many ways such as increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds. Mechanisation of agriculture is also another aspect of agricultural development. The ultimate aim of agricultural development is to increase food security.

Agriculture has developed at different places in different parts of the world. Developing countries with large populations usually practise intensive agriculture where crops are grown on small holdings mostly for subsistence. Larger holdings are more suitable for commercial agriculture as in USA, Canada and Australia. With the help of two case studies of farms — one from India and the other from the USA.

A FARM IN INDIA

• (i) The size of an average farm is very small. This is chiefly due to the repeated division of a plot among the heirs of the cultivator generation after generation.
• (ii) The land is intensively cultivated. Double cropping and multiple cropping are common.
• (iii) The farm produce is used mainly for self sustenance and there is very little surplus.
• (iv) The use of machines is very limited. Most farmers are too poor to afford expensive farm machinery. As the density of population is high, manual labour is cheap and is widely used in farm operations.
• (v) There is limited use of chemical fertilisers, pesticides, improved seeds and modern methods of farming. This is partly due to lack of awareness and partly due to poverty.
• (vi) There has been limited development of pastoral farming and mixed farming. The farm is used mainly for growing food. As the land is usually not used for growing fodder, farm animals are fed on farm wastes. No special provisions are made for housing these animals of caring for them.
• (vii) The farm is usually managed by illiterate farmers. Schemes are now being introduced to raise their level of awareness.
• (viii) The yield of crops are generally low.

A FARM IN USA

• (i) The average size of a farm in the USA is much larger than that of an Indian farm. A typical farm size in the USA is about \( 250 \) hectares. This is because land is abundant and cheap.
• (ii) The extensive type of agriculture is practised. Single-cropping is the usual practise, with scope for growing fodder crops.
• (iii) Agriculture is commercial. Most of the produce is sold. As the local demand is small, there is a large surplus, which is exported.
• (iv) Farms are highly mechanised, most operations being performed by machines. As farms are large, the use of machines is a necessity. Also, manual labour is scarce and hence expensive.
• (v) High-yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and modern methods of farming are used. As the farmers are wealthy, they can easily afford these. However, due to the adverse effects of chemicals, farmers are now switching to ecofriendly methods.
• (vi) Animals are reared using scientific methods, both on ranches and on dairy farms. Mixed farming is common, which is a boon to farmers in the event of a crop failure. Fodder crops are grown to feed farm animals.
• (vii) Tech farm is managed by well-educated farmers, who are aware of the latest techniques and development in the field of agriculture and the conditions prevailing in the market.
• (viii) The yield per acre is lower than in many other countries, but the yield per worker is high.
• (ix) The farmer in USA works like a businessman and not like a peasant farmer.

INTERSTING FACT

• 1. Organic farming is a type of farming in which organic manure and natural pesticides are used instead of chemicals. No genetic modification is done to increase the yield of the crop.
• 2. Shifting cultivation is known by different names in different types of the world. For e.g. Jhumming in North-East India, Milpa in Mexico and Ladang in Malaysia.
• 3. Maize is also known as corn. Various colourful varieties of maize are found across the world.
• 4. There are different versions about the discovery of coffee. In about AD \( 850 \). Kaldi, an Arab goat herder, who was puzzled by the queer antics of his flock, tasted the berris of the evergreen bush on which the goats were feeding. On experiencing a sense of exhilaration, he proclaimed his discovery to the world.
• 5. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

EXERCISE 

Question. Q.1 Horticulture means:
(a) growing of fruits and vegetables
(b) primitive farming
(c) growing of wheat
(d) growing of coffee
Answer: A

Question. Q.2 The term Golden fibre is often used for:
(a) Tea
(b) Cotton
(c) Jute
(d) Synthetic yam
Answer: C

Question. Q.3 Leading producer of coffee:
(a) Brazil
(b) India
(c) Russia
(d) China
Answer: A

Question. Q.4 Coarse grains are also called:
(a) Maize
(b) Rice
(c) Wheat
(d) Millets
Answer: D

Question. Q.5 Type of farming to meet family needs:
(a) Commercial grain farming
(b) Subsistence farming
(c) Mixed framing
(d) Plantation
Answer: B

Question. Q.6 Rearing of animals for sale:
(a) Nomadic herding
(b) Shifting cultivation
(c) Intensive farming
(d) Commercial farming
Answer: D

Question. Q.7 Growing grapes for wines.
(a) Viticulture
(b) Sericulture
(c) Pisciculture
(d) Horticulture
Answer: A

Question. Q.8 Requires 210 frost - free days for growth
(a) Rice
(b) Wheat
(c) Maize
(d) Cotton
Answer: D

Question. Q.9 Cultivation involving slash and burn
(a) Shifting cultivation
(b) Nomadic herding
(c) Mixed farming
(d) Plantation
Answer: A

Question. Q.10 Also called Golden Fibre.
(a) Jute
(b) Coffee
(c) Tea
(d) Cotton
Answer: A

Question. Q.11 When crops are combined with livestock the type of farming is known as:
(a) Mixed Farming
(b) Commercial grain farming
(c) Nomadic herding
(d) Intensive farming
Answer: A

Question. Q.12 Which country is the largest producer and seller of maize?
(a) China
(b) The U.S.A.
(c) Russia
(d) Canada
Answer: B

Question. Q.13 The crop requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and sunshine at the time of harvesting:
(a) Wheat
(b) Rice
(c) Maize
(d) Millet
Answer: A

Question. Q.14 More labour is required in:
(a) Shifting cultivation
(b) Horticulture
(c) Plantation
(d) Nomadic herding
Answer: C

Question. Q.15 Commercial grain farming is not common in:
(a) Asia
(b) Europe
(c) North America
(d) South America
Answer: D