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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search India comprises various farming systems that are strategically utilized, according to the locations where they are most suitable. The farming systems that significantly contribute to the domestic GDP of India are subsistence farming, organic farming, and industrial farming.[1] Regions throughout India differ in types of farming they use; some are based on horticulture, ley farming, agroforestry, and many more.[1] Due to India's geographical location, certain parts experience different climates, thus affecting each region's agricultural productivity differently. India is very dependent on its monsoon-based periodic rainfall. If it weren't for large government involvement in storage of water for agricultural irrigation, only some parts of India would receive rainfall throughout the year, making many other regions arid. Dependency on these monsoons is risky because there are great variations in the average amount of rainfall received by the various regionsfrom too much for most crops in the eastern Himalayas to never enough in Rajasthan. Season-to-season variations of rainfall are also significant and the consequences of these are bumper harvests and crop searing.[2] For this reason, irrigation in India is one of the main priorities in Indian farming. India agriculture has an extensive background which goes back to at least 10 thousand years. Currently the country holds the second position in agricultural production in the world. In 2007, agriculture and other industries such as lumbering and forestry made up more than 16% of India's GDP. Despite the steady decline in agriculture's contribution to the country's GDP, India agriculture is the biggest industry in the country and plays a key role in the socioeconomic growth of the country. India is the second biggest producer of wheat, rice, cotton, sugarcane, silk, groundnuts, and dozens more. It is also the second biggest harvester of vegetables and fruit, representing 8.6% and 10.9% of overall production, respectively. The major fruits produced by India are mangoes, papayas, sapota, and bananas. India also has the biggest number of livestock in the world, holding 281 million. In 2008, the country housed the second largest number of cattle in the world with 175 million.[3]
Contents
1 Brief History 2 Climate Effect on Farming Systems 3 Irrigation Farming o 3.1 Problems From Irrigation o 3.2 Geography of Irrigation in India 4 Shifting Cultivation o 4.1 Shifting Cultivation in Orissa o 4.2 Impacts of Shifting Cultivation 5 Commercial Agriculture
o 5.1 Types of Commercial Agriculture 6 Ley Farming 7 Plantation Farming o 7.1 Forestry o 7.2 Teak and Bamboo 8 Crop Rotation o 8.1 Reasons for Crop Rotation o 8.2 Different Sequences of Crop Rotation o 8.3 Pearl Millet 9 Dairy Farming 10 Co-operative Farming 11 References 12 Further reading
Since Indias independence, food and cash crop supply has greatly improved with the establishment of special programs such as The Grow More Food Campaign[4] in the 1940s and the Integrated Production Program in the 1950s. Land reclamation and development, mechanization, electrification, and the use of chemicals soon followed agricultural development. Before Indias agricultural and economic fall under British control, Indias entire agriculture was practiced organically; materials like fertilizers and pesticides were obtained from plant and animal products. Organic farming shifted to chemical farming in the 1960s when the Green Revolution became the governments most important program for sustaining a rich and stable agricultural economy. India has become one of the largest producers of wheat, edible oil, potatoes, spices, rubber, tea, fishing, fruits, and vegetables in the world. Between 2003 and 2004, agriculture accounted for 22% of Indias GDP and employed 58% of the countrys workforce and continues to hold these statistics today[4]
Climate Regions of India There are three different types of crops that are cultivated throughout India. Each type is grown in a different season depending on their compatibility with certain weather. Kharif crops are
grown at the start of the monsoon until the beginning of the winter, relatively from June to November. Examples of such crops are rice, corn, millets, groundnut, moong, and urad. Rabi crops are sown from the beginning of the winter until the beginning of the summer, generally from October to April. Crops grown at this time of year are wheat, barley, grain, oilseeds, and more. Zaid crops are rarer than the prior two because they are grown in the short season of the summer. Watermelons and cucumbers are examples of zaid crops.[5]
consequences of shifting agriculture. Areas that have a fallow cycle of 5 to 10 years are more vulnerable to weed invasion compared to 15 year cycles, which have more soil nutrients, larger variety of species, and higher agronomic yield.[8]
[edit] Forestry
In contrast to a naturally regenerated forest, tree plantations are typically grown as even-aged monocultures, primarily for timber production. These plantations are also likely to contain tree species that would not naturally grow in the area. They may include unconventional types of trees such as hybrids, and genetically modified trees are likely to be used in the future. Plantation owners will grow trees that are best suited to industrial applications such as pine, spruce, and eucalyptus due to their fast growth rate, tolerance of rich or degraded agricultural land, and potential to produce large quantities of raw material for industrial use. Plantations are always young forests in ecological terms; this means that these forests don't contain the type of growth, soil or wildlife that is typical of old-growth natural ecosystems in a forest. The replacement of natural forest with tree plantations has also caused social problems. In some countries, there is little concern or regard for the rights of the local people when replacing natural forests with plantations. Because these plantations are made solely for the production of one material, there is a much smaller range of services for the local people. India has taken measures to avoid this by limiting the amount of land that can be owned by someone. As a result, smaller plantations are owned by local farmers who then sell the wood to larger companies.[11]
pulse-like moth or mungbean, or is followed by fallow, sesame, potato, mustard, moth bean, and guar. Sesame crop may be low-yielding and may be replaced by castor or groundnut.[12]