Modern Agricultural Practices and Farming Systems

Key Agricultural Terms and Definitions

• Agriculture: The cultivation of crops and the domestication of animals is called agriculture.
• Animal Husbandry: Domesticating animals for the production of milk and meat is called animal husbandry.
• Green Revolution: A sudden rise in the production of crops by using High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, irrigation water, and chemical fertilizers is called the Green Revolution. It took place during the 1960s in our country.
• Horticulture: The cultivation of fruits and vegetables is called horticulture.
• Sericulture: The rearing of silkworms and the production of silk is called sericulture.
• Public Distribution System (PDS): This is a program which provides food grains and other essential items (such as rice, wheat, sugar, and kerosene oil) to rural people at subsidized rates (low prices).
• Minimum Support Price (MSP): This is the lowest price announced by the government at which food grains are procured by the Food Corporation of India (FCI).
• Genetic Engineering: This involves developing new and hybrid seeds by modifying the genes of the crops.

Traditional and Modern Farming Methods

Shifting Agriculture

Shifting agriculture is also called slash and burn agriculture. In this method, forest land is cleared and the vegetation is burnt. Agriculture is performed using very old tools on a very small scale. After one or two years, new land is selected and the same process is followed. This method of agriculture is very old, results in very low production, and also degrades forests. In the North-East, this agriculture is called jhumming or jhum cultivation.

Subsistence Farming

• Subsistence farming is done for self-consumption rather than for the market.
• It is practiced where population pressure on the land is very high.
• The size of agricultural fields is very small.
• Consumption of chemical fertilizers, HYV seeds, and insecticides is low.
• The use of machines and modern farm implements is minimal.
• Important crops include rice, jowar, and bajra.

Commercial Farming

• Commercial farming is conducted for the market, trade, and commerce.
• It is practiced where population pressure on the land is low.
• Agricultural fields are bigger in size.
• Consumption of chemical fertilizers, HYV seeds, and pesticides is high.
• Modern machines, such as tractors, harvesters, and combines, are used.
• Wheat, cotton, sugarcane, tea, and coffee are important crops.