TYPES OF FARMING

4.1 TYPES OF FARMING

Description

Quick Overview

This section introduces the various types of farming in India, elucidating the distinctions between primitive subsistence, intensive subsistence, and commercial farming.

Standard

Farming in India has evolved significantly over time and can be categorized into different types such as primitive subsistence farming, intensive subsistence farming, and commercial farming. Each type is influenced by factors such as population density, technological advancement, and socio-economic conditions.

Detailed

Types of Farming

Agriculture is fundamental to India's economy, employing two-thirds of the population and serving as a primary source of food and raw materials for various industries. The types of farming practiced in India are classified based on techniques, scale, and purpose.

1. Primitive Subsistence Farming

This method is characterized by small-scale cultivation using simple tools, largely dependent on natural environmental factors. It provides just enough produce for the farmer’s family, exemplified by practices like 'slash and burn' agriculture, which is referred to as Jhumming in the northeastern states like Assam and Meghalaya.

2. Intensive Subsistence Farming

Common in densely populated areas, it involves high labor input and the application of biochemical inputs to maximize yield from limited land. Here, farmers strive for efficient land use.

3. Commercial Farming

This type utilizes modern agricultural inputs, with a focus on significant market production. It can range from single crop plantations to diversified farming systems, often integrating agriculture and industry. Examples include extensive plantations of tea and coffee.

Through understanding these modes of farming, we can better appreciate the diversity of agricultural practices in India and their socio-economic significance.

Key Concepts

  • Primitive Subsistence Farming: Utilizes simple tools and small land for family sustenance.

  • Intensive Subsistence Farming: Labor-intensive, biochemical inputs are used to maximize production.

  • Commercial Farming: Aimed at market production, capital-intensive with high-yield practices.

Memory Aids

🎵 Rhymes Time

  • Farming in layers, layer by layer, shift the soil as we pray-er.

📖 Fascinating Stories

  • Once in a small village, farmers cleared patches of land, growing only enough for their own needs, but they moved on as the soil tired out.

🧠 Other Memory Gems

  • Remember 'C-Brick' for commercial farming: Crops, Biochemical, Revenue, Industry, Cash.

🎯 Super Acronyms

Use 'PIE' to remember Primitive, Intensive, and Commercial farming.

Examples

  • In Assam, Jhumming, or slash and burn agriculture, demonstrates primitive farming methods.

  • Intensive subsistence farms often grow rice in states like West Bengal where population density is high.

  • Commercial crops like tea and coffee are produced in plantations in Assam and Kerala.

Glossary of Terms

  • Term: Primitive Subsistence Farming

    Definition:

    A farming system that relies on small-scale cultivation using basic tools and is mainly for self-sustenance.

  • Term: Intensive Subsistence Farming

    Definition:

    A type of farming characterized by high labor input and biochemical usage to maximize yields on limited land.

  • Term: Commercial Farming

    Definition:

    Farming aimed at producing crops primarily for sale in the market rather than for personal consumption.

  • Term: Jhumming

    Definition:

    A local term for 'slash and burn' agriculture practiced in some parts of northeastern India.