Indian Agriculture: Farming Types, Features & Challenges | Lucent for GK - UPSC PDF Download

Types of Farming in India

Subsistence Farming

• The majority of Indian farmers practice subsistence farming, which means they cultivate crops primarily for their own consumption. Landholdings are small and fragmented, and cultivation techniques remain primitive and simple. This type of farming relies on monsoon rains and natural fertility of the soil, with limited use of modern equipment and agricultural inputs. Farmers typically cultivate cereals, oilseeds, pulses, vegetables, and sugarcane. Subsistence farming can be further classified into two types:

Intensive Primitive Subsistence Agriculture

• Practiced on small patches of land with simple tools and ample labor, this form of farming sustains local consumption and a small surplus for sale. Common crops include rice, wheat, maize, pulses, and oilseeds.

Shifting Agriculture and Nomadic Herding

• Shifting agriculture is prevalent in thickly forested regions where farmers clear land by cutting down trees and burning them. Crops like maize, yam, potatoes, and cassava are grown, and the land is abandoned once its fertility declines.
• Nomadic herding is practiced in arid regions where herders move with their animals in search of fodder and water, driven by seasonal changes.

Intensive and Extensive Farming

• The fundamental difference between these two types lies in the production per unit of land. Extensive farming involves large land areas with low production per unit, while intensive farming focuses on high production per unit of land. An example of intensive farming can be found in Kerala, where land availability for cultivation is limited.

Commercial Farming

• Contrasting subsistence farming, commercial farming involves the sale of the majority of the produce in the market to generate income. Farmers employ modern agricultural inputs, including irrigation, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of seeds. Commercial crops like cotton, jute, sugarcane, and groundnut are grown for commercial purposes.

Plantation Farming

• In plantation farming, a single cash crop is cultivated solely for sale in national and international markets. Examples include tea, coffee, rubber, bananas, and spices, introduced to India during the British colonial era.

Mixed Farming

• This approach involves simultaneous cultivation of crops and rearing of animals. Farmers practicing mixed farming enjoy economic advantages and often combine both food and cash crops with animal husbandry.

Features of Indian Agriculture

Indian agriculture boasts several distinctive features that make it stand out on the global stage:

• Predominance of Food Crops: Food crop production remains a top priority for farmers across the country.
• Variety of Crops: With tropical and temperate climates, India cultivates crops from both climate zones, making it one of the most diverse agricultural countries.
• Monsoon Dependency: Despite significant irrigation expansion, only about one-third of India's cropped area is irrigated, leaving the rest dependent on monsoon rains.
• Seasonal Patterns: India follows three distinct cropping seasons - Kharif, rabi, and Zaid - each associated with specific crops.

Challenges for Indian Agriculture

Indian agriculture faces a host of challenges, both long-standing and emerging:

• Stagnation in Production: The production of major staple food crops like rice and wheat has plateaued, leading to a widening gap between demand and supply.
• High Input Costs: Farmers grapple with increasing costs of farm inputs, impacting low and medium-land-holding farmers disproportionately.
• Soil Exhaustion: Repeated cultivation of the same crop has led to soil exhaustion, depleting essential nutrients.
• Groundwater Depletion: Excessive groundwater use for irrigation in certain regions has led to its depletion, posing a serious water crisis.
• Global Climate Change: Predicted impacts of climate change, such as rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, threaten crop production.
• Impact of Globalization: Trade liberalization and reduced subsidies expose Indian farmers to competition from heavily subsidized produce in developed countries.
• Ensuring Food Security: Meeting the food demands of a growing population remains a challenge, necessitating accessible, affordable, and nutritious food.
• Farmers Suicides: High debt and the decline of agricultural investments have contributed to a distressing rise in farmer suicides.

Important Facts about Indian Agriculture

• In FY20, India recorded a total food grain production of 296.65 million tonnes, which rose by 11.44 million tonnes from the previous fiscal year.
• The government aims to purchase 42.74 million tonnes of food grains in FY21, a 10% increase from FY20.
• Gross Value Added (GVA) by agriculture, forestry, and fishing was estimated at Rs. 19.48 lakh crore in FY20, contributing 17.8% to India's GVA at current prices.