Case Study Based Questions: Agriculture | Social Studies (SST) Class 8 PDF Download

Case Study 1

Gurpreet, Madho and Tina were walking through the village where they saw a farmer tilling land. The farmer told them that he was growing wheat and had just added manure to the soil to make it more fertile. He told the children that the wheat would fetch a good price in the mandi from where it would be taken to factories to make bread and biscuits from flour. This transformation from a plant to a finished product involves three types of economic activities. These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities. Primary activities include all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources. Agriculture, fishing and gathering are good examples. Secondary activities are concerned with the processing of these resources. Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth are examples of this activity. Tertiary activities provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services. Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of tertiary activities. Agriculture is a primary activity. It includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock. In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity. Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture. Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity. The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land . In the map you can see that agricultural activity is concentrated in those regions of the world where suitable factors for the growing of crops exist.

Question and Answer: 1 Mark

Q1: What does the farmer add to the soil to make a land more fertile?
Ans: The farmer adds manure to the soil to make a land more fertile.

Q2: What does agriculture include?
Ans: Agriculture includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock.

Question and Answer: 2 Mark

Q1: What types of economic activities are needed for the transformation from a plant to a finished product?
Ans: The transformation from a plant to a finished product involves three types of economic activities. These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

Q2: What are vital for agricultural activity?
Ans: Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity

Case Study 2

Agriculture: The science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising crops and rearing livestock. It is also called farming.
Sericulture: Commercial rearing of silk worms. It may supplement the income of the farmer.
Pisciculture: Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.
Viticulture: Cultivation of grapes.
Horticulture: Growing vegetables, flowers and fruits for commercial use.
Farming is practised in various ways across the world. Depending upon the geographical conditions, demand of produce, labour and level of technology, farming can be classified into two main types. These are subsistence farming and commercial 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. 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.

Question and Answer: 1 Mark

Q1: What is the meaning of Horticulture?
Ans: Horticulture means Growing vegetables, flowers and fruits for commercial use.

Q2: What is the main crop of intensive subsistence agriculture?
Ans: Rice is the main crop of intensive subsistence agriculture.

Question and Answer: 2 Mark

Q1: Where shifting cultivation is practiced?
Ans: Shifting cultivation is practiced in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of Southeast Asia and Northeast India.

Q2: Write down the classifications of subsistence farming?
Ans: Subsistence farming can be classified as- 1) intensive subsistence and 2) primitive subsistence farming.

Case Study 3

In mixed farming the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock. Nomadic Herders with their camels. A Sugarcane plantation Rationalized 2023-24 26 Resources and Development It is practiced 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 labor 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 A large variety of crops are grown to meet the requirement of the growing population. Crops also supply raw materials for agro based industries. Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and millets. Jute and cotton are fiber crops. Important beverage crops are tea and coffee. 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 favorable climatic conditions as in West Bengal and Bangladesh two to three crops are grown in a year. 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. Jute: Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fiber’. 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.

Question and Answer: 1 Mark

Q1: What is the use of land in mixed farming?
Ans: In mixed farming the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

Q2: What is the major food crop of the world?
Ans: Rice is the major food crop of the world.

Question and Answer: 2 Mark

Q1: What climatic condition required for the growth of cotton?
Ans: Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.

Q2: What is the other name of jute? and where is it grown up?
Ans: Jute was also known as the ‘Golden Fiber’. 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.