Cheat Sheet: The Story Of Indian Farming

1. Indian Farming: Overview & Early History

1.1 Key Statistics

1.2 Early cultivation and texts

• Earliest cultivation evidence dated to millennia: 7th-8th millennium BCE; 7th millennium BCE; 3rd millennium BCE; Kalibangan ~2800 BCE
• Intercropping practised at Kalibangan (~2800 BCE)
• Progressive cultivation of oilseeds, legumes, fibre crops, and fruits over centuries
• Domestication of animals from around 3500 BCE: cattle, sheep, goats, dogs, pigs, fowl

2. Climate, Soils, Seasons, Crops, Practices, Institutions, Challenges

2.1 Climate and Monsoon

• Xuanzang (7th-century) noted climate and soil differences cause varied agricultural produce
• India's diverse climates include: Alpine (Himalayas)
• Temperate (Lower Himalayas)
• Subtropical (Northern plains)
• Arid (Thar Desert)
• Tropical wet (Western coastal strip)
• Semi-arid (Central Deccan Plateau)
• Tropical (Eastern India and the southern peninsula)

2.2 Soil: formation, types, properties

• Soil formation sequence: bedrock weathers; organic materials aid breakdown; soil layers form; developed soil supports vegetation
• Humus defined as dark organic matter formed by decomposition; nutrient-rich and moisture-retaining
• Weathering defined as the breakdown of rocks into soil particles

2.3 Seasons and cropping rhythm

2.3.1 Crop associations (each crop listed once)

2.4 Soil conservation and farming practices

• Crop rotation
• Multiple cropping
• Contour ploughing
• Use of organic fertilisers such as cow dung
• Panchagavya (fermented mixture of five cow products) used as biofertilizer
• Terracing to slow water runoff
• Afforestation to prevent erosion
• Mulching with organic material
• Precise fertiliser application
• Terrace farming as a method on hilly slopes
• Kulaagar (homestead farming in Konkan Plains)
• Gokrishi (cows provide manure; bullocks plough)

2.5 Water: rain-fed versus irrigated agriculture

• Traditional irrigation structures include kull, kund, ahar, pokhar, khadin, arakere, kolam, surangam, tadagam, eri
• Phad systems: community-based small canals in Maharashtra
• Bamboo drip irrigation: bamboo pipes channel spring water in Northeast India
• Drip irrigation: delivers water slowly to plant roots via tubes and emitters
• Sprinkler irrigation: sprays water into air to simulate rain

2.6 Seeds, technology and institutions

• Many farmers now buy seeds from companies for higher yields; such seeds often are unsuitable for saving for next season

2.7 Agricultural systems, innovations and sustainability

• Long-term Green Revolution limitations: soil impoverishment, groundwater depletion, pesticide and fertiliser contamination, health impacts
• Sustainable agriculture aims to combine modern productivity with traditional wisdom and Indian Knowledge Systems (IKS)
• Organic farming avoids chemical fertilisers and pesticides; uses compost, seed cake, manure
• Neem-based pesticides are natural and less harmful than chemical pesticides
• Sikkim achieved 100% organic status by banning chemical fertilisers and pesticides in 2014
• FAO-recognised traditional practices include saffron farming in Kashmir, Odisha integrated forest-agriculture systems, below-sea-level methods in Kerala
• Hydroponics grows plants in nutrient-rich water without soil

2.8 Role of government and support measures

• Government provides access to seeds, fertilisers and pesticides
• Weather forecast information for farmers
• Research and training on new farming practices
• Lower electricity prices for irrigation
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (crop insurance scheme)
• Government purchases important crops to ensure fair prices
• Promotion of cold storage
• Digital technology for better market access
• Special radio and TV programmes for farmers

2.9 Challenges faced by farmers

• Small landholdings limit income and mechanisation
• Average landholding size is about 3/4 hectare
• Unpredictable weather and climate change increase crop risk
• Water stress exemplified by Ganga River basin under pressure from warming, diversion, groundwater pumping, and dams
• Debt trap from loans taken during hardship
• Non-affordability of modern equipment
• Market challenges in selling produce
• Inadequate supplementary income from livestock, poultry, apiculture

2.10 Key terms and definitions