Agriculture and agricultural seasons
The roti on your plate began as a wheat seed sown in a field months ago. Rain, soil and the farmer's work together made it grow.
We get food from plants. Crops grown from June to October are kharif (खरीप) crops, and crops grown from October to March are rabi (रब्बी) crops.
Rule 1: Agricultural seasons — Grains are sown in fields and fruit trees are planted in orchards. About 60% of our country's land is used for agriculture. In the kharif season (June to October) crops get water mainly from rain. In the rabi season (October to March) water comes from rain soaked into the soil, the retreating monsoon and dew. Crops grown from March to June are summer crops.
In the figure : In the figure kharif is June to October, rabi is October to March, and summer crops grow from March to June.
- Easy : Easy: Kharif crops are sown with the rains in June.
- Medium : Medium: The kharif season lasts 5 months (June to October).
- Exam-type : Exam: The rabi season lasts 6 months (October to March).
Rule 2: Good harvest and farming then and now — A good harvest gives a good income. Fertile land, good seeds and fertilizers, and water are essential. In traditional farming oxen did the ploughing, a huge leather bag called mot pulled by oxen drew water from the well, and the farmer's family harvested and threshed. Now farmers use machines.
- Easy : Easy: Oxen ploughed the fields earlier.
- Medium : Medium: A mot drew water from the well.
- Exam-type : Exam: Now machines do many farm jobs.
Kharif: June–October. Rabi: October–March. Summer: March–June.
Mixing up kharif and rabi. Kharif starts with the rains.
Memory clue: "खरीप = पावसाळा, रब्बी = हिवाळा".
Spot the difference
| Season | Months | Water source |
|---|---|---|
| Kharif | June–October | Rain |
| Rabi | October–March | Soil moisture, dew |
| Summer | March–June | Irrigation |
Practice questions
- 1What percentage of our land is used for agriculture?
- 2In which months is the kharif season?
- 3In which months is the rabi season?
- 4What are crops grown from March to June called?
- 5What gives water to kharif crops?
- 6Name three things needed for a good harvest.
- 7What was a mot and what did it do?
- 8Why do rabi crops not depend on the rain of that season?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1About 60%.
- 2June to October.
- 3October to March.
- 4Summer crops.
- 5Mainly the rain.
- 6Fertile land, good seeds and water.
- 7A huge leather bag pulled by oxen to draw water from a well.
- 8The monsoon has retreated; they use soil moisture, dew and irrigation.
Improved seeds and modern irrigation
Grandfather saved some grain from each harvest as seeds for the next year. Today scientists give farmers special seeds that give more grain.
Improved seeds (सुधारित बियाणे) give a higher yield. Drip irrigation (ठिबक सिंचन) and sprinkle irrigation (तुषार सिंचन) save water.
Rule 1: Improved seeds — Earlier, seeds from one harvest were kept for the next season, but their yield was not high. Today, research has produced improved seeds for crops like jowar, rice, groundnut and wheat. They give a higher yield, resist pests, some ripen sooner and some give a good yield even with little water.
- Easy : Easy: Improved seeds give more grain.
- Medium : Medium: Some improved seeds ripen in a shorter time.
- Exam-type : Exam: Some improved seeds give a high yield with little water.
Rule 2: Saving water — Farmers use water from rivers, lakes and wells along with rain. Dams and bunds store more water and raise the groundwater level. Much canal water is lost by evaporation and seepage, so modern methods are used. In drip irrigation, pipes with holes drip water only near the plants. In sprinkle irrigation, sprinklers spray water over the plants. Both save a lot of water.
In the figure : In the figure both methods give water only where it is needed, so a lot of water is saved.
- Easy : Easy: Drip irrigation uses pipes with holes.
- Medium : Medium: Sprinklers spray water on the plants.
- Exam-type : Exam: Canals lose water by evaporation and seepage, so drip or sprinkle methods are better.
Improved seeds = more yield. Drip and sprinkle = save water.
Mixing up drip and sprinkle. Drip = drops near roots; sprinkle = spray from above.
Memory clue: "ठिबक = थेंब, तुषार = फवारा".
Spot the difference
| Method | How water reaches plants |
|---|---|
| Canal | Some water lost |
| Drip | Drops near the plant |
| Sprinkle | Spray on the plants |
Practice questions
- 1Why are improved seeds better?
- 2Name two crops with improved seeds.
- 3How do dams help farmers?
- 4Why is canal water lost?
- 5What is drip irrigation?
- 6What is sprinkle irrigation?
- 7Which method suits a field with little water? Why?
- 8Why did saving seeds from last year's crop not give a high yield?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Higher yield and pest resistance.
- 2Wheat and rice (or jowar, groundnut).
- 3They store water and raise the groundwater level.
- 4By evaporation and seepage.
- 5Pipes with holes drip water only near the plants.
- 6Sprinklers spray water over the plants.
- 7Drip irrigation, since it gives water only where it is needed.
- 8Those seeds were not specially improved by research.
Fertilizers, organic farming and protection of crops
If you eat the same sweet every day, you get bored. The soil also gets tired if the same crop is grown again and again, so farmers must feed the soil.
Fertilizers (खते) add nutrients to the soil. Natural fertilizers are called manures (शेणखत इ.). Chemical fertilizers are mixtures of chemicals.
Rule 1: Fertilizers — Growing the same crop again and again lowers soil fertility, so fertilizers are added. Natural fertilizers (manures) come from green waste and animal dung. Chemical fertilizers are mixtures of chemical substances in specific proportions. Too much chemical fertilizer makes chemicals pile up in the soil and lowers its fertility.
In the figure : In the figure natural fertilizers are manures; chemical fertilizers must not be overused.
- Easy : Easy: Manure is a natural fertilizer.
- Medium : Medium: Overusing chemical fertilizers lowers fertility.
- Exam-type : Exam: Repeating the same crop lowers soil fertility.
Rule 2: Too much water, pests and organic farming — Overwatering makes land saline and fallow (क्षारयुक्त आणि पडीक), especially near dams and river banks, and restoring it is costly and slow. Insecticides and pesticides are sprayed, or chemicals are rubbed on seeds before sowing, to fight diseases and pests. Organic farming (सेंद्रिय शेती) uses natural materials such as plant and animal manure, fish and bone meal, animal excreta and decomposed remains. It keeps nutrients in the soil, and its organic pesticides do not harm those who eat the produce.
In the figure : In the figure in organic farming the soil is fed with natural materials and the food stays safe to eat.
- Easy : Easy: Organic farming uses natural manure.
- Medium : Medium: Overwatering makes land saline.
- Exam-type : Exam: Organic pesticides do not harm those who eat the produce.
Manure = natural fertilizer. Do not overuse chemical fertilizers or water.
Thinking more fertilizer always means more crop. Too much damages the soil.
Memory clue: "खत थोडे, पाणी थोडे, माती टिकेल".
Spot the difference
| Type | Source | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Natural fertilizer | Dung, green waste | Safe, keeps nutrients |
| Chemical fertilizer | Chemical mixtures | Do not overuse |
| Organic farming | Natural materials only | Safe food |
Practice questions
- 1Why are fertilizers added to soil?
- 2What are natural fertilizers called?
- 3What happens if chemical fertilizers are overused?
- 4What does overwatering do to land?
- 5What is organic farming?
- 6Name two organic materials used in organic farming.
- 7Why is restoring saline land difficult?
- 8Compare chemical and organic farming in one line.
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Growing the same crop lowers fertility, so they add nutrients.
- 2Manures.
- 3Chemicals pile up in the soil and fertility falls.
- 4It becomes saline and fallow.
- 5Farming that uses natural materials like manure instead of chemicals.
- 6Animal excreta and fish or bone meal.
- 7It is costly and takes a long time.
- 8Chemical farming may give quick yield but can spoil soil; organic farming keeps soil healthy and food safe.
Food storage
Your mother keeps rice in a closed steel drum with a few neem leaves. She does this so that insects and moisture cannot spoil the grain.
Food storage (अन्नसाठवण) keeps grain safe for later use. Storage places must be dry and airy.
Rule 1: Storing grain — Grain is dried well in the sun, filled in sacks and stocked at home or in warehouses. Mice, rats and insects can spoil it, and in a closed damp place it catches fungus. So chemicals are sprayed at the storage place, neem leaves are mixed with the grain, and the store is kept dry and airy.
In the figure : In the figure dry grain with neem leaves in a dry, airy place stays safe from rats, insects and fungus.
- Easy : Easy: Dry the grain in the sun first.
- Medium : Medium: Neem leaves keep insects away.
- Exam-type : Exam: Damp closed places give fungus to grain.
Rule 2: Storage in nature and warehouses — Ants, bees (honey in a honeycomb) and squirrels (seeds) store food. Onions and garlic (bulbs) and potatoes and ginger (tubers) store food in their stems, and radishes, sweet potatoes and beetroots store it in their roots. Extra foodgrain is kept in huge warehouses, to be used when floods, drought, a cyclone or hailstorm hit production, or when an earthquake displaces people.
In the figure : In the figure many animals and plants store food for the time when they need it.
- Easy : Easy: Bees store honey in a honeycomb.
- Medium : Medium: Potatoes store food in tubers.
- Exam-type : Exam: Warehouse grain is used after floods or drought.
Dry, airy storage; neem leaves; warehouses help in disasters.
Storing damp grain. Always dry it first.
Memory clue: "कोरडे, हवेशीर, कडुनिंब".
Spot the difference
| Storer | What is stored and where |
|---|---|
| Ants | Food in their nests |
| Bees | Honey in a honeycomb |
| Squirrels | Seeds |
| Onion, potato, radish | Stem bulb, tuber, root |
Practice questions
- 1Why is grain dried before storing?
- 2Which leaves are mixed with grain?
- 3Which animals can spoil stored grain?
- 4Name two animals that store food.
- 5Which plants store food in their roots?
- 6Why is grain kept in huge warehouses?
- 7Why must a grain store be airy and dry?
- 8How does storing grain help a country in a drought?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1Moisture would let fungus and insects spoil it.
- 2Neem leaves.
- 3Mice, rats and insects.
- 4Ants and bees (or squirrels).
- 5Radish, sweet potato and beetroot.
- 6To use it after floods, drought, cyclones or earthquakes.
- 7A closed, damp place gives fungus.
- 8The stored grain feeds people when the new crop fails.
Green Revolution and food security
Before the 1960s India often needed to import grain. Today India grows enough to feed its people and even sells extra grain to other countries. This change is called the Green Revolution.
The Green Revolution (हरितक्रांती) was the huge rise in foodgrain production, brought about by scientists, science-spreading workers and farmers working together.
Rule 1: The Green Revolution — Our country is self-reliant in foodgrains and can export surplus grain. The tremendous increase in production came during the Green Revolution. The credit for the research on wheat and rice seeds goes to Dr M. S. Swaminathan. Earlier, after the Bengal famine of 1943 and the shortages of the early 1960s, India had depended on imported grain. Later, new high-yield seeds raised wheat production sharply.
In the figure : In the figure the Green Revolution made our country self-reliant in foodgrains.
- Easy : Easy: India can export surplus grain.
- Medium : Medium: Dr Swaminathan worked on wheat and rice seeds.
- Exam-type : Exam: The Green Revolution raised foodgrain production greatly.
Rule 2: Food security — Many countries have Food Security laws so that every person gets enough food. Our country made its Food Security Law in 2013, which helps fight malnutrition, starvation and deaths from hunger. A Fair Price shop shows the rationing (public distribution) system. Agricultural assistance centres, agricultural schools and exhibitions by Agricultural Produce Marketing Committees give farmers information on technology, irrigation, improved seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and weather forecasts.
- Easy : Easy: The Food Security Law was made in 2013.
- Medium : Medium: A Fair Price shop sells grain at a fair price under rationing.
- Exam-type : Exam: Food security fights hunger, malnutrition and starvation.
Green Revolution: Dr M. S. Swaminathan, wheat and rice. Food Security Law: 2013.
Mixing up the Green Revolution with the Food Security Law. One increased production; the other ensures every person gets food.
Memory clue: "हरितक्रांती = उत्पादन वाढ, अन्नसुरक्षा = सर्वांना अन्न".
Spot the difference
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Green Revolution | Greater grain production |
| Dr M. S. Swaminathan | Wheat and rice seed research |
| Food Security Law | 2013 |
| Fair Price shop | Rationing system |
Practice questions
- 1What was the Green Revolution?
- 2Who gets credit for research on wheat and rice seeds?
- 3In which year was the Food Security Law made?
- 4Can India export grain?
- 5What does a Fair Price shop show?
- 6What help do agricultural assistance centres give?
- 7Why was a Food Security Law needed?
- 8Self-reliant in grain, yet some people may go hungry. Why do we need food security?
Show answers (try them yourself first)
- 1A huge rise in foodgrain production.
- 2Dr M. S. Swaminathan.
- 32013.
- 4Yes, it has surplus grain.
- 5The rationing (public distribution) system.
- 6Information on technology, irrigation, seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and weather.
- 7To make sure every person gets enough food and to fight hunger and malnutrition.
- 8Grain must also reach poor people at affordable prices; production alone is not enough.
Quick revision
- Kharif season: June to October; rabi season: October to March.
- Drip irrigation: pipes with holes; sprinkle irrigation: sprinklers.
- Food Security Law: 2013; Green Revolution: Dr M. S. Swaminathan.