Types Of Farming In India
There are different types of Farming system in India
1.Intensive and Extensive Farming
- High production per unit of land can be achieved through intensive farming, which is exemplified by Japan and its limited available land for cultivation.
- A similar situation can also be observed in Kerala, India.
- Extensive farming, on the other hand, involves the use of large patches of land for cultivation, resulting in higher total production but lower production per unit area.
- The basic difference between these two types of farming is the amount of production per unit of land. In comparison with temperate areas of USA, Canada, and former USSR, India does not practise extensive cultivation.
2.Subsistence and Commercial
Subsistence
- The term "subsistence" refers to a type of farming where the primary focus is on producing food for personal consumption.
- Unlike commercial farming, which involves selling surplus produce in the market, subsistence farming typically involves small, fragmented landholdings and simple cultivation techniques.
- The majority of the crops grown are used by the farmers and their families, with little left over to sell.
Commercial
- It is just the opposite to subsistence farming. In this case, most of the produce is sold in the market for earning money.
- In this system, farmers use inputs like irrigation, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides and High Yielding Varieties of seeds etc.
- In India Majority of Farming is Subsistence but there are also some Commercial crops too Some of the major commercial crops grown in different parts of India are cotton, jute, sugarcane, groundnut etc.
Rice farming
- The purpose of agriculture in Haryana is primarily commercial, given that the residents mostly consume wheat.
- On the other hand, in the Eastern and North-Eastern states of India, rice cultivation is mainly subsistence-based.
- It can be observed that the classification of agriculture differs depending on the region.
3.Plantation Farming
- Plantation is also a type of commercial farming.
- This type of Farming was introduced in India by the Britishers in the 19th Century.
- It is an estate where a single cash crop is grown for sale.
- This type of agriculture involves growing and processing of a single cash crop purely meant for sale. Tea, coffee, rubber, banana and spices are all examples of plantation crops.
4.Mixed Farming-
- It this type of Farming crops and rearing animals are carried on simultaneously
Other types of Farming
1.Rainfed Farming
- In this type of farming production of agricultural crops depend upon the Rainfall
It is further divided on the basis of moisture as follows
A. Dryland Farming
- It is largely confined to the regions having annual rainfall less than 75 cm.
- These regions grow hardy and drought resistant crops such as ragi, bajra, moong, gram and guar (fodder crops) and practise various measures of soil moisture conservation and rain water harvesting.
B. Wetland Farming
- Wetland farming is a type of agriculture where the amount of rainfall exceeds the soil moisture requirements of plants, especially during the rainy season. This can lead to potential risks of flooding and soil erosion in these areas.
- These areas grow various water intensive crops such as rice, jute and sugarcane and practise aquaculture in the fresh water bodies.
Cropping seasons
India has three cropping seasons —
Rabi, kharif and zaid.
1.Rabi-
- The sowing of Rabi crops takes place from October to December, and they are harvested between April and June in summer.
- These crops are dependent on the availability of precipitation during the winter season, which is brought by the western temperate cyclones, leading to a higher success rate.
- The growth of Rabi crops has been significantly influenced by the success of the green revolution in certain regions, including Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Rajasthan.
Some of the important rabi crops
- wheat, barley, peas, oats, gram and mustard.
2.Kharif
- These crops are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October.
- Important crops grown during this season - paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean etc.
3.Zaid
- In between the rabi and the kharif seasons, there is a short season during the summer months known as the Zaid season.