Agriculture and Livestock

Agriculture means cultivation of land. A large variety of soils and climatic conditions help in the growth of different types of crops. A crop is a plant that is grown in significant quantity to be harvested as food, livestock fodder or for any other economic purpose. India can grow almost all varieties of crops. Based on the season, two types of main food crops are grown in India. Kharif crops are grown with the arrival of the monsoon. Main Kharif crops are rice, millet, maize, cotton, soya bean, sugarcane, turmeric, some pulses and groundnut. Rabi crops are grown in winter season. They are wheat, sesame, gram, mustard, barley and some pulses. 

Major Food Crops - India grows a variety of crops. They are cereal crops, cash crops, beverage crops, fiber crops and industrial crops. 

Cereal Crops - Rice is grown in the hot and rainy areas. West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Tamil Nadu and Assam are the rice growing areas. Wheat grows in dry climate. It is grown in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh. Maize is produced in Karnataka, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. Millets like jowar, bajra and ragi are grown in drier parts of India. They are mainly grown in Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. India is the largest producer of millets in the world.

Cash Crops - Cash crops are those crops which are grown by the farmers for profits and not as food for their families. Oil seeds, sugarcane, tea, coffee and spices are the main cash crops of India. Oil seeds produce oil to cook food. Groundnut, sesame, rapeseed, mustard, linseed, castor seed and coconut are the major oil seeds grown in India. They are grown in various parts of the country. 

Sugarcane is the major cash crop of India. It is used for making sugar, jaggery and khandsari. 

Beverage Crops - Tea is the most popular beverage crop in India. India is the leading tea producer in the world. Assam, Darjeeling, West Bengal and Kerala are the places where tea is grown. Coffee is another popular beverage crop in India. It is mainly grown in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Spices are grown in Karnataka and Kerala. Main spices produced here are black pepper, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg and turmeric.

Fiber Crops - Cotton is a fiber crop. Cotton grows well in black soil. Gujarat and Maharashtra are the leading states in growing cotton. Cotton is also grown in Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Jute is a fiber crop like cotton. Jute requires alluvial soil to grow. Heavy rainfall is necessary for growing jute. Jute is grown in West Bengal, Bihar, Orissa, Assam and Uttar Pradesh. Jute is used in making gunny bags, linen and carpets. 

Industrial Crops - Rubber is an important industrial crop. It is mainly grown in Kerala and Tamil Nadu where the climate is wet and hot. 

Livestock - Animals are a great wealth for any country. There are two types of animals: Wild animals like lion, tiger, deer, bear, etc live in the forests and cannot be tamed. Domestic animals like cows, buffaloes, sheep, goats, bulls, camels, horses, donkeys and mules are animals which can be domesticated. The domestic animals which can be tamed are termed as livestock. We can divide them into two main groups. 

Load carrying Animals -These animals carry load for us. Horses and bullocks are used to pull the carts for us. Oxen are used to plough and irrigate fields. Even today, bullock-carts are a common sight on village roads. Camels are very useful in deserts. They can live without water for a long time. Elephants are tamed to carry logs. In hilly areas, mules and donkeys are used for carrying loads. 

Food giving Animals - We get food from plants as well as animals. We get milk, eggs, meat, etc from animals. 

Dairy Farming - Cows, buffaloes and goats give us milk. In the dairy farms, they are reared under hygienic conditions. They are given healthy feed so that they may yield rich milk. 

Poultry Farming - Besides dairy farming, poultry farming is also encouraged by the government. Poultry farming is the practice of raising poultry such as chickens, turkeys and ducks for the purpose of obtaining their meat or eggs.

Pisciculture - Pisciculture is the cultivation of fish for commercial purpose in artificial ponds. A movement called Silver Revolution is aimed at increasing the fish production. 

Other Uses 

• Cattle are very useful for Indian farmers. Manure which is required to improve the quality of the soil comes from the waste of cattle. 
• Cow dung is also used as fuel in rural areas. Bio-gas made from cow dung is used in villages to cook food and light gas lamps. 
• Animal skin is used for making leather goods like purses, shoes, etc. 
• The wool of sheep is used for making sweaters, carpets and the famous Pashmina shawls. 
• Silk obtained from silkworm is used in making silk clothes.

Towards Progress - Over the years, there have been considerable efforts to improve the quality of our agriculture and livestock. 

Green Revolution - This revolution started in mid-sixties and continued till early seventies. It was aimed at increasing the production of cereals with the help of HYV (High Yielding Variety) seeds, fertilizers, modern implements and good means of irrigation. This revolution has helped the farmers considerably. 

Animal Care - As livestock is an important resource, the farmers have become more aware and take care of their cattle. They are aware that cleaning and feeding the cattle yield good results. Now most of the farmers take their cattle to the veterinary doctors for regular check ups to keep them safe and healthy.

Agriculture and Livestock

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