Class 8 Ch- 4 Agriculture

GEOGRAPHY 

CLASS VIII 

CHAPTER-4: AGRICULTURE 

1. ___________activities include all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.

• Primary
• Secondary
• Tertiary
• Quaternary

Ans. – Primary

2. The land on which the crops are grown is known as –

• Fallow land
• Arable land
• Bare land
• Deserted land

Ans.- Arable land

3. Which of the following pairs related to shifting cultivation is NOT correctly matched?

• Jhumming – North-East India
• Milpa -Mexico
• Roca – China
• Ladang – Malaysia

Ans.- Roca – China

4. Growing vegetables, flowers and fruits for commercial use is known as-

• Sericulture
• Horticulture
• Pisciculture
• Viticulture

Ans.- Horticulture

5. Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth are examples of _____________.

• Primary activity
• Secondary activity
• Tertiary activity
• Quaternary activity

Ans.- Secondary activity

6. In which of the following type of farming most of the work is done by using simple tools and more labor?

• Intensive Subsistence Farming 
• Commercial Farming
• Commercial Grain Farming
• Plantation Agriculture

Ans.- Intensive Subsistence Farming 

7. Tea, coffee and sugarcane are examples of which of the following type of farming?

• Slash and Burn Agriculture
• Subsistence Farming 
• Plantation Agriculture
• Intensive Subsistence Farming 

Ans.- Plantation Agriculture

8. In which of the following type of farming organic manure and natural pesticides are used instead of chemicals?

• Intensive Subsistence Farming 
• Organic Farming
• Shifting Cultivation
• Commercial Farming

Ans. – Organic Farming

9. Which one of the following crops is known as fibre crops?

• Jute and cotton
• Tea and sugar
• Wheat and rice
• Maize and millets

Ans.- Jute and cotton

10. Which of the following activity provides support to the primary and secondary sectors through services?

• Primary activity
• Secondary activity
• Tertiary activity
• Quaternary activity

Ans.- Tertiary activities

SHORT/LONG QUESTION AND ANSWERS

1. What does the term agriculture mean? 

Ans. – Agriculture is the science and art of cultivation on the soil, raising crops and rearing livestock. It is also called farming. 

2. Define the following terms. 

Ans.- Sericulture, Viticulture, Horticulture and Pisciculture

• Sericulture – Commercial rearing of silk worms. It may supplement the income of the farmer.
• Viticulture- Cultivation of grapes.
• Horticulture – Growing vegetables, flowers and fruits for commercial use.
• Pisciculture – Breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

3. Explain different types of agriculture. 

Ans. Agriculture can be classified into two main types. These are subsistence farming and commercial farming. 

Subsistence Farming  

Commercial Farming  

4. What are primary, secondary and tertiary economic activities?

Ans. –

• 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. 

5. What is organic farming? Mention its advantages. 

Ans. Organic Farming In this type of farming, organic manure and natural pesticides are used instead of chemicals.  

Advantages- No genetic modification is done to increase the yield of the crop.

6. Explain Farm system.

Ans. Agriculture or farming can be looked at as a system because it involves input, processes and outputs.

7. How is shifting cultivation different from nomadic herding?

Ans. – Shifting cultivation is different from nomadic herding in the following ways.

Shifting cultivation

• In shifting cultivation 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. 

Nomadic herding 

• In this type of farming, herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes.  
• This type of movement arises in response to climatic constraints and terrain. Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared.

8. Explain the main features of Commercial Grain Farming.

Ans. –  Commercial Grain Farming

• In commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose. 
• Wheat and maize are common commercially grown grains.  
• Major areas where commercial grain farming is practiced are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.  
• These areas are sparsely populated with large farms spreading over hundreds of hectares.  
• Severe winters restrict the growing season and only a single crop can be grown.

9. What is Mixed Farming? In which part of the world it is mainly practiced?

Ans. – Mixed Farming

10. Describe the features of Plantation Agriculture.

Ans. – Plantation Agriculture

• Plantations are a type of commercial farming where single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.  
• Large amount of labour 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. 

11. Differentiate between Intensive Subsistence Farming and Commercial Farming.

Ans. – Intensive Subsistence Farming and Commercial Farming are different in the following ways.

Intensive Subsistence Farming	Commercial Farming
In intensive subsistence farming the farmer cultivates a small plot of land.	In commercial farming the area cultivated and the amount of capital used is large.
In intensive subsistence farming crops are grown mainly to fulfill the need of farmers.	In commercial farming crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market.
Most of the work is done by using simple tools and more labor.	Most of the work is done by machines.
It is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.	It is prevalent in the sparsely populated areas of North America, Europe and Asia.

12. Explain the geographical conditions required for the growth of rice.

Ans. – The geographical conditions required for the growth of rice are as follows-

• Rice is the major food crop of the world grown in 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.

13. Name the leading producers of cotton. Mention the climatic conditions and type of soil required for the growth of cotton.

Ans. – Cotton

• Leading producers – China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt are the leading producers of cotton.
• Climatic conditions -Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, two hundred and ten frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.
• Type of soil – It grows best on black and alluvial soils.

14. What is agriculture development? How can it be achieved?

Ans. – Agricultural Development refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand of increasing population. This can be achieved in many ways such as: 

• Increasing the cropped area. 
• Multiple cropping (Number of crops grown in a year) 
• Improving irrigation facilities 
• Use of fertilizers and high yielding variety of seeds. 
• Mechanization of agriculture is also another aspect of agricultural development. 

15. What is food security? How can we achieve food security? 

Ans. – Food security

• Food security exists when all people, at all times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. 
• Achieving food security has three dimensions.  
• First, it is necessary to ensure a safe and nutritionally adequate food supply both at the national level and at the household level.  
• Second, it is necessary to have a reasonable degree of stability in the supply of food both from one year to the other and during the year.  
• Third, and most critical, is the need to ensure that each household has physical, social and economic access to enough food to meet its needs.  

16. Differentiate between the system of farming in India and USA.

Ans. –

A farm in USA	A farm in India
1. In USA the size of the farm is large.	1. In India the size of the land is comparatively small.
2. Owner’s house is in the farm.	2. Owner lives in a main village and travels to the farm every day.
3. The farmer makes sure that soil and water resources meet the needs of the crop.	3. Due to inadequate supply of water and fertile soil, farmers have to purchase high yielding variety (HYV) seeds from market every year.
4. The farmer takes the help of technology  and sends the soil samples to a soil testing lab  to check whether the nutrients are sufficient  or not.	4. The farmer in India takes advice from his friends and elders as well as government agricultural officers regarding farming.
5. The farmer uses tractors, seed drills, harvester and all kinds of modern agricultural machinery.	5. The farmer takes a tractor on rent, and many still rely on traditional bullocks for ploughing the land.
6. The farmer owns a storage facility in the farm where he stores the crops before sending it to market.	6. He sells his crops in the mandi / market located in the nearby town. Since majority of the farmers do not have storage facilities and crops rot most of the time.
7. The farmer in USA works like a businessman.	7. Many farmers in India are poor and get exploited by traders.