Agriculture Class 10 Notes: CBSE 10th Social Science Chapter 4 Geography, Download PDF

CBSE Class 10 Agriculture Notes: Get below the chapter notes of CBSE SST 10th class Chapter 4 Agriculture. These notes, prepared by subject experts, will help you study for the 2023-24 CBSE board exams and score full marks with ease. Also, download the revision notes PDF from the direct download link given at the end.

Agriculture Class 10 Notes: Agriculture is the cultivation of plants and the rearing of animals for human use. It is crucial for food security and livelihoods in many countries. There are different types of agriculture, including subsistence, commercial, and sustainable farming. Challenges such as climate change, water scarcity, and pests threaten agriculture, but sustainable practices are being developed. Agriculture is vital for human survival, and the future lies in sustainable methods that balance productivity and environmental stewardship. The notes of CBSE Class 10th Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture cover all the important topics in such detail that will help you quickly learn and revise the whole chapter. The link to download the PDF of the chapter notes has also been given for download towards the end of this article.

CBSE 10th Social Science Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture Class 10 Notes

Types of Farming

• Primitive Subsistence Farming

In some parts of India, there are pockets where primitive subsistence farming is still practised. It involves working on small patches of land using basic tools and family or community labour. This type of farming relies on natural conditions like the monsoon and soil fertility for crop growth. Known as “slash and burn” agriculture, farmers clear a small area of land and cultivate crops to sustain their families. When the soil loses fertility, they move to a new patch of land and repeat the process. This allows the soil to naturally recover its fertility over time. However, the productivity of this type of farming is low due to the absence of modern inputs like fertilizers. Different regions have specific names for this farming practice. 

It is called “Milpa” in Mexico and Central America, “Conuco” in Venezuela, “Roca” in Brazil, “Masole” in Central Africa, “Ladang” in Indonesia, and “Ray” in Vietnam. 

In India, it goes by various names such as “Bewar” or “Dahiya” in Madhya Pradesh, “Podu” or “Penda” in Andhra Pradesh, “Pama Dabi” or “Koman” or “Bringa” in Odisha, “Kumari” in the Western Ghats, “Valre” or “Waltre” in South-eastern Rajasthan, “Khil” in the Himalayan belt, “Kuruwa” in Jharkhand, and “Jhumming” in the North-eastern region.

• Intensive Subsistence Farming

This type of farming is practised in areas where there is high population pressure on land. It is characterized by labour-intensive practices and the use of high amounts of biochemical inputs and irrigation to achieve higher production. Despite the division of land among successive generations due to inheritance rights, resulting in smaller landholdings, farmers continue to extract maximum output from limited land due to the lack of alternative livelihood options. As a result, there is significant pressure on agricultural land.

This type of farming uses modern methods and materials like special seeds, chemicals, and tools to get more crops. Some places focus more on selling their crops, while others mainly grow food for themselves.

Plantation farming is a different kind of farming where only one crop is grown on a big piece of land. It needs a lot of money and workers who come from other places. Everything that is grown is used by industries to make things. In India, important plantation crops are tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, and bananas. Places like Assam and North Bengal are famous for growing tea, while Karnataka is known for coffee. To make plantations successful, it is important to have good roads and ways to move things between farms, factories, and markets.

Cropping Pattern

– Rabi, Kharif, Zaid

Major Crops 

– Rice

Kharif crop which requires high temperature, (above 25°C) and high humidity with annual rainfall above 100 cm. Grown in the plains of north and north-eastern India, coastal areas and the deltaic regions

– Wheat

Rabi crop requires a cool growing season and bright sunshine at the time of ripening. It requires 50 to 75 cm of annual rainfall evenly distributed over the growing season. Wheat-producing states are Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

– Millets

Jowar, bajra and ragi are the important millets. Rain-fed crops are mostly grown in moist areas which hardly need irrigation.

– Maize

Kharif crop which requires temperature between 21°C to 27°C and grows well in old alluvial soil. The use of modern inputs such as HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation has contributed to the increasing production.

– Pulses

Major pulses that are grown in India are tur (arhar), urad, moong, masur, peas and gram.

Food Crops other than Grains 

– Sugarcane

Grows well in hot and humid climate with a temperature of 21°C to 27°C and an annual rainfall between 75 cm and 100 cm, needs manual labour from sowing to harvesting

– Oil Seeds

Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soybean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.

– Tea

Tea plant grows well in tropical and sub-tropical climates, deep and fertile well-drained soil, and rich in humus and organic matter, bushes require warm and moist frost-free climates all through the year. 

– Coffee

Arabica variety is in great demand all over the world. Cultivation is confined to the Nilgiri in Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

– Horticulture Crops

In 2018, India ranked as the second largest producer of fruits and vegetables globally, following China. The country produces both tropical and temperate fruits. Some notable examples include mangoes from Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal; oranges from Nagpur and Cherrapunjee (Meghalaya); bananas from Kerala, Mizoram, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu; lichi and guava from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar; pineapples from Meghalaya; grapes from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Maharashtra; and apples, pears, apricots, and walnuts from Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. These fruits are highly sought after around the world.

Non-Food Crops 

– Rubber

Equatorial crop, but also grown in tropical and sub-tropical areas. Requires moist and humid climate with rainfall of more than 200 cm. and temperature above 25°C.

Fibre Crops

– Cotton

Cotton grows well in drier parts of the black cotton soil of the Deccan plateau, requires high temperature, light rainfall or irrigation, 210 frost-free days and bright sun-shine.

– Jute

Grows well on well-drained fertile soils in the flood plains where soils are renewed every year. West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya are the major producers.

Technological and Institutional Reforms

Collectivisation, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari, etc. were given priority after Independence. Provision for crop insurance against drought, flood, cyclone, fire and disease, the establishment of Grameen banks, cooperative societies and banks for providing loan facilities.

Kissan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) are some other schemes introduced by the Government of India for the benefit of the farmers.

Also Read:

CBSE Class 10 Syllabus (All Subject)

Download CBSE Class 10 Social Science Book PDF

CBSE Agriculture Class 10 Notes PDF Download    

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CBSE Agriculture Class 10 Mind Map for Chapter 4 of Social Science Geography, Download PDF