JAC Class 8 Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Solutions Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

JAC Class 8th Geography Agriculture InText Questions and Answers

Page 43

Question 1.
Who discovered the coffee plant?
Answer:
In about AD 850, Kaldi, an Arab goat- herder, who was puzzled by the queer antics of his flock, tasted the berries of the evergreen bush on which the goats were feeding. On experiencing a sense of exhilaration, he proclaimed his discovery to the world.

JAC Class 8th Geography Agriculture Textbook Questions and Answers

Question 1.
Answer the following questions.
(i) What is agriculture?
Answer:
Agriculture is a primary activity which includes growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers and rearing of livestock. It is also known as farming.

(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture?
Answer:
The factors influencing agriculture are the climate and topography of soil.

(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?
Answer:
Shifting cultivation is also known as slash and bum agriculture. In this cultivation a plot of land is cleared by felling the trees and burning them. Then the ashes are mixed with the soil and crops are grown. The land is abandoned after the soil loses its fertility and the cultivator moves to a new plot. The disadvantages are deforestation occurs and trees are burnt which are not good for environment.

(iv) What is plantation agriculture?
Answer:
Commercial farming where only a single type of crop is grown such as banana, coffee, tea, sugarcane is known as plantation agriculture. In this type of agriculture, large amount of capital and labour are required The produce is either processed in the farm itself or in i nearby factories.

(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.
Answer:
The fibre crops are cotton and jute. The climatic conditions required for their growth are:
Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 days and bright sunshine for its growth. Jute requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate.

Tick the correct answer.

Question 2.
(i) Horticulture means
(a) growing of fruits and vegetables
(b) primitive farming
(c) growing of wheat
Answer:
(a) growing of fruits and vegetables

(ii) Golden fibre refers to
(a) tea
(b) cotton
(c) jute
Answer:
(c) jute

(iii) Leading producers of coffee
(a) Brazil
(b) India
(c) Russia
Answer:
(a) Brazil

Question 3.
Give reasons.

In India agriculture is a primary activity.
Different crops are grown in different regions.

Answer:
1. In India agriculture is a primary activity because two third of the population depends on agriculture and it provides around 65% of work to labour force. It is also responsible for 25% of Gross Domestic Product and total value of nation’s export is 16%.

2. Since different crops require different climatic and geographical conditions hence different crops are grown in different regions. Certain human factors also play an important role such as labour, demand of yield and technology level.

Question 4.
Distinguish between the followings.

Primary activities and tertiary activities.
Subsistence farming and intensive farming.

Answer:
1.

Primary activities	Tertiary Activities
It includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.	It provides support to the primary and secondary sectors through services.
Agriculture, fishing and gathering are examples of this activity.	Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of this activities.

Subsistence Farming	Intensive Farming
It is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.	The farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour.
Low levels of technology and household labour are used to produce on vsmall output.	In this type of farming, quality seeds, rich manure and fertilisers are used

Question 5.
Activity

Collect seeds of wheat, rice, jowar, bajra, ragi, maize, oilseeds and pulses available in the market. Bring them to the class and find out in which type of soil they grow.
Find out the difference between the life style of farmers in the USA and India on the basis of pictures collected from magazines, books, newspapers and the internet.

Answer:

Type of soil in which the following grows:
Rice – Alluvial clayey Wheat – Alluvial soil Jowar, bajra and ragi – Desert Maize, oilseeds – Alluvial, Black Pulses- Red, Alluvial
Students need to do on their own.

Question 6.
For Fun.
Solve the crossword puzzle with the help of given ciues

Across:
1. Crop that needs well drained fertile soils, moderate temperatures and lots of sunshine (5)
2. Increasing production through use of HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides (5,10)
4. USA, Canada, Russia, Australia are major producers of this crop (5)
10. Type of farming to meet family needs (11)
13. Rearing of animals for sale (9)
14. Growing grapes for wines (11)

Down:
1. Coarse grains are also called (7)
3. Cultivation involving slash and bum (8)
5. Growing of crops, fruits and vegetables (11)
6. Tea, coffee, sugarcane and mbber are grown in (11)
7. Requires 210 frost-free days for growth (6)
8. Growing of flowers (12)
9. Also called ‘Golden Fibre’ (4)
11. Also known as paddy (4)
12. Activity concerned with extraction of natural resources (7)
Answer:

JAC Class 8th Geography Agriculture Important Questions and Answers

Multiple Choice Questions

Question 1.
The process in which farmers use organic manure and natural pesticides instead of chemicals is called
(a) Mechanical farming
(b) Non-organic farming
(c) Organic farming
(d) All of these
Answer:
(c) Organic farming

Question 2.
Thescienceofcommercially cultivating grapes is called .
(a) Viticulture
(b) Horticulture
(c) Sericulture
(d) None of these
Answer:
(a) Viticulture

Question 3.
Tertiary activities are……
(a) provide support to only primary activities.
(b) provide support to only secondary activities.
(c) provide support to both primary and secondary activities.
(d) none of these
Answer:
(c) provide support to both primary and secondary activities.

Question 4.
Coarse grains are….. .
(a) rice
(b) millets
(c) wheat
(d) all of these
Answer:
(b) millets

Question 5.
The word ‘agriculture’ origins from
a. Latin term agri means soil.
(b) Latin term culture means cultivation.
(c) Neither a nor b
(d) Both a and b
Answer:
(d) Both a and b

Question 6.
The inputs of a farm system are…….
(a) seeds and fertiisers
(b) labour
(c) machinery
(d) all of these
Answer:
(d) all of these

Question 7.
Out of the following which is not a cropping season of India?
(a) Kaffir
(b) Rabi
(c) Kharif
(d) Zaid
Answer:
(a) Kaffir

Question 8.
Jhumming, Ladang, Milap, Roca & Ray are also known as:
(a) Shifting Farming
(b) Commercial Farming
(c) Nomadic Farming
(d) Intensive Farming
Answer:
(a) Shifting Farming

Question 9.
………. is……. grown in winter. It requires rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest.
(a) Rice
(b) Watermelon
(c) Wheat
(d) Bajra
Answer:
(c) Wheat

Question 10.
The land on which crops are grown is known as:
(a) Wet Land
(b) Arable Land
(c) Dry Land
(d) None of these
Answer:
(b) Arable Land

Very Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What do you mean by agricultural development?
Answer:
Agricultural development refers to efforts made to increase the production of farm in order to meet the growing demand of the increasing population.

Question 2.
What is the science of commercial silk worm rearing known as?
Answer:
The science of commercial silk worm rearing is known as Sericulture.

Question 3.
What is the position of India in terms of rice production in the world?
Answer:
India is the second largest producer of rice in the world.

Question 4.
What percentage of world’s coffee production does India produce?
Answer:
The percentage of world’s coffee production does India produce is 3.2%.

Question 5.
Name the two most important staple food crops of the world.
Answer:
The two most important staple food crops of the world are rice and wheat.

Question 6.
What requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine?
Answer:
Cotton requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine.

Question 7.
List some animals reared by nomadic herders.
Answer:
Sheep, camel, yak and goats are most commonly reared animals by nomadic . herders.

Question 8.
How many types of subsistence farming is present?
Answer:
Two types of subsistence farming are there. They are intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

Question 9.
What do you mean by mixed farming?
Answer:
n mixed farming the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

Question 10.
Where is wheat grown extensively and substantially?
Answer:
Wheat is grown extensively and substantially in USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India.

Short Answer Type Questions

Question 1. What are the activities under the secondary sector?
Answer:
All activities connected with the manufacturing of goods with natural resources comes under secondary activities. Steel manufacturing, weaving cloth are the examples of secondary activities.

Question 2.
There are different kinds of cultivation. What are they?
Answer:
The different kinds of cultivation are Agriculture, Horticulture, Viticulture, Sericulture and Pisciculture.

Agriculture is cultivation on the soil.
Horticulture is growing vegetables, fruits and flowers for commercial use.
Viticulture is cultivation of grapes.
Sericulture is rearing of silk worms to extract silk.
Pisciculture is breeding of fish in specially constructed tanks and ponds.

Question 3
Shifting cultivation is known by different names in different regions of the world What are they?
Answer:
Shifting cultivation is known by different names in different parts of the world They are:

Jhumming – North-East India
Milpa -Mexico
Roca – Brazil
Ladang – Malaysia

Question 4.
When does food security exist?
Answer:
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.

Question 5.
What are the climatic conditions required for growing maize? In which countries they are grown?
Answer:
Maize requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine. It also needs well drained fertile soil. They are grown in North America, Brazil, China, Russia, India, Canada and Mexico.

Question 6.
What are the climatic conditions required for growing tea?
Answer:
Tea is a beverage crop grown on plantations. This requires cool climate and well distributed high rainfall throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves. It needs well-drained loamy soils and gentle slopes. To pick the leaves, labour in large number is required.

Question 7.
Can agricultural development be achieved? How?
Answer:
Yes, agricultural development can be achieved in many ways such as increasing the cropped area, the number of crops grown, improving irrigation facilities, use of fertilisers and high yielding variety of seeds. Mechanisation of agriculture is also another aspect of agricultural development.

Question 8.
What type of agriculture is practiced in developing countries?
Answer:
Developing countries with large populations usually practise intensive agriculture where crops are grown on small holdings mostly for subsistence.

Long Answer Type Questions

Question 1.
What are the different types of subsistence farming?
Answer:
The different types of subsistence farming are intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming:
(i) Intensive subsistence agriculture:
In intensive subsistence agriculture the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour. The main crop is rice. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds. Intensive subsistence agriculture is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, south-east and east Asia.

(ii) Primitive subsistence agriculture:
It includes shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.Shifting cultivation is practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of south-east Asia and north-east India. 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 is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir. In this type of farming, herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes.

JAC Class 8 Social Science Solutions

JAC Board Class 8th Social Science Notes Geography Chapter 4 Agriculture

→ Three types of economic activities are involved in transformation from a plant to a finished product. These are primary, secondary and tertiary activities.

Agriculture, fishing and gathering are examples of primary activities. It includes all those connected with extraction and production of natural resources.
Manufacturing of steel, baking of bread and weaving of cloth are examples of secondary activity. It is concerned with the processing of the primary resources.
Transport, trade, banking, insurance and advertising are examples of tertiary activities. These provide support to the primary and secondary sectors through services.
In the world, 50 per cent of persons are engaged in agricultural activity. Two-thirds of India’s population is still dependent on agriculture.
The land on which the crops are grown is known as arable land. Favourable topography of soil and climate are vital for agricultural activity.

→ Farm System:

The important inputs in agriculture or farming are seeds, fertilisers, machinery and labour.
Ploughing, sowing, irrigation, weeding and harvesting are other operations involved.
The outputs from the system include crops, wool, dairy and poultry products.

→ Types of Farming:
Farming is categorised into two main types. These are subsistence farming and commercial farming.

→ Subsistence Farming:

This type of farming is practised to meet the needs of the farmer’s family.
Subsistence farming can be categorised as intensive subsistence and primitive subsistence farming.

→ Intensive Subsistence Farming:

In this type, the farmer cultivates a small plot of land using simple tools and more labour.
Rice is the main crop. Other crops include wheat, maize, pulses and oilseeds.
It is prevalent in the thickly populated areas of the monsoon regions of south, southeast and east Asia.

→ Primitive Subsistence Farming:

It can be categorised in shifting cultivation and nomadic herding.
Shifting cultivation is also known as ‘slash and bum’ agriculture.
It is practised in the thickly forested areas of Amazon basin, tropical Africa, parts of south-east Asia and north-east India.
These are the areas of heavy rainfall and quick regeneration of vegetation.
Crops like maize, yam, potatoes and cassava are grown.
Once the soil loses its fertility, the land is abandoned and the cultivator moves to a new plot.

→ Nomadic herding is the type of farming where herdsmen move from place to place with their animals for fodder and water, along defined routes. Due to climatic constraints and terrain, this type of movement arises.

Commonly reared animals are sheep, camel, yak and goats.
They provide milk, meat, wool, hides and other products to the herders and their families.
It is practised in the semi-arid and arid regions of Sahara, Central Asia and some parts of India, like Rajasthan and Jammu and Kashmir.

→ Commercial Farming:

In this type of farming, crops are grown and animals are reared for sale in market.
Commercial farming is categorised in three types: commercial grain farming, mixed farming and plantation agriculture.

→ Commercial grain farming crops are grown for commercial purpose.

Commercially grown grains are wheat and maize.
Major areas are temperate grasslands of North America, Europe and Asia.

→ Mixed farming:

In this type of farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock,
Major areas are in Europe, eastern USA, Argentina, south-east
Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

→ Plantation agriculture:

In this type of farming, single crop of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana or cotton are grown.
Large amount of labour and capital are required. Transport network is essential for such farming.
Majorly they are found in the tropical regions of the world. Some of the examples are rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, tea in India and Sri Lanka.

→ Major Crops:

Major food crops are wheat, rice, maize and millets. Jute and cotton are fibre crops. Important beverage crops are tea and coffee.
Crops are grown to meet the requirements of the growing population.

→ Rice:

It is the major food crop of the world.
It is the staple diet of the tropical and sub¬tropical regions.
China, India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Egypt are the major producers of rice.
It needs high temperature, high humidity and rainfall. It grows best in alluvial clayey soil.

→ Wheat:

It requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest.
USA, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, Australia and India are the leading producers of wheat. In India it is grown in winter.

→ Millets:

Millets are also known as coarse grains. It includes jowar, bajra and ragi.
It can be grown on less fertile and sandy soils. It needs low rainfall and high to moderate temperature and adequate rainfall.
Leading producers are India, Nigeria, China and Niger.

→ Maize:

It requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lots of sunshine and fertile soil.
North America, Brazil, China, Russia, Canada, India, and Mexico are the producers of maize.

→ Cotton:

It requires high temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine for its growth.
It grows best on black and alluvial soils.
The leading producers of cotton are China, USA, India, Pakistan, Brazil and Egypt.

→ Jute:

It is also known as the ‘Golden Fibre’.
It requires high temperature, heavy rainfall and humid climate and grows well on alluvial soil.
The leading producers of jute are India and Bangladesh.

→ Coffee:

It requires warm and wet climate and well drained loamy soil.
The leading producer is Brazil followed by Columbia and India.

→ Tea:

It requires cool climate and well-distributed high rainfall throughout the year for the growth of its tender leaves.
Kenya, India, China, Sri Lanka produce the best quality tea in the world.

→ Agricultural Development:

It refers to efforts made to increase farm production in order to meet the growing demand of increasing population.
Another aspect of agricultural development is mechanisation of agriculture.
The major aim of agricultural development is to increase food security.
Developing countries which has large populations usually practice intensive agriculture.
Larger holdings are more suitable for commercial agriculture as in USA, Canada and Australia.