NCERT CLASS 8 GEOGRAPHY CH 4

 

        

                     Agriculture

1. Answer the following questions.

( i ) What is agriculture?

ANS. Agriculture is a primary activity that includes.  includes growing crops, vegetables, fruits, flowers and rearing livestock. Agriculture is a primary activity, as it is connected with the extraction and production of natural resources.

ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture.

ANS: The factors that influence agriculture include soil, climate, topography, population etc.

iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?

ANS: Shifting cultivation is also known as slash-and-burn cultivation. It is a type of farming activity which involves clearing a land plot by cutting down trees and burning them. The ashes are then mixed with the soil, and crops are grown. After the land has lost its fertility, it is abandoned. The farmers then move to a new place.

The disadvantages of shifting cultivation are as follows:

• Leads to deforestation
• Loss of fertility of a particular land
• Leads to soil erosion
• Burning of trees causes air pollution
• Insufficient cultivation of crops for a large population.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  (iv) What is plantation agriculture?

• ANS: Plantations are a type of commercial farming where single crops of tea, coffee, sugarcane, cashew, rubber, banana, cotton etc., are grown. Large amounts of labor 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. Major plantations are found in the tropical regions of the world. Rubber in Malaysia, coffee in Brazil, and tea in India and Sri Lanka are some examples.

  (v) Name the fiber crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.

  Answer: Jute and Cotton are fiber crops. The climatic conditions necessary for the growth of jute are high temperature, heavy rainfall and high humidity. Similarly, for the growth of cotton, high temperature, light rainfall, and bright sunshine are required.

  2. Tick the correct answer.

  (i) Horticulture means

  (a) growing of fruits and vegetables

  (b) primitive farming

  (c) growing of wheat

  ANS: (a) Growing of fruits and vegetables

  (ii) Golden fiber refers to

  (a) tea

  (b) cotton

  (c) jute

  ANS: (c) Jute

  (iii) Leading producers of coffee

  (a) Brazil

  (b) India

  (c) Russia

  ANS: (a)Brazil

• Question 3.
  Give reasons.
  (i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.
  (ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.
  ANS:
  (i) Agriculture is an activity of growing crops, fruits, vegetables, flowers, and rearing of livestock. It is a primary activity since it directly involves natural resources. In India, a huge number of people derive the activity from their ancestors. Due to lack of literacy in general, farmers prefer agriculture since they acquire the required skills from their ancestors, and so feel comfortable with it.

  (ii)

  • Different topography
  • Different soils
  • Different climates
  • Different lifestyles of the people in different regions.

  Question 4.
  Distinguish between the following.
  (i) Primary activities and secondary activities.
  (ii) Subsistence farming and intensive farming.
  ANS:
  (i)