Geography Class 12 Important Questions Chapter 15 Land Resources and Agriculture

Question 1. What is the contribution of India in the production of rice in the world? (Delhi 2011)

Answer: India ranked 2nd with the production of 22% rice in the world. Only China produced more rice than India.

Question 2. What is the meaning of ‘Common Property Resources’ (CRP)? (Delhi 2011)

Answer: Common Property Resources are not owned by any person or group. They are available for all and can be used by any person. These CPRs provide fodder to the livestock and fuel woods for household uses to villagers.

Question 3. How is the cropping intensity calculated in India? (Delhi 2009)

Answer: Cropping intensity is calculated in percentage by using the following formula:

Cropping Intensity (Cl) = Gross Cropped Area/Net Sown Area × 100

Question 4. How is productive irrigation able to achieve high productivity in India? (All Indio 2009)

Answer: In productive irrigation farming, water is used in high amount in per unit cultivated area. The main objective of this type of farming is to produce more and more yield by providing sufficient moisture to soil for cultivation. Thus, this type of farming can help India to achieve high productivity in India.

Also Check: CBSE Class 12 Date Sheet 2024 Out

3 Marks Questions

Question 5.Explain the importance of irrigation for agriculture in India. (Delhi 2016)

OR

Why is the demand for water to irrigation increasing day by day in India? Explain any three reasons. (All Indio 2000)

OR

Why is irrigation necessary in India? Explain any three reasons. (Delhi 2008)

Answer: Irrigation is necessary for India for the following reasons: To Decrease the Dependency on Monsoon Rainfall After the decades of independence, India is still dependent on monsoon rainfall for agriculture production. Only 33% of agricultural land is irrigated and rest is dependent on rainfall for soil moisture. To decrease the dependency on monsoon, rainfall irrigation is necessary.

To Increase Production Agricultural production under rainfed areas is low and yield is very low. To increase agricultural production in India irrigation is necessary.

To Maintain Balance between Population and Food Production Foodgrain production in India is very low and its growth rate is very low as compared to the increase in population. To provide food to increasing population growth, increase in production of foodgrains is required. Thus, irrigation is necessary.

Question 6. “Land resources are more crucial to the livelihood of the people depending on agriculture.” Support this statement with any three suitable arguments. (Delhi 2015, 2012, 2010)

OR

How is a land resource more crucial to the livelihood of the people depending on agriculture in India? Explain. (All India 2010)

Answer: Most of the Indians are dependent on agriculture directly or indirectly for their subsistence. Thus, the land resource becomes more important. Importance of land resource in agriculture can be understood by the following points:

• Dependence of agriculture on a land resource is high as compared to the secondary or tertiary sector.
• Agriculture is directly affected by the quality of land but other sectors such as industry or services are not affected by the quality of land.
• Besides agricultural production, ownership of land resource also indicates a social status in rural areas.

Question 7. Differentiate between protective irrigation and productive irrigation. (Delhi 2015)

Answer: Differences between protective irrigation and productive irrigation are as follows:

Question 8. State any two characteristics each of the three distinct cropping seasons of India. (Delhi 2014)

Answer: The three distinct cropping seasons of India are:

Kharif The characteristics of kharif season are as follows:

• Kharif season starts with the onset of South-West monsoon (June-September).
• The major crops which are cultivated in this season are rice, jute, cotton, jowar, bajra, tur and other tropical crops.

Rabi The characteristics of Rabi season are as follows:

• Rabi season in India starts from October- November with the onset of winter to March-April.
• The crops which are cultivated in this season are wheat, gram, mustard and other temperate and subtropical crops because of the low-temperature condition.

Zaid The characteristics of zaid season are as follows:

• Zaid is a short season between rabi and kharif in India (April-June).
• The crops which are cultivated in this season are watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops. Crops are cultivated mainly on irrigation lands.

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Question 9. Explain any three features of dryland farming in India. (Delhi 2013)

Answer: The three features of dryland farming in India are as follows:

• It is a type of rainfed farming in which the main source of soil moisture for cultivation is rainfall.
• Dryland farming is done in the areas of rainfall receiving less than 75 cm annually.
• The major crops which are cultivated in these regions are ragi, bajra, moong, gram, gur and other hardy and drought-resistant crops.

Question 10. Describe any three characteristics of wetland farming in India. (Delhi 2013)

Answer: The three characteristics of wetland farming in India are as follows:

• It is a type of rainfed farming in which the main source of soil moisture for cultivation is rainfall.
• Wetland farming is done in the areas having sufficient rainfall to provide sufficient moisture to soil for growing crops.
• The main crops which are cultivated in these regions are rice, jute, sugarcane and other water-intensive crops.

Question 11. “Land use in a region to a large extent is influenced by the nature of economic activities carried out in that region”. Support the statement by giving three examples from India. (HOTS; Delhi 2012)

Answer: The three types of changes that have affected land use in India are:

• The size of the economy.
• The composition of an economy (proportion of different sectors).
• Increasing pressure on agricultural land.

Question 12. Mention any six land use categories in India. (Delhi 2011)

Answer: Under the land revenue records land use categories are as follows:

• Forest: Inland revenue records, the forest is the area that is identified and demarcated for forest growth.
  
• Land put to Non-agricultural Uses: In this category, all land that is not used in agriculture is included, e.g. settlement, roads, canals, industries, shops, etc.
  
• Barren and Wastelands: This category includes all land that is unable to cultivate i.e. unproductive land.
  
• The area under Permanent Pastures and Grazing Lands: This type of land is usually found in the outer part of rural settlement where villagers graze their animals.
  
• Culturable Wasteland: Land that can be used to cultivate crops by land reclamation and other land quality improvement techniques.
• Current Fallow: The land where cultivation is not practised for 1 year or less than 1 year is included under this category.

Question 13. How is the degradation of cultivable land one of the serious problem in India? Explain in any three points. (All Indio 2010)

Answer: The degradation of cultivable land is one of the serious problems in India as:

1. Intensive use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation have resulted in the degradation of cultivable land. It has reduced the fertility of the soil in India.
2. Unregulated and over irrigation has created problems of alkalisation and salinisation and waterlogging in irrigated cultivated areas of India. About 8 million hectare land has lost its fertility due to salinisation and alkalisation and about 7 million hectare land have lost its fertility because of water logging in India.
3. The natural fertilisation processes of soil like nitrogen fixation by the cultivation of leguminous crops are not adopted because these crops are displaced with commercial crops such as sugarcane.

Question 14. Classify Indian farming into two groups on the basis of the main source of moisture for crops. Write two feature of each. (HOTS; Delhi 2010)

Answer: In India, farming is classified into the following two groups on the basis of moisture available for crops:

Irrigated Farming The features of the irrigated are as follows:

1. In this type of farming, the main source of moisture for a crop is irrigation by various methods like wells, tubewells, etc.
2. Irrigated farming may be of two types on the basis of objective of farming i.e. productive and protective. Productivity can be enhanced by productive irrigation and crops can be saved from drought by providing them with protective irrigation.

Rainfed Farming The features of rainfed farming are as follows:

1. In this type of farming, the main source of moisture for soil and crops is rainfall.
2. Rainfed farming is done in the areas of drylands and wetlands in India. Dryland is areas that receive an annual rainfall of less than 75 cm. Crops cultivated are drought resistant. Wetlands are areas that receive sufficient rainfall to cultivate crops. Main crops are rice, jute, sugarcane and other water-intensive crops.

Question 15. Explain the three types of changes that have affected land use in India. (Delhi 2010)

Answer: The three types of changes that have affected land use in India are:

1. The size of the economy.
2. The composition of an economy (proportion of different sectors).
3. Increasing pressure on agricultural land.

Question 16. “Land degradation caused by the human-made process is more harmful than natural processes in India”. Analyze the statement with three suitable examples. (HOTS; Delhi 2009)

Answer: Human activities are majorly responsible for the degradation of land than natural resources. This degradation has started after Green Revolution where new methods and techniques were used intensively, e.g. chemical fertilizers, irrigation, etc. Unregulated and over irrigation has created problems of organization, salinization, and waterlogging in irrigated areas of India.

It is estimated that about 15 million hectare land has lost its fertility due to faulty methods of human. Besides these, shifting cultivation, deforestation, mining activities, etc are human-made processes of land degradation whereas erosion by wind, water, glacial and steep sloping land, etc are natural processes of land degradation.

5 Marks Questions

Question 17. ‘Erratic monsoon’ and ‘Indebtedness’ are the major problems of Indian agriculture. Suggest and explain the measures to’overcome these problems. (HOTS; Delhi 2016)

Answer: Suggestions for Erratic Monsoon

Nature of monsoon is very erratic in India. It is true that the means of irrigations were developed after independence, but the cultivated area under irrigation is only 33%. So, there should be more stress on developing various means of irrigation especially in unirrigated areas of India.

Water disputes between states should be ended in order to provide equitable water resources to each cultivable land in India. There should be stress on rainwater harvesting technique to improve and recharge the groundwater table. So that farmers can easily harvest their land with the use of these sources. Drought resistant crops should be used more in areas where a shortage of water occurs.

Suggestions for Indebtedness

Encourage co-operative credits in rural areas and private lending should be eliminated. Agriculture should be conducted on a scientific basis so that the income of the farmers would increase and they could meet the unproductive expenses and would not be forced to take any loan. Encourage minimum support price policy for all farmers. Rural banks and cooperative banks should provide storage facilities at cheap interest rates.

Question 18. “Low productivity and fragmentation of land holding are the major problems of Indian agriculture”. Suggest and explain measures to overcome these problems. (HOTS; Delhi 2016)

Answer: Measures to overcome the problems of low productivity and are as follows:

1. To aware all the farmers about new technologies like the use of improved implements, seeds, chemicals, manures, etc.
2. Double cropping, better rotation of crops, fighting plant, diseases and pests, etc should be given due emphasis. Different sources of irrigation should be provided to all farmers.
3. Timely soil testing should be done in rural areas by establishing soil testing labs.
4. Institutional credit or loan facilities should be provided to all farmers at low-interest rates, for e.g. Kisan credit card scheme.

Measures to overcome the problems of fragmentation of land holdings are as follows:

1. Big areas of land which are laying waste can be reclaimed and made fit for cultivation.
2. Co-operative farming can be helpful to check the sub-division and fragmentation of holding. This farming would result in the adoption of modern technology on so-called big farms. In this way, agriculture will become a profitable occupation through economies of large-scale farming.
3. There should be framed a new agricultural policy to improve this situation.
4. The stress of population on land should be reduced.

Question 19. ‘Fragmentation of land holdings’ and ‘degradation of cultivable land’ are the serious problems of Indian agriculture. Suggest and explain measures to overcome these problems. (HOTS; All Indio 2016)

Answer: For measures to overcome the problems of fragmentation of land holdings,

Measures to overcome the problems of low productivity and are as follows:

1. To aware all the farmers about new technologies like the use of improved implements, seeds, chemicals, manures, etc.
2. Double cropping, better rotation of crops, fighting plant, diseases and pests, etc should be given due emphasis. Different sources of irrigation should be provided to all farmers.
3. Timely soil testing should be done in rural areas by establishing soil testing labs.
4. Institutional credit or loan facilities should be provided to all farmers at low-interest rates, for e.g. Kisan credit card scheme.

Measures to overcome the problems of fragmentation of land holdings are as follows:

1. Big areas of land which are laying waste can be reclaimed and made fit for cultivation.
2. Co-operative farming can be helpful to check the sub-division and fragmentation of holding. This farming would result in the adoption of modern technology on so-called big farms. In this way, agriculture will become a profitable occupation through economies of large-scale farming.
3. There should be framed a new agricultural policy to improve this situation.
4. The stress of population on land should be reduced.

Following are some measures for controlling land degradation:

1. Strip farming should be encouraged in which cultivated crops are sown in alternative strips to prevent water movement.
2. Crop rotation should be in practice.
3. In the hilly regions, contour farming should be done. As it is useful in collecting and diverting the runoff to avoid erosion.
4. To minimize waterlogging and salinization, modem techniques of irrigation in the fields should be adopted.

Question 20. Explain the importance of food grains in the Indian agricultural economy. Describe any three characteristics of rice cultivation. (All India 2015)

Answer: Food grains acquired a special position in the agriculture economy of India. Within agriculture food grains production is by far the major activity, covering about two-thirds of the total cropped area in the country.

It dominates both subsistence and commercial farming all over India. Food grains provide almost all the calories and proteins consumed by the poor and provide the rural poor with the bulk of their employment and income. Rice, wheat, bajra, maize, pulses (Gram, tur), etc are examples of food grains.

Characteristics of rice cultivation are as follows:

1. For most of the Indians, rice is a staple food.
2. About 3000 varieties of rice are grown in various agro-climatic regions of India. India ranked 2nd with the production of 22% of rice in the world.
3. Because of suitable climate conditions, rice can be cultivated twice and even thrice in an agricultural year in Southern India and West Bengal.

Question 21. Analyse any five major problems of Indian agriculture. (All India 2014)

OR

Describe any five major problems of Indian agriculture. (Delhi 2008)

OR

Describe any five major problems related to Indian agriculture. (Delhi 2011)

Answer: Major problems related to Indian agriculture are:

Dependence of Erratic Monsoon

Dependence on monsoon for water availability is a major problem of Indian agriculture. Means of irrigation were developed after independence, but the cultivated area under irrigation is only 33%. Rest of the cultivated land is dependent on monsoon for soil moisture.

Low Productivity

India also lags behind in terms of per hectare production and per person production. India is much behind the international level. In India, a large area under cultivation is rainfed. It has a very low yield as compared to the irrigated areas. However, the yield of irrigated areas is low as compared to the international level.

Constraints of Financial Resources and Indebtedness

Majority of farmers are small, marginal and poor. They have no other source of money to improve their condition. They cannot afford highly expensive inputs like the tractor, thresher, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, tools, etc and new technologies. Most of the farmers are indebted by various institutions and moneylenders.

Vast Under-Employment

Agriculture is a work that does not provide employment throughout the year. There is no income during the ploughing field to harvesting crops. Thus, there is a vast under-employment rate in the agricultural sector. Especially in un-irrigated tracts of India. There is a need to provide economic activities to farmers during these seasons.

Degradation of Cultivable Land

Degradation of cultivable land on large-scale has started after the Green Revolution, intensive use of chemical fertilizers and irrigation has resulted in the degradation of cultivable land.

Question 22. Explain the term cropping intensity. Describe the three cropping seasons in India, (AH Indio 2014)

Answer: Cropping intensity refers to raising of a number of crops from the same field during one agriculture year. In this process, the area is counted twice or thrice depending upon the number of crops. For three cropping seasons,

The three distinct cropping seasons of India are:

Kharif The characteristics of kharif season are as follows:

• Kharif season starts with the onset of South-West monsoon (June-September).
• The major crops which are cultivated in this season are rice, jute, cotton, jowar, bajra, tur and other tropical crops.

Rabi The characteristics of Rabi season are as follows:

• Rabi season in India starts from October- November with the onset of winter to March-April.
• The crops which are cultivated in this season are wheat, gram, mustard and other temperate and subtropical crops because of the low-temperature condition.

Zaid The characteristics of Zaid season are as follows:

• Zaid is a short season between rabi and kharif in India (April-June).
• The crops which are cultivated in this season are watermelons, cucumbers, vegetables and fodder crops. Crops are cultivated mainly on irrigation lands.

Question 23. “Land use in a region to a large extent is influenced by nature economic activities carried out in that region”. Support the statement by giving three examples from India, (HOTS; Delhi 2012)

OR

Why is the area under pastures decreasing in India? How do the changes in the economy affect changes in land use? Explain. (Delhi 2010)

OR

Explain the three types of changes that have affected land use in India. (Delhi 2010)

Answer: Increasing population pressure on land is one of the major reasons which is responsible for the decline in land under pasture and grazing area.

There are three types of economic changes that affected the land use in India which are as follows:

1. As the population increases the size of the economy also increases. High population pressurizes land resources and force people to utilize every piece of land. Thus, marginal lands and barren wastelands would be used to support the population.
2. When the composition of an economy changes it also changes the land uses because different sectors use the land for different purposes, e.g. when agricultural area decreases the area under other categories like the area under non-agriculture use increases.
3. With the compositional change in economy and change in land use, an area under agriculture declines, but it does not reduce the population pressure on agriculture land.

Question 24. How the small size of land holdings and degradation of cultivable land are the two major problems of Indian agriculture? Explain both these problems with examples. (Delhi 2009)

Answer: Problems of the small size of land holdings in India are as follows:

1. Most of the Indian farmers are small and marginal. About 60% of land holdings are smaller than one hectare and about 40% of land holdings are smaller than 0.5 hectares.
2. The average size of a farm in India is much smaller than in developed countries. This average size of the farm is becoming smaller every year, because of increasing population pressure.
3. Many farmers have two or more farms of small size. It reduces the effort of a farmer in production.
4. Small and fragmented lands are less productive.
5. Government has taken steps to solve this problem by the consolidation of holdings, but it has not been implemented successfully.
6. In non-irrigated rainfed areas, the problem of land degradation also exists. Land degradation in these areas is caused by soil erosion from water and wind. These causes are also increased by human activities in these areas.
   For problems of degradation of cultivable land,

Food grains acquired a special position in the agriculture economy of India. Within agriculture food grains production is by far the major activity, covering about two-third of the total cropped area in the country.

It dominates both subsistence and commercial farming all over India. Food grains provide almost all the calories and proteins consumed by the poor and provide the rural poor with the bulk of their employment and income. Rice, wheat, bajra, maize, pulses (Gram, tur), etc are examples of food grains.

Characteristics of rice cultivation are as follows:

• For most of the Indians, rice is a staple food.
• About 3000 varieties of rice are grown in various agro-climatic regions of India. India ranked 2nd with the production of 22% of rice in the world.
• Because of suitable climate conditions, rice can be cultivated twice and even • thrice in an agricultural year in Southern India and West Bengal.

Map-Based Question

Question 25. On the given political outline map of India, locate and label the following with appropriate symbols.

(i) The leading tea producing state. (Delhi 2015)

OR

The leading state in the production of tea. (All India 2014)

(ii) The leading Jute producing state. (Delhi 2015)

OR

The leading state in the production of Jute. (Delhi 2014)

Answer:

Value Based Questions

Question 26. “Land use in a region to a large extent is influenced by the nature of economic activities carried out in that region”. Which value is derived from the statement?

Answer: Following values are derived from the statement:

• Economic dependence
• Social structure
• Community awareness

Question 27. “Degradation of cultivable land is one of the most serious problems that arise out of faulty in India”. Which value is derived from the statement?

Answer: Values derived from the above statement are:

• Misuse of environment
• Social unawareness
• Lack of education