CDS Geography · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
Farming and Crops
The types of farming, the ways crops are sown together or in turn, the farm policy after Independence, and the needs and main areas of India's chief crops.
Why this matters
Eighteen CDS questions, the most of any page, from 2017 to 2026. Many ask which item does NOT belong: the crop not grown on dry land, the State not known for plantations, the requirement cotton does not have. Intercropping alone was asked twice.
Concept 1 of 3: Types of farming
The first question about any farm is who eats what it grows. If the farmer's own family eats most of it, it is subsistence farming. If it is grown to be sold, it is commercial farming. Plantations are the extreme case of commercial farming: one crop, a huge estate, a lot of money and a factory-like system.
Definition
- Primitive subsistence (shifting) farming: clear a patch by slash and burn, farm it for a few years, then move on. Called jhumming in north-east India, roca in Brazil, chena in Sri Lanka, masole in Central Africa (Zaire) and tamrai in Thailand.
- Intensive subsistence farming: small plots, much labour, and the crop is eaten mainly by the farm family. It is not commercial farming.
- Commercial farming grows for sale: commercial grain farming, dairy farming, livestock ranching and plantations.
- A plantation is a large estate growing one cash crop (tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane), with heavy capital, scientific management, and historically foreign ownership with local labour. Plantations need heavy rain, so they are found in Assam, Kerala and Karnataka, not in dry Rajasthan.
- Dryland farming is practised where rainfall is below about 75 cm, with hardy crops such as jowar, bajra, ragi, gram and groundnut. Water-hungry crops such as sugarcane and rice belong to wetland farming.
| Type of farming | Key feature |
|---|---|
| Shifting cultivation | Slash and burn, then move on; roca (Brazil), chena (Sri Lanka), masole (Zaire), tamrai (Thailand)Q CDS 2023 (II): a four-way match of these local names with their countries. |
| Intensive subsistence | Crop eaten mainly by the farm familyQ CDS 2020 (I): the one type that is not commercial, against dairy, grain farming and ranching. |
| Commercial grain farming | Wheat and maize on large machine-worked farms, for sale |
| Livestock ranching | Animals reared on a large scale for sale |
| Plantation | One cash crop, a large estate, heavy capital, scientific management |
| Dryland farming | Rainfall under about 75 cm; hardy crops such as jowar, ragi and groundnutQ CDS 2023 (II): sugarcane is the one crop not grown under dryland farming. |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2023 · CDS (II) 2023 — General Knowledge · Q82Easy
Example 1 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Farming and Crops
Which one of the following statements about plantation agriculture is not correct ?
Subsistence is not commercial
Dairy farming, grain farming and livestock ranching are all commercial: they grow for sale. Intensive subsistence farming feeds the farm family, so it is the odd one out.
Plantations grow crops, not animals
A plantation grows one cash crop on a large estate. Rearing animals for sale is livestock ranching, not plantation farming.
Concept 2 of 3: Cropping methods and farm policy
Farmers can grow more than one crop on a field in three different ways: mixed up together, in neat alternating rows, or one after another through the year. Each has its own name, and CDS asks you to tell them apart. The other questions here are about what the government did to grow more food, first just after 1947 and then in the Green Revolution.
Definition
- Intercropping: two or more crops on the same field at the same time, in a definite row pattern.
- Mixed cropping: two or more crops sown together without any pattern.
- Crop rotation: different crops on the same land in a planned succession, season after season. It breaks the life cycle of pests and weeds and keeps the soil fertile.
- Mixed farming: crops and livestock on the same farm.
- Organic farming uses no synthetic fertilizers or pesticides. It does use manure, vermicompost (compost made by earthworms, rich in organic matter and nutrients), biofertilizers and bio-pesticides.
- Just after Independence, food output was raised in three ways: switching from cash crops to food crops, cropping already-farmed land more intensively, and bringing culturable and fallow land under the plough. High-yielding variety (HYV) seeds came only with the Green Revolution from the mid-1960s.
- Revolutions by product: Green for food grains, White for milk, Blue for fish, Yellow for oilseeds, Golden for horticulture and honey, Silver for eggs.
| Method | What it means |
|---|---|
| Intercropping | Two or more crops together on one field in a definite row patternQ Asked twice: CDS 2019 (II) and 2021 (I). |
| Mixed cropping | Two or more crops sown together with no pattern |
| Crop rotation | Different crops on the same land in a planned order; controls pests and weedsQ CDS 2026 (I): crop rotation helps control insects, pests and weeds. |
| Mixed farming | Crops and livestock on the same farm |
| Organic farming | No synthetic chemicals; manure, vermicompost, biofertilizers and bio-pesticides instead |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q96Moderate
Example 2 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Farming and Crops
Growing of two or more crops simultaneously on the same field in a definite pattern is known as
Pattern or no pattern
Crops in a definite row pattern is intercropping. Crops sown together without a pattern is mixed cropping. Crops in a planned succession is crop rotation.
HYV seeds came later
The steps taken just after Independence were more land, more intensive cropping and a switch to food crops. HYV seeds belong to the Green Revolution of the mid-1960s, so they are the odd one out.
Organic does not mean no inputs
Organic farming avoids synthetic chemicals, but it relies on biofertilizers and bio-pesticides. A statement that it does not use them is false.
Concept 3 of 3: Crops and where they grow
Every crop is where it is for a reason: the heat, the rain and the soil it needs. Learn the need first and the main States follow from it. Cotton needs black soil and a long frost-free season, so it is a Deccan crop; jute needs fertile delta silt and plenty of water, so it belongs to Bengal.
Definition
- Rice: the main kharif crop. In eastern India it is grown in three seasons, aus, aman and boro, and it covers about one-fourth of India's total cropped area.
- Cotton: kharif crop of the drier parts of the black soil region. Needs high temperature, light rainfall, about 210 frost-free days and bright sunshine. Main States: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Telangana.
- Jute: needs well-drained fertile alluvium of the delta, high temperature and heavy rain. Main States: West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, Meghalaya.
- Coffee: three species, Arabica, Robusta and Liberica. India grows mainly Arabica, in the hills of Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
- Bajra grows well on sandy and shallow black soils (Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Haryana). Ragi suits the red and shallow black soils of dry regions (Karnataka, Tamil Nadu).
- The karewas of the Kashmir valley (old lake deposits) are famous for saffron, almond, walnut and apple.
- Coconut is almost the only crop of Lakshadweep, which has the highest coconut yield per hectare in India.
| Crop | Needs and main areas |
|---|---|
| Rice | Kharif; heat and heavy rain; aus, aman and boro seasons in the east |
| Cotton | Black soil, light rain, about 210 frost-free days; Gujarat, Maharashtra, TelanganaQ CDS 2019 (II): 'at least 100 frost-free days' is the requirement cotton does not have. |
| Jute | Delta alluvium and heavy rain; West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, MeghalayaQ CDS 2019 (II): jute is not a significant crop of Andhra Pradesh. |
| Coffee | Arabica, Robusta and Liberica; hills of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil NaduQ |
| Bajra | Sandy and shallow black soils; Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat |
| Ragi | Red and shallow black soils; Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Saffron, almond, walnut | Karewa terraces of the Kashmir valleyQ CDS 2018 (I): water chestnut (ling nut) grows in the lakes, not on the karewas. |
| Coconut | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu; Lakshadweep has the highest yield per hectare |
Practice this conceptself-check · 4 quick reps
The same idea in a real exam question:
CDS · 2021 · CDS (I) 2021 — General Knowledge · Q53Easy
Example 3 · Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport · Farming and Crops
Identify the crop on the basis of the following characteristics :
1. It is a kharif crop.
2. Aus, Aman and Boro are its three different growing periods in an agricultural year.
3. About one-fourth of the total cropped area of India is under its cultivation.
Select the correct answer using the code given below :
Cotton needs a long season
Cotton needs about 210 frost-free days. An option offering 100 frost-free days is the one that is not a requirement.
Water chestnut is a lake crop
The karewas grow saffron, almond and walnut. Ling nut (water chestnut) grows in the shallow water of the Wular and Dal lakes, not on the raised karewa terraces.
Jute stays in the east
Jute belongs to West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha and Meghalaya. Andhra Pradesh is not a significant jute State.
Summary — formulas & gotchas at a glance
A revision cheat-sheet for the formulas and gotchas above. Click any concept name to jump back to its full explanation.
Reference tables (3)
Types of farming6 rows
| Type of farming | Key feature |
|---|---|
| Shifting cultivation | Slash and burn, then move on; roca (Brazil), chena (Sri Lanka), masole (Zaire), tamrai (Thailand)Q CDS 2023 (II): a four-way match of these local names with their countries. |
| Intensive subsistence | Crop eaten mainly by the farm familyQ CDS 2020 (I): the one type that is not commercial, against dairy, grain farming and ranching. |
| Commercial grain farming | Wheat and maize on large machine-worked farms, for sale |
| Livestock ranching | Animals reared on a large scale for sale |
| Plantation | One cash crop, a large estate, heavy capital, scientific management |
| Dryland farming | Rainfall under about 75 cm; hardy crops such as jowar, ragi and groundnutQ CDS 2023 (II): sugarcane is the one crop not grown under dryland farming. |
Cropping methods and farm policy5 rows
| Method | What it means |
|---|---|
| Intercropping | Two or more crops together on one field in a definite row patternQ Asked twice: CDS 2019 (II) and 2021 (I). |
| Mixed cropping | Two or more crops sown together with no pattern |
| Crop rotation | Different crops on the same land in a planned order; controls pests and weedsQ CDS 2026 (I): crop rotation helps control insects, pests and weeds. |
| Mixed farming | Crops and livestock on the same farm |
| Organic farming | No synthetic chemicals; manure, vermicompost, biofertilizers and bio-pesticides instead |
Crops and where they grow8 rows
| Crop | Needs and main areas |
|---|---|
| Rice | Kharif; heat and heavy rain; aus, aman and boro seasons in the east |
| Cotton | Black soil, light rain, about 210 frost-free days; Gujarat, Maharashtra, TelanganaQ CDS 2019 (II): 'at least 100 frost-free days' is the requirement cotton does not have. |
| Jute | Delta alluvium and heavy rain; West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Odisha, MeghalayaQ CDS 2019 (II): jute is not a significant crop of Andhra Pradesh. |
| Coffee | Arabica, Robusta and Liberica; hills of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil NaduQ |
| Bajra | Sandy and shallow black soils; Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat |
| Ragi | Red and shallow black soils; Karnataka, Tamil Nadu |
| Saffron, almond, walnut | Karewa terraces of the Kashmir valleyQ CDS 2018 (I): water chestnut (ling nut) grows in the lakes, not on the karewas. |
| Coconut | Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu; Lakshadweep has the highest yield per hectare |
Watch out for (8)
- Subsistence is not commercial→ Types of farming
- Plantations grow crops, not animals→ Types of farming
- Pattern or no pattern→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- HYV seeds came later→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- Organic does not mean no inputs→ Cropping methods and farm policy
- Cotton needs a long season→ Crops and where they grow
- Water chestnut is a lake crop→ Crops and where they grow
- Jute stays in the east→ Crops and where they grow
Test yourself on Indian Geography — Economy, Resources and Transport
20 past CDS questions from this chapter, timed at 20 minutes and marked the way the exam marks it. You see your score and every answer the moment you finish. Free to start.