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Agricultural development in India | Agriculture geography mains| Geography of India

 As per 2001 data:

  • 53% of the population directly employed in agriculture
  • 57% of land used to crop cultivation in India
  • world average 12% percent of land uses for agriculture
  • land to human ratio is 0.31 hectare in India where is 0.59 hectare in a world

Agriculture development in India can be understood by the following two developments:

  • The strategy of development
  • Growth of Agricultural output and Technology 

The strategy of development:

Before independence :

  • Indian agriculture was largely subsistence in nature until 1925
  • Indian agriculture experienced growth in the decimal number
  • during partition, one-third of the irrigated land of undivided India as goes to Pakistan
  • As the result, it reduces the proportional irrigated land to India
After independence:

The government took, the following steps to increase food grain production:

  • switching from Cash crop to food crops
  • Intensification of the cropping area
  • Bringing follow land under cultivation
However, agriculture production remains stagnant in 1950 to overcome this problem: 
  • Intensive agriculture district program(IAMP)
  • Intensive agriculture area program IAAP


Two consecutive droughts in the mid-1960 resulted in a food crisis in India.

  • Foodgrains were imported from other countries in India
  • After the India-Pakistan war in 1971, the USA refused to export food grains to India.


As a result, new seed varieties were introduced. for example, wheat from Mexico, rice from the Philippines; high yielding varieties were introduced in India.

  • Along with high yielding variety, chemical fertilizers also introduced in irrigated Area of Punjab, Haryana, Western Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, and Gujarat
  • Supply of soil moisture was a basic prerequisite for the success of agriculture Technology

This technology increases food grains production instantly and productivity increase rapidly later known as the "green revolution" in India.

  • It also leads to the development of the Agro input, Agro-processing, small-scale industries.
  • As a result, the country becomes self-reliant reliant on food grain production.

The success of the Green revolution in the limited area leads to regional disparities

  • In 1988 Ago climate zone demarcated by the Planning Commission of India to reduce regional disparity and agricultural development in the country.
  • Focus on diversification of Agricultural and harvesting of resources such as dairy farming, poultry, Horticulture, livestock rearing, and aquaculture

1990 liberalization policy leads to free-market development

  • Lack of rural infrastructure
  • withdrawal of subsidies and price supports leads to inter-regional and interpersonal disparities in rural India.


Growth of Agricultural output and Technology :

  • In last 50 years great increases in output and Technology
  • In 2008-09 India rank first in Pulse and jute agriculture output
  • The second-largest producer of rice, wheat, groundnut, sugarcane, and vegetation
  • Irrigation is the basis of the introduction of modern agricultural Technology such high yielding varieties of seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, farm machinery.
  • Net irrigated areas increase from 20.85 in 1950-51 to 54.66 million hectares in 2001.
  • Modern agricultural technology has diffused very fast in various areas of the country's
  • Consumption of chemical fertilizer fertilizers increased 15 times in the last 40 years.
  • Chemical fertilizer fertilizers use in Punjab, Haryana is three to four times higher than the national average.
  • Pesticide uses also increase rapidly.

For a detailed explanation, watch the below video:


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