Class 8 Social Science Geography Question & Answers of the third Chapter “Agriculture” are given here. The NCERT solutions are based on chapter exercise questions. Click here for other chapters of class 8 geography.
Textbook Exercises & Answers
1. Answer the following questions:
(i) What is agriculture?
Ans. Agriculture is the practice of cultivating crops, rearing livestock, and other activities related to the production of food, fibre, and other raw materials used by humans.
(ii) Name the factors influencing agriculture?
Ans. Factors influencing agriculture include climate, soil fertility, topography, availability of water resources (irrigation), availability of inputs like seeds and fertilizers, technology, and access to markets.
(iii) What is shifting cultivation? What are its disadvantages?
Ans. Shifting cultivation is a traditional farming practice in which farmers clear a plot of land, grow crops for a few years until the soil loses fertility, and then move to a new plot, leaving the previous one to regenerate naturally.
Disadvantages of shifting cultivation include deforestation, soil degradation, loss of biodiversity, and vulnerability to climate change and market fluctuations.
(iv) What is plantation agriculture?
Ans. Plantation agriculture is a large-scale commercial farming system in which a single crop, such as tea, coffee, sugarcane, rubber, banana, or cotton, is grown on extensive estates or plantations.
(v) Name the fibre crops and name the climatic conditions required for their growth.
Ans. Fiber crops: Cotton and Jute.
Climatic conditions for cotton: High temperature, light rainfall, 210 frost-free days, and bright sunshine.
Climatic conditions for jute: High temperature, heavy rainfall, and a humid climate.
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 fibre 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
3. Give reasons:
(i) In India agriculture is a primary activity.
Ans. Agriculture is the main economic activity for a significant portion of India’s population, involving the cultivation of crops and rearing of livestock for subsistence and commercial purposes.
(ii) Different crops are grown in different regions.
Ans. Different regions have varying climates, soil types, and water availability, which influence the suitability of crops for cultivation. As a result, farmers grow crops that are best suited to their local environmental conditions.
4. Distinguish between the followings:
(i) Primary activities and tertiary activities.
Ans. Primary activities involve the extraction and production of natural resources (e.g., agriculture, fishing, mining), while tertiary activities provide services to support primary and secondary activities (e.g., trade, banking, transportation).
(ii) Subsistence farming and intensive farming.
Ans. Subsistence farming is practiced to meet the farmer’s family’s needs and usually involves low levels of technology and small outputs. Intensive farming, on the other hand, involves high input usage and more labour to maximize output for commercial purposes.
5. Activity:
(i) 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.
Ans. Students should attempt it by themselves.
In the activity, students can bring different seed samples and conduct research or discussion to determine the type of soil in which each crop grows best.
(ii) Find out the difference between the lifestyle of farmers in the USA and India based on pictures collected from magazines, books, newspapers, and the Internet.
Ans. Students should attempt it by themselves.
In this activity, students can gather visual material depicting farmers’ lifestyles in both the USA and India and then compare and contrast the farming practices, technologies, farm sizes, and living conditions between the two countries.