From gathering to farming
Early humans ate wild fruits and hunted animals. About 10,000 years ago they began to grow plants and keep animals in one place. When plants of the same kind are grown on a large scale, they are called a crop: wheat, rice, cotton and pulses are crops.
Crop seasons in India
Season | Sown | Harvested | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|
Kharif | with the monsoon (June–July) | September–October | paddy (rice), maize, soybean, groundnut, cotton |
Rabi | winter (October–November) | March–April | wheat, gram, pea, mustard, linseed |
Paddy needs a lot of standing water, so it is grown in the rainy season.
The steps of crop production
Farmers follow a series of practices called agricultural practices.
1. Preparation of soil
The soil is turned over and loosened by ploughing (tilling). Loose soil lets roots go deeper and breathe easily, and brings nutrient-rich soil to the top. It also helps earthworms and microbes, the farmer's friends, which add humus.
Tools: the wooden or iron plough pulled by bullocks, the hoe for removing weeds and loosening soil, and the cultivator pulled by a tractor. Big clods are broken with a leveller, which also prevents erosion and helps even irrigation.
2. Sowing
Good-quality, healthy seeds are selected. One simple test: put seeds in water. Damaged seeds float because they are hollow and light; healthy seeds sink.
Seeds are sown at the right depth and spacing so that plants get enough sunlight, water and nutrients. A seed drill, attached to a tractor, sows seeds evenly and covers them with soil, which also protects them from birds. Some crops, such as paddy, are first grown in a nursery and then transplanted.
3. Adding manure and fertilisers
Crops take nutrients from the soil, which must be replaced.
Manure | Fertiliser |
|---|---|
natural, made by decomposing plant and animal wastes | man-made chemical (e.g. urea, ammonium sulphate, NPK) |
adds humus; improves soil texture and water-holding capacity | does not add humus |
relatively less rich in specific nutrients | rich in specific nutrients (N, P, K) |
does not harm the soil | overuse harms soil fertility and pollutes water |
Crop rotation, growing a legume such as gram or pea between two cereal crops, restores nitrogen naturally, because Rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules of legumes fix atmospheric nitrogen. Leaving a field fallow (uncultivated) for a season also helps the soil recover.
4. Irrigation
Supplying water to crops at regular intervals is irrigation. Sources include wells, tube wells, ponds, lakes, rivers and canals.
Traditional methods: moat (pulley system), chain pump, dhekli and rahat (lever and animal-powered systems).
Sprinkler system (modern): rotating nozzles spray water like rain; good for uneven land and sandy soil.
Drip system (modern): water drips drop by drop at the roots; best for fruit plants and gardens, and wastes almost no water.
The two modern methods save a great deal of water compared with flooding a field.
5. Protection from weeds
Weeds are unwanted plants growing with the crop. They compete for water, nutrients, space and light. They are removed by hand, with a khurpi or harrow, or by spraying weedicides such as 2,4-D, which kill weeds but not the crop. The person spraying should cover their nose and mouth.
6. Harvesting
Cutting a mature crop is harvesting, done with a sickle or a machine called a harvester. The grain is then separated from the chaff by threshing (often with a combine, which harvests and threshes together) and winnowing, where wind blows the light chaff away. In many regions harvest festivals such as Pongal, Baisakhi, Holi and Bihu are celebrated.
7. Storage
Grain must be dried in the sun to reduce moisture before storage, or it will be attacked by fungi, insects and rats. Farmers store it in jute bags or metal bins; large quantities are kept in silos and granaries, with chemical treatment against pests. Dried neem leaves are used at home.
Animal husbandry
Animals are also reared for food: milk, eggs, meat and fish. Feeding, sheltering and caring for animals is animal husbandry.
Summary
Kharif crops grow in the monsoon; rabi crops grow in winter.
Steps: preparing soil, sowing, manuring, irrigation, weeding, harvesting and storage.
Manure adds humus; fertilisers supply specific nutrients; crop rotation with legumes adds nitrogen.
Drip and sprinkler systems save water.