Q.State any four features of Indian agriculture.

The use of pesticides in India is about 0.5 kg per hectare — option (c).

One feature of Indian agriculture is its comparatively low level of pesticide use per hectare — around 0.5 kg. This is much lower than in many developed and other Asian countries. While low chemical usage can be positive for soil and food safety, it also reflects limited resources of small farmers and contributes to crop losses from pests and diseases in some regions.

The agroforest model was formulated by Dr. Subhash Palekar — option (c).

The agroforest / natural-farming model studied in this chapter, which combines trees, crops and livestock in a low-cost, chemical-free system, is credited to Dr. Subhash Palekar, the pioneer of natural (zero-budget) farming in India. Dr. Kurien is linked with the dairy/white revolution and Dr. Swaminathan with the green revolution, so they are not the answer here.

Examples of cash crops: cotton and sugarcane (also tobacco, jute, oilseeds).

Cash crops (also called commercial crops) are cultivated primarily for sale in the market and for use as raw material by industries, to earn income, rather than for the farmer's self-consumption. Common examples in India include cotton and sugarcane, along with tobacco, jute, oilseeds and spices.

Crop protection = protecting crops from pests, diseases, weeds, etc. to prevent loss of yield.

Crop protection refers to all the measures taken to protect crops from damage caused by insects, pests, diseases, weeds, rodents and other harmful factors, both while growing and after harvest. It includes methods such as pesticides, biological control, proper cultivation practices and natural pest-repellents. Effective crop protection helps maintain both the quantity and quality of agricultural output.

Sugarcane is the cash crop — option (d).

Crops are broadly classified as food crops (grown for consumption) and cash/commercial crops (grown chiefly for sale and industrial use). Wheat, bajra and maize are food grains, whereas sugarcane is a cash crop raised as raw material for the sugar and allied industries. Other typical cash crops include cotton, jute, tobacco and oilseeds.

The correct option is (B) Bajra, a food-grain crop.

Food grains include cereals and millets such as rice, wheat, jowar, bajra and maize, grown mainly to meet the population's food needs. Bajra (pearl millet) is therefore a food grain. Groundnut is an oilseed, and sugarcane and cotton are commercial (cash) crops grown mainly for the market and industry.

The correct option is (C) Rural social structure, an institutional factor of agriculture.

Factors affecting agriculture are grouped as technical/technological and institutional. Technical factors include use of machines, improved seeds, pesticides, fertilisers and soil testing. Institutional factors concern the system and framework within which farming takes place — the pattern of land ownership and tenancy, size of holdings, credit and marketing arrangements, and the rural social structure. Hence the rural social structure is an institutional factor.

A cash crop is a commercial crop cultivated mainly to be sold for money, not for self-consumption.

Crops are broadly divided into food crops (grown mainly for consumption, like wheat and rice) and cash crops / commercial crops. A cash crop is one cultivated chiefly for selling in the market to earn cash income. Examples include cotton, sugarcane, tobacco, jute, oilseeds and spices. Cash crops link agriculture to industry and trade, but their prices can be volatile, affecting farmers' incomes.