NCERT Solutions for Class 12 Geography Fundamentals of Human Geography Chapter 4: Primary Activities

Chapter at a glance

Exercise Questions

Question 1 (i)

Which one of the following is not a plantation crop?
(a) Coffee (b) Sugarcane (c) Wheat (d) Rubber

Answer

Coffee, sugarcane and rubber are grown on plantations. Wheat is grown under extensive commercial grain farming and intensive/mixed farming, not plantations.

3. Wheat

Question 1 (ii)

In which one of the following countries co-operative farming was the most successful experiment?
(a) Russia (b) Denmark (c) India (d) The Netherlands

Answer

The co-operative movement was most successful in Denmark (it originated over a century ago in western Europe and was successful in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Sweden, Italy etc.); in Denmark the movement was so successful that practically every farmer is a member of a co-operative.

2. Denmark

Question 1 (iii)

Growing of flowers is called:
(a) Truck farming (b) Factory farming (c) Mixed farming (d) Floriculture

Answer

The cultivation of flowers is called floriculture.

4. Floriculture

Question 1 (iv)

Which one of the following types of cultivation was developed by European colonists?
(a) Kolkoz (b) Viticulture (c) Mixed farming (d) Plantation

Answer

Plantation agriculture was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in the tropics (e.g. the French — cocoa and coffee in West Africa; the British — tea gardens in India and Sri Lanka, rubber in Malaysia, sugarcane and bananas in the West Indies; the Spanish and Americans — coconut and sugarcane in the Philippines; the Dutch — sugarcane in Indonesia).

4. Plantation

Question 1 (v)

In which one of the following regions is extensive commercial grain cultivation not practised?
(a) American Canadian prairies (b) European Steppes (c) Pampas of Argentina (d) Amazon Basin

Answer

Extensive commercial grain cultivation is practised in the mid-latitude grasslands — Prairies, Steppes, Pampas, Velds, Downs and Canterbury plains. The Amazon Basin is a tropical rainforest region where primitive subsistence (shifting) agriculture and gathering are practised.

4. Amazon Basin

Question 1 (vi)

In which of the following types of agriculture is the farming of citrus fruit very important?
(a) Market gardening (b) Plantation agriculture (c) Mediterranean agriculture (d) Co-operative farming

Answer

Mediterranean agriculture is highly specialised commercial agriculture; it is an important supplier of citrus fruits (oranges, lemons) and grapes (viticulture).

3. Mediterranean agriculture

Question 1 (vii)

Which one type of agriculture amongst the following is also called ‘slash and burn agriculture’?
(a) Extensive subsistence agriculture (b) Primitive subsistence agriculture (c) Extensive commercial grain cultivation (d) Mixed farming

Answer

Primitive subsistence agriculture or shifting cultivation is also called slash and burn agriculture: vegetation is cleared by fire, and the ashes add to the fertility of the soil.

2. Primitive subsistence agriculture

Question 1 (viii)

Which one of the following does not follow monoculture?
(a) Dairy farming (b) Mixed farming (c) Plantation agriculture (d) Commercial grain farming

Answer

Mixed farming involves the cultivation of crops (wheat, barley, oats, rye, maize, fodder and root crops) along with the rearing of livestock, and crop rotation and intercropping — so it does not follow monoculture. Plantation and commercial grain farming are monocultures.

2. Mixed farming

Question 2 (i)

Future of shifting cultivation is bleak. Discuss.

Answer

In shifting cultivation, vegetation is cleared by slash and burn, crops are grown for 3–5 years until soil fertility falls, and then the farmer shifts to a new patch. Its future is bleak because: 1. With growing population, the cycle of jhum (fallow period) is becoming shorter, so soil fertility does not recover; yields decline. 2. It causes deforestation, soil erosion and loss of biodiversity. 3. Governments discourage it and encourage settled agriculture; forest laws restrict it; land is being taken for other uses. 4. It yields low production, insufficient for growing populations.

The future of shifting cultivation is bleak because rising population has shortened the jhum (fallow) cycle so soil fertility cannot recover and yields fall, and because it causes deforestation and soil erosion, gives low output, and is discouraged by governments and forest laws.

Question 2 (ii)

Market gardening is practised near urban areas. Why?

Answer

Market gardening and horticulture specialise in the cultivation of high-value crops such as vegetables, fruits and flowers, solely for the urban market. It is practised near urban areas because: 1. Cities provide a large market of high-income consumers. 2. The produce is perishable and must reach markets quickly and fresh. 3. Good transport links and facilities are available near cities. Farms are small and located where there are good transportation links with urban centres; it is both labour- and capital-intensive (e.g. truck farming — the distance a truck can cover overnight).

Market gardening grows perishable, high-value vegetables, fruits and flowers for urban consumers, so it is practised near cities, which provide a large, high-income market and good transport to deliver fresh produce quickly (truck farming).

Question 2 (iii)

Large scale dairy farming is the result of the development of transportation and refrigeration.

Answer

Dairy farming is the most advanced and efficient type of rearing of milch animals; it is capital- and labour-intensive. Milk and milk products are highly perishable. Large-scale commercial dairy farming became possible only after the development of transportation (railways, refrigerated trucks), refrigeration, pasteurisation and other preservation processes, which increased the storage time and allowed dairy products to be carried to distant urban and industrial markets. Earlier, dairy farming was limited to areas near cities. The main regions are north-western Europe, Canada, New Zealand and south-eastern Australia.

Because milk and milk products are highly perishable, large-scale dairy farming became possible only when transport, refrigeration and pasteurisation allowed them to be stored longer and carried to distant urban markets; earlier it was confined to areas near cities.

Question 3 (i)

Differentiate between Nomadic Herding and Commercial Livestock Rearing.

Answer

Nomadic herding is a primitive subsistence activity in which herders move with their animals in search of pasture and water (including transhumance), using traditional methods, in regions like the Sahara, Central Asia and the tundra. Commercial livestock rearing is organised, capital-intensive and scientific, carried out on fenced ranches specialising in one animal for commercial products, in New Zealand, Australia, Argentina, Uruguay and the USA.

Question 3 (ii)

Discuss the important characteristic features of plantation agriculture. Name a few important plantation crops from different countries.

Answer

Plantation agriculture was introduced by the Europeans in colonies situated in the tropics.

Characteristic features: 1. Large estates or plantations. 2. Large capital investment. 3. Managerial and technical support. 4. Scientific methods of cultivation. 5. Single-crop specialisation (monoculture). 6. Cheap labour – often migrant labour, historically including slaves and indentured labourers. 7. Good system of transportation which links the estates to the factories and markets for the export of products. 8. Products are mostly processed on the estate or nearby and exported.

Important plantation crops from different countries: - Tea – India (Assam, Darjeeling, Nilgiris), Sri Lanka (British). - Coffee – Brazil (fazendas), Colombia, Côte d’Ivoire. - Cocoa – Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire (French, West Africa). - Rubber – Malaysia, Indonesia (British). - Sugarcane and bananas – West Indies (Caribbean), the Philippines, Cuba. - Oil palm – Malaysia, Indonesia. - Coconut and sugarcane – the Philippines (Spanish and Americans); sugarcane – Indonesia/Java (Dutch). - Cotton – USA (southern states, historically), pineapples – Hawaii.

Today, the ownership of many plantations has passed into the hands of the governments or nationals of the countries concerned.

Plantation agriculture, introduced by Europeans in tropical colonies, has large estates, heavy capital, managerial and technical support, scientific methods, monoculture, cheap labour, good transport links and export orientation. Examples: tea in India and Sri Lanka, coffee in Brazil, cocoa in Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, rubber and oil palm in Malaysia and Indonesia, sugarcane and bananas in the West Indies, coconut and sugarcane in the Philippines.

Question Project/Activity

Visit a nearby village and observe the cultivation of some crops. Ask the farmers and list the various operations.

Answer

(Sample observation — wheat cultivation in a village of Punjab/Haryana.)

Crop observed: Wheat (rabi crop, sown in October–November, harvested in March–April).

Operations listed by the farmers: 1. Preparation of land – ploughing with a tractor-drawn cultivator/rotavator; levelling the field. 2. Selection and treatment of seeds – high-yielding variety seeds, treated with fungicides. 3. Sowing – using a seed drill (zero-tillage machines are also used after paddy harvest). 4. Manuring and fertilisation – farmyard manure and chemical fertilisers (urea, DAP). 5. Irrigation – 4–6 irrigations through tube-wells or canals at critical stages (crown root initiation, tillering, flowering, grain filling). 6. Weeding – removing weeds by hand or with herbicides. 7. Plant protection – spraying pesticides against pests and diseases (e.g. rust). 8. Harvesting – with a combine harvester or by hand with sickles. 9. Threshing and winnowing – separating grain from chaff by threshers. 10. Storage and marketing – drying, storing in bags/bins; selling at the mandi or to government procurement agencies at MSP.

The farmers also mentioned problems: rising input costs, falling water table, stubble burning, and the need for crop diversification.

Sample — wheat: land preparation (ploughing and levelling), seed selection and treatment, sowing with a seed drill, manuring and fertilisers, irrigation at critical stages, weeding, plant protection with pesticides, harvesting (combine or sickle), threshing and winnowing, and storage and marketing at the mandi or at MSP.

Topic checklist

• ☒ Types of agriculture and their regions (Q 1 (i)–(viii), 2 (ii), 3 (ii))
• ☒ Shifting cultivation and dairy farming (Q 2 (i), 2 (iii))
• ☒ Nomadic herding vs commercial livestock rearing (Q 3 (i))
• ☒ Village crop operations (project)

Total questions answered: 14 of 14