Indian agriculture and Indian farmers are plagued by several problems; some of them are natural and some others are manmade.
(i) Small and fragmented land-holdings: The problem of small and fragmented holdings is more serious in densely populated and intensively cultivated states in India.
(ii) High Costs of Inputs: Seed is a critical and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and sustained growth in agricultural production.
(iii) Infertile Soil: Indian soils have been used for growing crops over thousands of years without caring much for replenishing. This has led to depletion and exhaustion of soils resulting low productivity.
(iv) Lack of Irrigation: Only one- third of the cropped area falls under irrigated area. To make agriculture reliable, irrigation facility has to be developed.
(v) Soil erosion:  Large tracts of fertile land suffer from soil erosion by wind and water. Such kind of areas must be properly treated and restored to its original fertility.
(vi) Agricultural marketing: In rural India, agricultural marketing continues in bad shape. Due to the absence of sound marketing facility, the farmers have to depend on local traders and middlemen for the disposal of their farm products which is sold at a low price.
(vii) Inadequate storage facilities: Storage facilities in the rural areas are either totally absent or grossly inadequate. Under such conditions, the farmers are compelled to sell their products immediately after the harvest irrespective of the condition of market.

A tank is a natural or man-made hollow on the surface developed by constructing a small bund around it across a stream. It is used to collect and store water for irrigation and other purposes. Irrigation by tanks is a very old system in India. It also includes irrigation from lakes and ponds. The tank irrigation is popular in the peninsular India due to the following reasons:
(i) The undulating relief and hard rocks make difficult to dig canals and wells.
(ii) Natural depressions serve as reservoirs.
(iii) Absence of perennial rivers.
(iv) Impermeable rock structure which do not permit percolation.
(v) The scattered nature of population and agricultural fields

Intensive farming:
i) Intensive farming is an agricultural intensification and mechanization system. It aims to maximise yields from available land through various means, such as heavy use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
ii) Plantation forming is practices in West Bengal, Kerala, Tamilnadu and Karnataka.
Plantation farming:
i) Plantation crops are cultivated for the purpose of exports. These are cultivated in large estates on hilly slopes. Tea, coffee, rubber and spices are the major plantation crops of India.

(i) Multipurpose Project is a scientific management of water resources in our country. Construction of dam across rivers is aimed at many purposes.
(ii) The various purposes of a dam serves are irrigation, hydro power generation, water supply for drinking and industrial purpose, controlling floods, development of fisheries,navigation,etc. Irrigation and hydro-power are the major aims of the projects.
Two import river valley projects (Multipurpose projects):
Bhakra Nangal project:
i) Bhakra Nangal project is constructed across the river Sutlej.
ii) It is the highest gravity dam in India.
iii) The states of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan are benefited by this project.
Hirakud project:
i) Hirakud project is constructed across the river Mahanadi in Odisha.
ii) This is the longest dam in the world.
iii) The state benefited by this project is Odisha.

Soil Type Characteristics
Distribution
Crops growing
Alluvial Soil Khadar- light coloured, more siliceous.
Bhangar - the older alluvium composed of lime nodules and has clayey composition. It is dark in colour.
Formation - sediments deposited by streams and rivers 
Chemical properties - rich in potash, phosphoric acid, lime and carbon compounds but poor in nitrogen
Nature - Sandy-loam-silt-clay  Ganga and Brahmaputra river valleys; Plains of Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Punjab, Haryana, West Bengal and Bihar Rice, Wheat, sugarcane and oilseeds Black soils Formation - Derived from basalts of Deccan trap.
Colour - black colour, due to presence of titanium, iron.
Chemical properties - Consist of calcium and magnesium carbonates, high quantities of iron, aluminium, lime and magnesia. Maharashtra and Malwa plateaus, Kathiawar peninsula, Telangana and Rayalaseema region of Andra Pradesh and northern part of Karnataka. Cotton, Millets, Tobacco and Sugarcane Red soils Formation - decomposition of ancient crystalline rocks like granites and gneisses and from rock type
Chemical properties - rich in minerals such as iron and magnesium. Deficient in nitrogen, hummus, phosphoric acid and lime.
Nature - Light texture, porous, friable, presence of limited soluble salts Clay fraction of the red soils generally consists of Kaolinitic minerals. Eastern parts of Deccan plateau, southern states of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Chota Nagpur plateau (Jharkhand) Wheat, Rice, Cotton, Sugarcane and Pulses Laterite soils Formation - formed in the regions where alternate wet and hot dry conditions prevail. It is formed by
the process of leaching
Chemical properties - Composed mainly of hydrated oxides of iron and aluminium,
Nature - More acidic on higher areas poor in high level, cannot retain moisture while plains they consist of heavy loam and clay and easily retain moisture Assam hills, hill summits of Kerala and Karnataka and Eastern Ghats and region of Odisha Coffee, Rubber, Cashew nut and Tapioca Forest and Mountain Soils Differ from region to region depending on climate.
Formation - due to mechanical weathering caused by snow, rain, temperature variation
Chemical properties - are deficient in potash, phosphorus and lime.
Nature - light, sandy, thin and found with the pieces of rock. Their character changes with the parent rocks. Very rich in humus. slow decomposition makes it acidic Coniferous forest belts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Sikkim. Eastern and the Western Ghats Coffee, tea, rice, maize, potato, barley, tropical fruits and various types of spices

The following are the five leading states which account for 78% of the total progress under Micro Irrigation scheme
(i) Andhra Pradesh
(ii) Karnataka
(iii) Gujarat
(iv) Maharashtra
(v) Tamil Nadu

Cotton is the most important cash crop of India. It provides raw material to the largest industry of India. India ranks second next to China in the production of cotton.

Rice in India is sown in three ways:
(i) Broadcasting
(ii) Ploughing or drilling
(iii) Transplanting

The major crops of India are divided into four major categories as follows:
(i) Food crops (wheat, maize, rice, millets, pulses, etc.).
(ii) Cash crops (sugarcane, tobacco, cotton, jute, oilseeds, etc.).
(iii) Plantation crops (tea, coffee, and rubber).
(iv) Horticulture crops (fruits, flowers, and vegetables).

Methods of Conservation and Management of Soil
(i) Contour method
(ii) Rotation of crops
(iii) Contour bunding
(iv) Strip cropping