(i) The growth rate in agriculture is decelerating and it is not generating sufficient employment opportunities in the country.
(ii) Today Indian farmers are facing a big challenge from international competition.
(iii) Our government is going ahead with reduction in the public investment in agriculture sector particularly in irrigation, power, rural roads, market and mechanisation.
(iv) Subsidy on fertilisers is decreased leading to increase in the cost of production.
(v) Reduction in import duties on agricultural have proved detrimental to agriculture in the country.
(vi) Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture, causing a downfall in the employment in agriculture.
(vii) Considering the importance of agriculture in India, the Government of India made concerted efforts to modernise agriculture.
(viii) It established the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Agricultural universities, Veterinary services and animal breeding centres, horticulture development, research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast, ect.
(ix) Apart from this, improving the rural infrastructure was also considered essential for the same.

(i) The growth rate in agriculture is decelerating and it is not generating sufficient employment opportunities in the country.
(ii) Today Indian farmers are facing a big challenge from international competition.
(iii) Our government is going ahead with reduction in the public investment in agriculture sector particularly in irrigation, power, rural roads, market and mechanisation.
(iv) Subsidy on fertilisers is decreased leading to increase in the cost of production.
(v) Reduction in import duties on agricultural have proved detrimental to agriculture in the country.
(vi) Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture, causing a downfall in the employment in agriculture.

(vii) Considering the importance of agriculture in India, the Government of India made concerted efforts to modernise agriculture.
(viii) It established the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), Agricultural universities, Veterinary services and animal breeding centres, horticulture development, research and development in the field of meteorology and weather forecast, ect.
(ix) Apart from this, improving the rural infrastructure was also considered essential for the same.

(i) In 2008, India was the second largest producer of groundnut in the world after China.
(ii) In rapeseed production, India was third largest producer in the world after Canada and China in 2008.
(iii) Different oil seeds are grown covering approximately 12 percent of the total cropped area of the country.
(iv) Main oil-seeds produced in India are groundnut, mustard, coconut, sesamum (til), soyabean, castor seeds, cotton seeds, linseed and sunflower.
(v) Most of these are edible and used as cooking mediums.
(vi) Some of these are also used as raw material in the production of soap, cosmetics and ointments.
(vii) Groundnut is a kharif crop. It accounts for about half of the major oilseeds produced in the country.
(viii) Gujarat was the largest producer of groundnut followed by Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu in 2011-12.
(ix) Sesamum is a kharif crop in south India.
(x) Castor seed is grown both as rabi and kharif crop.

India has there cropping seasons. They are rabi, kharif and zaid.
(a) Rabi Crops :
(i) Rabi crops are sown in winter from October to December and harvested in summer from April to June.
(ii) Some of the important rabi crops are wheat, barley, peas, gram and mustard. 
(iii) Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttaralchand and Uttar Pradesh are the important states for the production of wheat and other rabi crops.
(iv) Availability of precipitation during winter months due to the western temperate cyclones helps in the success of these crops.
(v) The success of the green revolution is an important factor in the growth of rabi crops in Punjab, Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh and parts of Rajasthan.
(b) Kharif Crops :
(i) They are grown with the onset of monsoon in different parts of the country and these are harvested in September-October.
(ii) The important kharif crops are paddy, maize, jowar, bajra, tur (arhar), moong, urad, cotton, jute, groundnut and soyabean.
(iii) Some of the most important rice-growing regions are Assam, West Bengal, coastal regions of Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Maharashtra.
(iv) Recently paddy has also become an important crop of Punjab and Haryana.
(v) In states like Assam, West Bengal and Odisha, three crops of paddy are grown in a year. There are Aus, Aman and Boro.
(c) Zaid Crops :
(i) In between the rabi and kharif seasons, there is a short season, during the summer months, known as the Zaid season.
(ii) Some of the crops produced during zaid seasons are watermelon, muskmelon, cucumber, vegetables and fodder crops. 

(a) Primitive Subsistence Farming :
(i) Primitive Subsistence Farming practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools.
(ii) It is a 'slash and burn' agriculture.
(iii) This type of farming allows nature to replenish the fertility of the soil through natural processes.
(iv) Farmers clear a patch of land and produce cereals and other food crops to sustain their family.
(v) Land productivity in this type of agriculture is low.
(vi) Because the farmer does not use fertilisers or modern inputs.
(b) Intensive Subsistence Farming :
(i) This type of farming is practised in areas of high population pressure on land.
(ii) It is labour intensive farming.
(iii) Here, high doses of biochemical inputs and irrigation are used for obtaining higher production.
(iv) Due to the division of land, the area is small, but farmer& to take maximum output placing pressure on land.
(v) Some of the states where we come across this type of agriculture are West Bengal, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. 
(c) Commercial Farming :
(i) In this type of farming, farmers use higher doses of modern inputs, e.g. high yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers, insecticides and pesticides to get higher productivity.
(ii) The degree of commercialisation of agriculture varies from one region to another.
(iii) For example, rice is a commercial crop in Haryana and Punjab, but it is a subsistence crop in Odisha.
(d) Plantation Farming :
(i) It is also a type of commercial farming.
(ii) A single crop is grown on a large area.
(iii) The plantation has an interface of agriculture and industry.
(iv) Plantation cover large tracts of land, using capital intensive inputs, with the help of migrant labourers.
(v) In India tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane, banana etc are important plantation crops. 

Technological Reforms:
(a) Modern machineries are used in agriculture for ploughing, sowing, harvesting and thrashing.
(b) Indian farmers have started to use chemical fertilizers on a large scale.
(c) High Yielding Varieties and early maturing quality seeds have been introduced to increase the agricultural production.
(d) Irrigation facilities have improved with the constructions of canals and the introduction of motor pumps, drip irrigation and use of sprinklers.

Institutional Reforms:
(a) The govt. abolished the Zamindari system to protect the interest of the farmers.
(b) The Govt abolished the Zamindari system to protect the interest of the farmers.
(c) The widespread use of radio and television acquainted farmers in new and improved techniques of cultivation.
(d) The crop insurance against drought, flood, fire, cyclone and diseases was another set up to protect the farmers in new and improved techniques of cultivation.
(e) Easy availability of capital or investment, through a well-knit network of rural banking like 'Grammen banks' was introduced.

(a) Plantation agriculture is bush or tree farming. The British introduced it in the 19th Century.
(b) Its features are the following:
(1) It is single crop farming in a large area. It includes tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, coconut, apples, grapes, oranges ect .
(2) It is a capital-intensive agriculture and requires good managerial ability.
(3) It requires technical know-how, sophisticated machinery, fertilizes , irrigation and transport facilities.
(4) It is normally developed in hilly areas of northeastern India, Nilgiri, Aanamalai and Cardamom hills.
(5) Since the production is on large quantity processing factory also is built within or close to it.
(6) All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries and has an interface of agriculture and industry.

(a) Plantation agriculture is bush or tree farming. The British introduced it in the 19th Century.
(b) Its features are the following:
(1) It is single crop farming in a large area. It includes tea, coffee, cocoa, spices, coconut, apples, grapes, oranges ect.
(2) It is a capital-intensive agriculture and requires good managerial ability.
(3) It requires technical know-how, sophisticated machinery, fertilizes, irrigation and transport facilities.
(4) It is normally developed in hilly areas of northeastern India, Nilgiri, Aanamalai and Cardamom hills.
(5) Since the production is on large quantity processing factory also is built within or close to it.
(6) All the produce is used as raw material in respective industries and has an interface of agriculture and industry.

(i) To ensure increase in agricultural. production, the government prioritized collectivization, consolidation of holdings, cooperation and abolition of zamindari system. 'Land reform' was the main focus of the First Five Year Plans. In the 1960s and 1970s, agricultural reforms were the order of the day. The Green Revolution and the White Revolution (Operation Flood) were aimed at improving Indian agricultural productivity. During the 1980s and 1990s, a comprehensive land development programme was initiated. Under this, various technical and institutional reforms were introduced by the government for the benefit of farmers, e.g., Minimum Support Price policy, provision for crop insurance, subsidy on agricultural inputs and resources such as power and fertilisers, Grameen banks, Kissan Credit Card, Personal Accident Insurance Scheme, and special weather bulletins and agricultural programmes like 'Krishi Darshan' on national television.
(ii) The impact of globalisation on Indian agriculture has been felt since colonial times. Raw cotton and spices were important export items from India. In 1917, Indian farmers revolted in Champaran against being forced to grow indigo in place of food grains, in order to supply dye to Britain's flourishing textile industry. Thus, globalisation has had its boons. and banes for Indian agriculture. Post liberalisation, Indian farmers face new challenges in the form of competition from highly subsidised agriculture of developed nations. This prompts the need for making Indian agriculture successful and profitable by improving the conditions of small and marginal farmers, countering the negative effects of Green Revolution, developing and promoting organic farming, and diversifying cropping pattern from cereals to high-value crops. 
(iii) Rice is the most important staple crop in India. It is a tropical plant. It requires high temperature and high humidity for its successful growth. The mean monthly temperature of about 25°C, with minor variations during, sowing, growing and harvesting seasons, is ideal for its cultivation. It grows well in areas of 100 cm of rainfall. In the areas of less rainfall, it is grown with the help of irrigation.

(i) Government has initiated many institutional and technological reforms for increasing production and productivity in agriculture sector.
Among technological reforms,major initiatives are
Promotion of Green Revolution, White Revolution, etc.
Promotion of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilisers pesticides, etc.
Promotion of drip irrigation or other irrigation techniques for better production.
Power supply for irrigation, etc.
Among institutional reforms, major initiatives are
Land reform including collectivisation, consolidation of land holding etc.
Financial assistance to farmers like subsidies, insurance against crop failure and personal harm, Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Personal Accident Insurance Scheme (PAIS) and so on.
Establishment of advanced research institutions for further progress, i.e., Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR agricultural universities, meteorological research unit, agriculture specific satellite launch etc.
Minimum Support Price for buying of surplus crops in protection from marker, exploitation.
(ii) Geographical conditions (climatic suitability) required for the growth of rice are
It requires high temperature and high humidity.
The mean monthly temperature of about 25°C or above.
Rice needs abundant rainfall, i.e. more than 100 cm. It can grow in areas with less rainfall but with proper irrigation.
Rice can grow in a variety of soils including silts, loans and gravels. But it is grown best in alluvial soil with a sub-soil of impervious clay.