(i) Agriculture is the mainstay of Indian economy because 67% of our population depends directly or indirectly on agriculture.
(ii) It provides raw materials for the industries.
(iii) India earns foreign exchange by exporting agricultural products.
(iv) It contributes 29%to the gross domestic product.
(v) It provides food to over 1027million of population.

Soil preparation involves loosening of the soil or turning it. This process enables the roots to penetrate easily. It aerates the roots by providing the air trapped in between the particles of soil. It also provides favourable conditions for the growth of worms and microorganisms which increase the fertility of the soil.
Some tools used in agricultural practices are given below.
1. Ploughs are used for tilling the soil, adding manure and fertilisers and for scrapping the soil.
2. Leveller is used to level the soil in order to prevent it from soil erosion. A plank is used to break the crumbs into fine soil.
3. Hoe was used for tilling in olden days, but these days, we use it only to remove weeds. Cultivator pulled by a tractor is also used to break the soil.

Following points show decrease in demand for jute owing to the Government of India:
i) The jute mills often failing to supply bags to sugar mills on time, as a result, jute mills in India are not getting orders from sugar mills and the demand for jute has dropped.
ii) The government has increased the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for jute
iii) Jute prices are also sensitive to climate fluctuations in Bangladesh and the North-West of India (West Bengal), which are the areas that produce two-third of the total global jute production and have similar climates and weather conditions.
iv) Despite expansion of jute growing area and intensification of its cultivation, India is not self-sufficient in the supply of raw material.

It is a fact that there are significant developments in Indian agriculture, but still it is very low compared to other countries.
The main reasons for this are:
(i) Economic Factors: The Indian farmer does not have much capital for investing on tractors, HYV seeds, fertilizers, etc. So, in order to increase his production, he is dependent on natural factors. Many a times, these factors become adverse which results in crop failure.
(ii) Environmental Factors: The Indian agriculture completely depends on monsoons. The nature of monsoon is very erratic. Period of rainfall is limited and uncertain. This affects agricultural development.
(iii) Technological Factors: Indian agricultural technique is very old and inefficient. Only one-third area is under irrigation. Due to this factor, the agricultural productivity is very low.
(iv) Other Factors: The increasing population is one of the important factors that affect the agriculture badly. As the population needs place for living, so the cropped land is occupied for construction of houses. Due to this, the area under cultivation is becoming low day-by-day.

(i) The Indian government is going ahead with reduction in the public investment in the agriculture sector, particularly in irrigation, power, rural, roads, market and mechanization.
(ii) Subsidy on fertilizers is decreased leading to increase in the cost of production.
(iii) Reduction in import duties on agricultural products have proved detrimental to agriculture in the country.
(iv) Farmers are withdrawing their investment from agriculture, causing a downfall in rate of employment in agriculture.

(i) The climatic conditions of a place, particularly the temperature and rainfall, directly influence crop cultivation.
(ii) The crops grown in an area vary according to the temperature requirements of different crops.
(iii) Tropical crops such as rice and sugarcane require high temperature than temperate crops such as wheat and sugar beet. Millets can grow in dry areas, whereas, rice is usually grown in wet areas.

The climatic conditions required for wheat cultivation are :
(i) It grows well in the areas where moderate type of precipitation occurs.
(ii) In the growing season, the climate should be cool and moist and warm and it should be dry at the time of ripening.
The types of soil in which wheat can grow best are:
(i) It is grown in well-drained alluvial soil.
(ii) Wheat grows well in fertile loamy soil.
(iii) Medium and heavy textured with lime content soil is good for the growth of wheat.
Distribution of Wheat: It is mainly grown in Australia, Argentina, China, India, Russia, Ukraine, and USA.
In India wheat is grown in winter season, in northwestern, north and central areas. Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Bihar are the main producers of wheat.

The main features of Indian agriculture are:
(i) Agriculture provides employment to nearly two-thirds of India's workforce.
(ii) Agriculture in India is mostly intensive subsistence type.
(iii) India has two main agricultural seasons:
kharif and rabi.
(iv) Irrigation is essential because of uneven rainfall.

Subsistence farming:
(i) In Subsistence farming, farmer produces crop to meet the needs of the farmer's family.  
(ii) Low level of technology and household labour is used to produce small output.
 Intensive farming:
(i) In intensive farming, farmer produces crop for the purpose of selling it in the market.
(ii) Scientific technique of farming is used along with less labour.

The major food crops of the world are Wheat, Rice, Maize, and Millets.
The climatic conditions required for their growth are:
(i) Rice grows best in alluvial clayey soil, which can retain water. It also needs high temperature, high humidity, and rainfall.
(ii) Wheat grows best in well-drained loamy soil. It requires moderate temperature and rainfall during growing season and bright sunshine at the time of harvest.
(iii) Maize requires well-drained fertile soils. It also requires moderate temperature, rainfall and lot of sunshine.
(iv) Jowar, Bajra, and Ragi are called millets. They are also known as coarse grains. They can grow on less fertile and sandy soils. They need low rainfall and high to moderate temperature.