Class 12 Land Resources and Agriculture: Questions You NEED to Know!

Stressed about Chapter 3, "Land Resources and Agriculture," in your Class 12 "India People and Economy" textbook? Fear not! We've got you covered with the must-know questions you NEED to understand. Get ready to ace your exams!

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Class	12
Board	CBSE & State Boards
Subject	Geography
Book	India People and Economy
Chapter No.	3
Chapter Name	Land Resources and Agriculture
Content Type	Important Questions and Answers

Land Resources and Agriculture Class 12 Geography Important Questions & Answers

Q. No. 1) Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

i. The area that the Government has identified and demarcated for forest growth is called

a. Actual Forest

b. Area classified as forest

c. Both A and B

d. Area under miscellaneous tree crops and grooves

Ans. Option (b)

ii. Which of the following is not used in estimation of the total stock of agricultural land resources-

a. All fallow land

b. Net sown area

c. Pasture land

d. Culturable wastelands

Ans. Option (c)

iii. Share of forest area have shown an increase due to-

a. Increase in the notified area

b. Less use of fuel wood by rural population

c. Increase In tree plantation

d. Decreased deforestation

Ans. Option (a)

iv. The land saving technique of increasing the cropping intensity does not include-

a. Increasing output from limited land

b. Fuller utilisation of land

c. Increasing fodder for livestock

d. Reducing unemployment in rural areas

Ans. Option (c)

v. Choose the most appropriate statement defining the CPRs.

a. Every member has the right of access and usage with specific obligations

b. It provides fodder for livestock

c. It provides fuel for household

d. All of the above

Ans. Option (d)

vi. Example of CPRs does not include-

a. Village water bodies

b. Community forests

c. Pasture lands

d. Farm lands

Ans. Option (d)

vii. The statement given below describes the geographical conditions required for the growth of a crop. Identify the crop.

It is a tropical plantation crop and is cultivated in the highlands of Western Ghats in Karnataka, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu. Its seeds are roasted, ground, and used for preparing a beverage.

a. Barley

b. Cocoa

c. Sugarcane

d. Coffee

Ans. Option (d)

viii.

• Assertion: Degradation of land is particularly alarming in the irrigated areas.
• Reason: A large tract of agricultural land has lost its fertility is due to alkalization and salinization

a. Both A and R are true but R is not the correct explanation of A

b. A is true but R is false

c. A is false but R is true.

d. Both A and R are true and R is the correct explanation of A

Ans. Option (d)

ix. Read the following statements and answer the question that follows.

• Statement 1 - Increased cropping intensity has created more employment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
• Statement 2 - Severe groundwater depletion over the years has adversely affected the cropping intensity in India.

Which of the following is correct?

(a) Only statement I is correct

(b) Only statement II is correct

(c) Both statements are true but not related to each other

(d) Both the statements are correct, and statement II correctly explains statement I

Ans. Option (c)

x. South-West monsoon in India coincides with which cropping season?

a. Kharif

b. Rabi

c. Zaid

d. None of the above

Ans. Option (a)

xi. Green revolution package technology does not include-

a. Introduction of HYV seeds

b. Increased use of machines

c. Improved irrigation facilities

d. Increased use of manure

Ans. Option (d)

xii. Which among the following crops is not associated with dry lands?

a. Pulses

b. Oilseeds

c. Jowar

d. Jute

Ans. Option (d)

xiii. In which of the following groups of countries of the world, HYV of Wheat and Rice were developed?

a. Japan and Australia

b. Mexico and Philippines

c. USA and Japan

d. Mexico and Singapore

Ans. Option (b)

xiv. Which one of the following is the main form of degradation in irrigated areas?

(a) Gully erosion

(b) Salinisation of soils

(c) Wind erosion

(d) Siltation of land

Ans. Option (b)

Q. No. 2) Land resource is more crucial to the livelihood of the people depending on agriculture. Justify the statement.

Ans.

1. Agriculture is purely land based activity unlike secondary and tertiary activities. Contribution of land in agricultural output is more compared to its contribution in the outputs in the other sector. Thus lack of land is directly correlated with incidence of poverty in rural areas.
2. Quality of land has direct bearing on the productivity of agriculture, which is not true for other activities.
3. In rural areas, aside from its value as a productive factor, land ownership has a social value and serves as a security for credit, natural hazards or life contingencies, and also add to the social status.

Q. No. 3) Study the chart given below.

Based on your observation, identify four categories of land use where changes occurred due to an increase in the pressure on land. State three causes for this rise in land use.

Ans.

1. Increased area under non-agricultural use
2. Reduced barren and unculturable wasteland
3. Increased net sown area
4. Reduced area under tree crops and groves
5. Reduced culturable wasteland
6. Reduced area under fallow

Reasons:

1. Increase in industrial activity
2. Increase in population leading to rise in demands for food, livelihood, housing
3. Increase in trade with other countries
4. Increase in the number of educated adults leading to independent business activity
5. Increase in animal husbandry.

Q. No. 4) Give an account of the growth of agricultural output and technology since independence.

Ans.

1. Production and yield of many crops such as rice and wheat has increased at an impressive rate. Among the other crops, the production of sugarcane, oilseeds and cotton has also increased appreciably.
2. Expansion of irrigation has provided basis for introduction of modern agricultural technology such as HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides and farm machinery.
3. Modern agricultural technology has diffused very fast in various areas of the country.
4. Consumption of chemical fertilisers has increased by 15 times since mid sixties.
5. Since the high yielding varieties are highly susceptible to pests and diseases ,the use of pesticides has increased significantly since 1960s.

Q. No. 5) Based on the main source of moisture for crops, analyze the types of farming in the Indian scenario.

Ans. Based on the main source of moisture for crops, farming can be classified into two main types: irrigated and rainfed.

Irrigated farming relies on water sources other than rainfall, such as rivers, canals, or groundwater. It can be further classified into two types based on the objective of irrigation:

• Protective irrigation: This type of irrigation aims to protect crops from adverse effects of soil moisture deficiency, often acting as a supplementary source of water to rainfall. It is typically used in regions with moderate rainfall and drought-prone areas.
• Productive irrigation: This type of irrigation aims to achieve high crop productivity by providing sufficient soil moisture throughout the cropping season. It is typically used in regions with low rainfall and high crop water demand.

Rainfed farming relies solely on rainfall for crop water needs. It can be further classified into two types based on the adequacy of soil moisture during the cropping season:

• Dryland farming: This type of farming is practiced in regions with less than 75 cm of annual rainfall. It typically grows hardy and drought-resistant crops such as millets, pulses, and oilseeds. Farmers in these regions often adopt various soil moisture conservation and rainwater harvesting practices to cope with water scarcity.
• Wetland farming: This type of farming is practiced in regions with excess rainfall during the monsoon season. It typically grows water-intensive crops such as rice, jute, and sugarcane. However, these regions are also prone to floods and soil erosion hazards. Farmers in these regions may also practice aquaculture in freshwater bodies.

In the Indian scenario, both irrigated and rainfed farming are practiced, with the prevalence varying depending on the region's rainfall patterns and water resources.

• Irrigated farming is significant in India, especially in drier regions and areas with high crop water requirements. Protective irrigation is likely used in regions with moderate rainfall and drought-prone areas, while productive irrigation is likely used in regions with low rainfall and high crop demand.
• Rainfed farming is widespread in regions with less than 75 cm of annual rainfall, where water resources are limited. Dryland farming practices are common in these regions due to water scarcity. Wetland farming is present in regions with high rainfall, where it is used for cultivating water-intensive crops and practicing aquaculture.

Q. No. 6) Read the information given below.

Farmer's Portal of India The Farmer's Portal is a platform for farmers to seek detailed information on farmers' insurance, agriculture storage, market prices, training, and welfare schemes, among others. Users can also download farm-friendly handbook, scheme guidelines, etc.

In about 120-150 words, elaborate on the need for each feature for farmers underlined in the passage.

Ans.

• Farmers' insurance: offers protection against financial losses due to crop failures due to unplanned or unforeseen circumstances
• Storage: offers a place to store harvested crops, preserve, and protect them from damage
• Market prices: knowledge of market prices help farmers decide when to sell their crops and get the best price
• Training: on newer practices of farming, how to use new equipment, mix fertilisers, etc.
• Welfare schemes: knowledge of welfare schemes makes the farmer community avail the benefits offered by the government.

Q. No. 7) Analyze any five problems faced by Indian farmers in agriculture.

Ans.

• Dependence on Erratic Monsoon- Irrigation covers only about 33 per cent of the cultivated area in India. The crop production in the rest of the cultivated land directly depends on rain. Poor performance of south-west monsoon also adversely affects the supply of canal water for irrigation. Droughts and floods continue to be the twin menace in Indian agriculture.
• Low productivity- The yield of the crops in the country is low in comparison to the international level. Per hectare output of most of the crops such as rice, wheat, cotton and oilseeds in India is much lower than that of the U.S.A., Russia and Japan.
• Constraints of Financial Resources and Indebtedness The inputs of modern agriculture are very expensive. This resource intensive approach has become unmanageable for marginal and small farmers as they have very meagre or no savings to invest in agriculture.
• Lack of Land Reforms- Indian peasantry had been exploited for a long time as there had been unequal distribution of land. Among the three revenue systems operational during the British period, i.e., Mahalwari, Ryotwari and Zamindari, the last one was most exploitative for the peasants. After Independence, land reforms were accorded priority, but these reforms were not implemented effectively due to lack of strong political will.
• Landholdings- There are a large number of marginal and small farmers in the country. The average size of land holding is shrinking under increasing population pressure. Furthermore, in India, the land holdings are mostly fragmented. The small size of fragmented landholdings are uneconomic.
• Lack of Commercialisation- A large number of farmers produce crops for self-consumption. These farmers do not have enough land resources to produce more than their requirement. Most of the small and marginal farmers grow foodgrains, which are meant for their own family consumption.
• Vast Underemployment- There is a massive underemployment in the agricultural sector in India, particularly in the unirrigated tracts. In these areas, there is seasonal unemployment ranging from 4 to 8 months. Even in the cropping season, work is not available throughout as agricultural operations are not labour intensive. Hence, the people engaged in agriculture do not have the opportunity to work round the year.

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