Chapter 4: Agriculture Application Questions | geography Class 10 CBSE

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Chapter 4: Agriculture Application Questions | geography Class 10 CBSE | ByteNotes.in

Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 1

Applied Concept

Rinjha's family in Assam clears a patch of forest, burns the vegetation, grows crops for two seasons, and then moves to a new patch. With reference to the type of farming practised by Rinjha's family, explain why this practice has serious long-term consequences for the environment and agricultural sustainability.

Rinjha's family practises Jhumming — the slash-and-burn or shifting cultivation form of primitive subsistence farming — which relies on burning forests to release nutrients temporarily into soil without any fertilisers or irrigation.
As farmers repeatedly clear forest patches across a region, it leads to large-scale deforestation, loss of biodiversity, and soil erosion since the protective tree cover is removed and soil is exposed to rain and wind.
Once fertility is depleted quickly due to heavy tropical rains leaching nutrients, the abandoned patch takes many years to regenerate; with increasing population pressure, the fallow period is shortening, preventing soil recovery and making the practice ecologically unsustainable.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 2

Applied Concept

A farmer in Punjab grows rice and sells most of it to a government procurement centre, while a farmer in Odisha grows the same crop mainly for household consumption. With reference to the concept of commercial and subsistence farming, explain this difference.

The Punjab farmer practises commercial farming — he uses HYV seeds, canal irrigation, and modern inputs to produce surplus rice beyond household needs, which is sold in the market at procurement prices set by the government.
The Odisha farmer practises subsistence farming — limited irrigation, smaller holdings, and lower technology access mean production barely meets household food requirements, leaving little or no surplus for commercial sale.
This example shows that the same crop — rice — can be commercial in one region and a subsistence crop in another depending on the level of infrastructure, market access, irrigation, and technology adoption available to farmers.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 3

Applied Concept

A tea estate owner in Assam needs to plan the logistics for transporting freshly plucked tea leaves to the processing factory. With reference to the characteristics of plantation agriculture, explain why an efficient transport and communication network is essential for this industry.

Tea leaves are highly perishable — once plucked, they must be processed within hours to prevent oxidation and loss of quality; delays in transport can irreversibly damage the product, reducing its commercial value.
Plantation areas are typically located in remote hilly terrain (Darjeeling hills, Assam valleys) far from urban markets; a well-developed road and rail network is essential to move produce quickly from farm to factory to market.
Effective communication links allow plantation managers to coordinate with processing units about quantities and schedules, with market agents about prices, and with export agencies — ensuring the supply chain operates efficiently and minimising waste.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 4

Applied Concept

A small farmer in Madhya Pradesh rotates his groundnut crop (kharif) with gram (rabi) every season. With reference to the properties of leguminous crops, explain the ecological benefit of this cropping pattern.

Gram is a leguminous pulse crop that fixes atmospheric nitrogen into the soil through the action of bacteria in its root nodules, naturally replenishing the soil's nitrogen content without requiring chemical fertilisers.
By alternating groundnut (which consumes soil nutrients) with gram (which restores nitrogen), the farmer allows the soil to recover its fertility organically, reducing the cost of external inputs over successive seasons.
This crop rotation also breaks pest and disease cycles specific to individual crops, improving overall soil health and crop productivity — making it an ecologically and economically smart agricultural practice.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 5

Applied Concept

A farmer in Rajasthan is deciding between cultivating bajra and wheat on her dry, sandy soil. With reference to the geographical conditions required for each crop, explain which crop she should choose and why.

Bajra is the more suitable choice for Rajasthan's dry, sandy, and shallow soils — it is specifically adapted to grow well under these conditions and can survive in low-rainfall semi-arid environments without heavy irrigation.
Wheat requires 50–75 cm of evenly distributed rainfall, a cool growing season, and bright sunshine at ripening — conditions that are difficult to achieve in Rajasthan's hot, dry climate without significant and reliable irrigation infrastructure.
Rajasthan is already a major bajra-producing state, confirming the ecological suitability of this crop for the region; choosing bajra over wheat reduces water consumption, lowers input costs, and ensures a more reliable harvest for the farmer.

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Application Question

Medium difficulty • Concept in a practical situation

Medium

Question 6

Applied Concept

A sugarcane farmer in Maharashtra has not received adequate rainfall this year. With reference to the geographical requirements of sugarcane, explain the steps she must take to ensure a good harvest.

Sugarcane requires annual rainfall between 75–100 cm; in years of inadequate rainfall, the farmer must supplement with irrigation — either from canals, bore wells, or drip irrigation systems — to meet the crop's water requirements during critical growth stages.
Sugarcane needs a hot and humid climate with temperatures of 21°C–27°C throughout its nearly year-long growth cycle; the farmer should monitor temperature conditions and ensure the crop is not exposed to frost, which can destroy the standing crop.
Since sugarcane takes almost a full year to mature, timely application of fertilisers and pest management alongside consistent irrigation will be critical to compensate for the rainfall deficit and achieve optimal cane yield for the processing mill.

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Chapter 4: Agriculture | Application Questions

A farmer in Punjab grows rice and sells most of it to a government procurement centre, while a farmer in Odisha grows the same crop mainly for household consumption. With reference to the concept of commercial and subsistence farming, explain this difference.

A tea estate owner in Assam needs to plan the logistics for transporting freshly plucked tea leaves to the processing factory. With reference to the characteristics of plantation agriculture, explain why an efficient transport and communication network is essential for this industry.

A small farmer in Madhya Pradesh rotates his groundnut crop (kharif) with gram (rabi) every season. With reference to the properties of leguminous crops, explain the ecological benefit of this cropping pattern.

A farmer in Rajasthan is deciding between cultivating bajra and wheat on her dry, sandy soil. With reference to the geographical conditions required for each crop, explain which crop she should choose and why.

A sugarcane farmer in Maharashtra has not received adequate rainfall this year. With reference to the geographical requirements of sugarcane, explain the steps she must take to ensure a good harvest.

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