Food Sources
- Plant: Obtained from agriculture
- Animals: Obtained from animal husbandry
Need For Efficiency Of Crops And Livestock
- The population of India is growing at a faster rate hence more amount of food is required to meet the rising demand.
- The agricultural land is limited as compared to the growing population.
Efforts Made To Meet The Increase In Food Demands
- Green Revolution: The introduction of modern technology and equipment, usage of fertilizers and high-quality seeds.
- White Revolution: Increasing the growth of milk production by introducing dairy development programs.
The introduction of these revolutions has led to an increased use of natural resources hence now sustainable methods of increasing crops and livestock efficiency are also required.
Types of Crops
| Kharif | Rabi |
| Crops that are sown during the monsoon. Example: Paddy, maize | Crops that are sown after the monsoon. Example: Mustard, potato |
Agricultural Practices
Practices used to cultivate crops are called agricultural practices.
- 1. Preparation of Soil
- 2. Sowing seeds
- 3. Manure and Fertilizers
- 4. Irrigation
- 5. Weeding
- 6. Crop protection
- 7. Harvesting
- 8. Preservation and storage
Crop
| Crop variety improvement | Crop production improvement | Crop protection improvement |
| Factors | Factors | Factors |
| 1. Higher yield | 1. Nutrient management | 1. Protection in field |
| 2. Biotic and Abiotic resistance | Manure | 2. protection during storage |
| 3. Improved variety | Fertilizer | Biotic |
| Genetically Modified Crops (GMC) | 2. Irrigation | Abiotic |
| Hybridization | Wells | |
| Inter-specific (between different species) | Rivers | |
| Inter-generic (between different genera) | Life system | |
| Inter-varietal (between different varities) | 3. Cropping patterns | |
| 4. Wider adeptability | Inter Cropping | |
| Mixed Cropping | ||
| Crop Rotation |
Manure
The organic substances obtained from decomposition of plant and animal wastes.
Fertilizers
The chemical substances rich in nutrients.
Difference Between Fertilizer And Manure
| Fertilizer | Manure |
| Inorganic salt | Natural substance |
| Chemical substance | Organic substance |
| Prepared in factories | Prepared in fields |
| Does not humidify the soil | Provides humus to the soil |
| Rich in plant nutrients | Less rich in plan nutrients |
Animal Husbandry
In agriculture, animal husbandry is a special field that deals with rising of the livestock in a controlled, selective environment by providing them with the right care so that they can stay healthy and disease free.
