includes main sectors, meaning, why agriculture is important ,etc

1. MAIN SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY
BY KARTHIK

2. MAIN SECTORS OF INDIAN ECONOMY
 Primary sector
 It consists of agriculture, animal husbandry, dairying, poultry, forestry and fisheries. Goods are produced by exploiting natural
resources of the economy.
 Secondary sector
 It consists of activities relating to manufacturing and construction.
 Small scale – Pottery, matches, toys, handloom
 Large scale – Goods produced in large quantities.
 Tertiary sector
 This sector produces services and so is known as Service Sector. E.g. Transport, banking, insurance, communication,
professional services like teachers, doctors, engineers, bankers
 Division of Indian economy based on ownership
 PUBLIC = It includes all economic organizations engaged in production and distribution of goods or services owned and
managed by the government.
 PRIVATE = Consists of all those productive activities, which are under private ownership.

3. MEANING OF AGRICULTURE
 'Agri' = field
 'Culture' = cultivation
 Art or science of production of crops and livestock on a farm.
 In India agriculture is a main source of employment

4. REASONS FOR AGRICULTURE OCCUPYING AN IMPORTANT
POSITION IN THE INDIAN ECONOMY
 Share of agriculture in national income continues to be significant in spite of development of the
secondary and tertiary sectors.
 In India, agriculture is the main source of employment.
 Agriculture is one of the main sources of food supply for a huge section of our population
 Agriculture provides raw materials to the industrial sector. Also industrial workers depend on agriculture
for their food requirements. Agriculture also provides a market for industrial goods.
 Agricultural commodities like cereals, tea, coffee, spices, tobacco are exported and add to our inflow of
foreign exchange
 Agriculture contributes greatly to domestic trade by providing commodities like tea, milk, sugar, cotton,
vegetables, etc.

5. CAUSES OF LOW PRODUCTIVITY OF INDIAN AGRICULTURE
 General factors
 There is a heavy pressure of population on agriculture
 Increased pressure of holding leads to sub divisions and fragmentation of holdings
 Consequently size of holdings have been decreasing
 Discouraging rural atmosphere
 Indian farmers are generally ignorant and superstitious and have blind faith in social customs and traditions
 Instead of using money to invest in new technologies they use it on social customs
 Presence of group conflicts between each other leads to lawsuits
 Institutional factors
 Size of holdings is very small compared to other countries which leads to waste of land labor and capital but also leads to lawsuits
among farmers
 Technological factors
 Use of old methods of agriculture
 Lack of irrigation facilities
 Lack of good seeds
 Insufficient use of proper manures and fertilizers

6. IMPACT OF AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES ON THE ECO-SYSTEM
 Many agricultural practices disturb the balance of nature. The eco-system is changing and getting
destroyed with growing
 Growing human capital
 Increasing need for food to feed people
 Economic development

7. SOIL EROSION AND FACTORS CAUSING SOIL EROSION
DESERTIFICATION
 Loss of top soil is soil erosion which is a result of exposure to wind and water. Desertification refers to
degradation in arid and semi-arid areas due to human activities and climatic changes. Soil erosion leads
to desertification.
 Overgrazing – Growing human population is leading to growing cattle farming. Grazing on small pieces
of land destroys vegetation leading to soil erosion.
 Tillage – Tilling of soil crushes the soil producing powdery material which gets easily swept away by
wind. Rainfall converts the powder to mud which again gets swept away easily by water.
 Mining – involves removal of minerals (coal, iron-ore, gold). It requires removal of plant cover to reach
below the soil – resulting in deforestation.

8. INDISCRIMINATE USE OF FERTILIZERS AND PESTICIDES AND
MEASURES TO CHECK THE ECOSYSTEM
 Excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides contaminate the soil and enter crops
 MEASURES TO CHECK THE ECOSYSTEM
 Minimum use of fertilizers and pesticides.
 Using indigenous agricultural techniques.
 Construction of ponds for agriculture and also to maintain underground water level
 Sustainable agriculture – involves management of resources for agriculture to satisfy the changing human needs
while maintain and improving the quality of ecosystem and conserving natural resources.

9. ORGANIC FARMING
 organic farming is one of the methods followed under sustainable agriculture. It is a system that relies
upon the use of animal manures and composts for cultivation.
 Soil health (over plant health) is emphasized upon.
 Long term fertility of the soil,
 use of animal dung, crop residues, green manure and bio fertilizers as main sources of nutrients