Chapter 4 · Question 1
Differentiate between primitive subsistence, intensive subsistence, and commercial farming.
Answer
Direct Answer
Primitive subsistence farming uses simple tools, small plots, and family labour, often depending on monsoon and shifting cultivation. Intensive subsistence farming uses high labour and inputs on small holdings to produce more food. Commercial farming uses modern inputs and aims at market sale, with plantation agriculture as an important type.
Simple Explanation
Primitive: simple tools, small plots, family labour. Intensive: high labour on small holdings, higher output. Commercial: modern inputs, market-oriented, plantations as a key type.
Exam-Ready Structure
The three main farming types differ in inputs, methods, and purpose:
Primitive subsistence farming:
• Uses simple tools (hoe, digging stick) and depends on family labour.
• Practised on small scattered plots, often in forested or hilly areas.
• Relies on monsoon and natural fertility; includes shifting cultivation (jhumming) in the north-east.
• Productivity is low and production is mainly for self-consumption.
Intensive subsistence farming:
• Practised in densely populated areas where land is scarce.
• High doses of labour, fertilisers, and irrigation are applied to small landholdings.
• Multiple cropping is practised to maximise output per unit of land.
• Common in the northern plains, coastal areas, and delta regions.
Commercial farming:
• Uses modern inputs — HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, machinery.
• Production is mainly for sale in markets rather than household consumption.
• Plantation agriculture is a form of commercial farming: single crop (tea, coffee, rubber, sugarcane) on large estates, using hired labour and linked to processing industries.
• Requires well-developed transport and market infrastructure.
Key Points
- Primitive subsistence farming uses simple tools, small plots, and family labour, often depending on monsoon and shifting cultivation.
- Intensive subsistence farming uses high labour and inputs on small holdings to produce more food.
- Commercial farming uses modern inputs and aims at market sale, with plantation agriculture as an important type.
Relevant Maps and Figures
Types of Farming Overview
figure
Use the chapter comparison to separate subsistence, commercial, and shifting cultivation clearly.
This helps avoid mixing farming types in short answers.
This chapter opening compares subsistence, commercial, and shifting cultivation patterns through examples and a slash-and-burn visual.
Answer Sources
- Types of farmingtextbook section | Contemporary India-II | Agriculture | Primitive subsistence and commercial farming | Pages 1-2