New Methods of Agriculture and Irrigation for new India
AGRICULTURE
Agriculture is the process of cultivation of crops and livestock
to yield products that can be used for human consumption.
Agriculture was key factor in the development and growth of human
civilization, it was also necessary to sustain the human population
which could not be further supported by the means of hunting and
gathering only. Due to enough food surplus from crop and livestock
agriculture earlier civilizations started to migrate to different
places, this resulted in discovery of new agricultural techniques
which were required according to different circumstances.
Types:-
Agriculture is broadly divided into 4 categories
1.pastoralism:-
it involves managing domesticated animals. herds of livestock
are moved from place to place in search of pasture, fodder, and
water. This type of farming is practiced in arid and semi-arid
regions of Africa ,Asia and some parts of India.
2.shifting cultivation:- a small piece of forest is cleared by
cutting trees and it used for next few years until the soil becomes
too infertile then the crop is burned and the place is abandoned
for new one. This practice is used in Northeast India, Southeast
Asia, and the Amazon Basin.
3.subsistence farming:-
it is the practice of farming to meet the needs of only a small
population/local population. generation of revenue is least
prioritized. It is intensively practiced in Monsoon Asia and
South-East Asia.
4. intensive farming:-
maximization of productivity is prioritized, high use of
inputs (water, fertilizer, pesticide and automation). practiced
mainly in developed countries.
New agricultural techniques
There are various stages in contemporary agriculture such as
crop selection, land preparation, seed selection, seed sowing,
irrigation, crop growth, fertilizing and harvesting. Though various
other techniques are also becoming popular due to scarcity of
resources and other geographical conditions. In country like India
where majority of the population still indulges into agriculture
and relies solely on conventional methods of agriculture these new
techniques of agriculture can be a boon for maximum output and
earning huge revenues. One such technique is vertical farming.
Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops is vertically
stacked layers. The biggest advantage of vertical farming is the
increased crop yield that comes with smaller per unit area. the
modern concept of vertical farming was produced by Dickson
Despommier in 1999.
It is further divided into three categories:-
1. Hydroponics:-
in this technique plantse grown without soil with the help of a
specific solution which contains all the macronutrients which are
essential for the growth of plant.such as nitrogen, phosphorus,
sulphur, potassium, calcium, and magnesium etc.
2. Aquaponics:- it is a combination of fish farming and
hydroponics basically a step further of hydroponics. Integration of
the production of terrestrial plants with the production of aquatic
animals in a closed-loop system that mimics nature itself.
3. Aeroponics:- it was an initiative by NASA to find an
efficient way to grow plants in space. aeroponics does not require
any liquid or solid medium to grow plants in. Instead, a liquid
solution with nutrients is misted in air chambers where the plants
are suspended.
IRRIGATION
Irrigation is the process of controlled distribution of water to
crops at needed time intervals. Irrigation helps to grow crops by
moisturizing the soil so that the roots of plant can easily absorb
the nutrients from it.it also promotes soil fertility. India is
monsoon dependent country, most of the farmers are still heavily
dependent on rainfall for their crops but with the advancement of
agriculture new methods of irrigation are emerging.
1. Drip irrigation:- it is widely used in developed nations
though some developing countries are also shifting towards this
method. Plastics pipes are laid down in rows across the field/crop
near plants. The water slowly seeps from these pipes into soil as
they have small holes in them thus reducing water wastage. It is
most efficient way of irrigation due to less water wastage.
2. Sprinkler method:- this system mimics the process of rain,
the pipes carry the water at central part of the crop and then the
sprinkler placed there distributes the water to crops in a similar
fashion as rain. It is the best irrigation method for uneven
crops/fields and it also provides maximum coverage of crop.
Article by:- Dikshant singh
Email :- [email protected]
References
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture#Types
https://www.ayokasystems.com/news/emerging-agriculture-technologies/
