Question

What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.

Answer 1

Multiple cropping and the use of modern farming methods are the two common ways of increasing production on the same piece of land. Multiple cropping involves growing more than one crop on a piece of land during the year. For example, farmers in the western parts of Uttar Pradesh practise multiple cropping. During the rainy season (kharif), they grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by the cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat.

The other way of increasing yield is by adopting modern farming methods. Modern farming methods involve the use of high-yielding variety seeds, irrigation, and chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce maximum output from the same piece of land. The high-yielding varieties of seeds produce much greater amounts of grain on a single plant than the traditional varieties. As a result, far larger quantities of food grains can be produced from the same piece of land.