Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: The use of higher doses of contemporary inputs, such as high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds, chemical fertilizers, insecticides, and pesticides, in order to achieve increased production is the main characteristic of this commercial farming.

Statement 2 is correct: From place to another, agriculture has been commercialized to varying degrees. For instance, while rice is a commercial crop in Punjab and Haryana, it is a subsistence crop in Odisha.

Statement 3 is incorrect: Commercial farming is mainly dependent upon market, transport and communication, intensive inputs etc. Primitive subsistence agriculture is practised on small patches of land with the help of primitive tools like hoe, dao and digging sticks and is highly dependent on family/community labour. This type of farming is also affected by monsoon, natural fertility of the soil and suitability of other environmental conditions for the crops grown.

Ans: A

Exp:

In “Slash and burn” farming the farmers clear a plot of land and grow cereals and other food crops. Farmers relocate their operations and prepare a new area of land for agriculture as the soil fertility declines. This kind of moving enables nature to restore the soil’s fertility. Because the farmer does not employ fertilizers or other contemporary inputs, land production in this style of agriculture is low. Different regions of the country have different names for it: 

• Jhum in the northeastern states of Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, as well as in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Pamlou in Manipur, and Dipa in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh.
• Kumari” in the Western Ghats, “Valre ” or Waltre ” in South-Eastern Rajasthan, “Khil” in the Himalayan belt, “Kuruwa “ in Jharkhand. Hence, pair 1 is incorrectly matched 
• It is known as “Bewar” or “Dahiya” in Madhya Pradesh, “Podu” or “Penda” in Andhra Pradesh, “Pama Dabi” or “Koman” or “Bringa” in Odisha. Hence, pair 2 and 3  are correctly matched.

Ans: C

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct:  The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has declared 2023 to be the ‘International Year of Millets’. This will be a chance to promote policy knowledge of millets’ health and nutritional benefits as well as their potential for growing in challenging and changing climates. The Year will also support millets’ ability to open up new, sustainable market options for both producers and consumers, as well as their sustainable production. 

Statement 2 is correct: The term “millet” refers to a variety of small-seeded annual grasses that are grown for their grains, particularly on marginal lands in dry areas of temperate, subtropical, and tropical climates.

Statement 3 is correct: According to the Agricultural and Processed Foods Development Authority, India is the world’s largest producer of millets.  In 2021-2022, the country accounted for 40.51% of the world’s pearl millet production and 8.09% of sorghum.  Within the country, pearl millet made up 60% of all the millet production, sorghum 27%, and ragi 11%.

Statement 4 is incorrect: Millets are crops that are very tolerant to dry weather conditions and have the following characteristics:

• Low input requirements and high nutritional density. 
• It would tackle Food security challenges in the coming decades. 
• Ability of millet crops to reliably withstand harsh, resource-poor conditions.

Drought-tolerant, adapted to growing in warm weather, and require low moisture (axiomatically, they are particularly efficient consumers of water) and loamy soil.

Ans: B

Exp:

Statement 1 is correct: Integrated Farming/ Integrated Biosystem refers to an agriculture system that integrates livestock and crop production. It is a combined approach aimed at efficient sustainable resource management for increased productivity in the cropping system.

Statement 2 is correct: An Integrated Farming System is also called an Integrated Biosystem. It provides multiple benefits that are sustainable and can pave the way for climate-smart agriculture. 

Statement 3 is incorrect: The Integrated Farming system has revolutionised conventional farming of livestock, aquaculture, horticulture, agro-industry and allied activities. IFS is an efficient blend of livestock, crops, aquaculture, agro-forestry and agri-horticulture, which provides profitability, sustainability, food security and employment generation.

Ans: C

Exp:

Pair 1 is incorrectly matched: Mixed cropping is the simultaneous cultivation of two or more crops on the land. For instance, mixed cropping is simultaneously producing wheat and gram on the same land. Applying this technique reduces the likelihood that one of the crops would fail and offers protection against crop failure caused by unusual weather. In mixed farming, the land is used for growing food and fodder crops and rearing livestock.

Pair 2 is incorrectly matched: Intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops in proximity. Three intercrops are frequently produced after one row of the main crop. As a result, productivity per area increases. 

• Relay Intercropping: Relay intercropping is a sort of intercropping where a second crop is only grown after the first has flowered but before it has been harvested.
• Row Intercropping: Row intercropping is the practice of planting crops in alternate rows. It aids in making the best use of the available land area and suppressing weeds while the primary crop is still in its early stages.
• Strip Intercropping: Strip intercropping is the practice of growing two or more crops side by side in broad areas such that they can frequently be maintained independently. The crops are nevertheless close enough for interaction

Pair 3 is incorrectly matched: Monocropping is the practice of cultivating just one type of crop at a time on land used for farming. Monoculture can devastate the soil’s structure and impair its fertility.