India is largely an agricultural country. Eighty per cent of her vast populations live, directly or indirectly, on income derived from agriculture. But to say that India lives by agriculture does not mean that India is agriculturally advanced.
The most important factor in any planning for India's development and economic uplift is that of turning a hungry, discontented people into a happy, well-fed one. Food can be had either by import or by production at home.
The importance of agriculture to our economy can hardly be over-emphasized. It is the most important source of raw materials to feed our industries It provides employment to about 70 percent of our total labour force.
The NDA leaders were making tall claims of India shining and about achieving higher rates of economic growth. According to them, we would soon achieve the rank of developed countries.
A large sector of our population is dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. In most parts of the country, two crops are produced in a year though in certain places even three crops are produced.
Irrigation is the single most important factor in our achieving a fair measure of self-sufficiency in food production. In 1947, the total irrigated area was a little over 20 Mha, which in the last decade became 47 Mha.
It is essential to improve land quality to grow more and to meet the increasing demands for food and other essential agricultural items, large-scale use of chemical fertilizers is not advisable.
India is an agricultural country. About seventy percent of our population depends on agriculture. One-third of our National income comes from agriculture. Our economy is based on agriculture. The development of agriculture has much to do with the economic welfare of our country.
With the development of technology, the nomadic culture was gradually replaced by one that called for settlement at a suitable place. Small hamlets were built in area. This gave rise to village and community. Such a change in the life-style of man started between 10000 and 80000 BC.
Man used to live the life of nomad, hunting and collecting food from various plants that grew in the wild. In the New Stone Age, man discovered that he could grow his own crops. In the beginning he used primitive tools and grew basic crops like wheat and some fruit trees