Agricultural System Case Study: Intensive Rice Farming Ganges

Question 1

Inputs

Answer 1

5 month growing season
Temperatures over 21 degrees
Monsoon rainfall over 2000m (uses 90% of Asia's agricultural water)
Flat, flooded land
Large labour force
Rice seeds

Question 2

Processes

Answer 2

Ploughing
Planting rice
Harvesting wheat
Weeding

Question 3

Outputs

Answer 3

Rice
Manure for buffalos for fertilising
Rice seeds
Vegetables

Question 4

Problems

Answer 4

Flooding can sometimes be so severe that they destroy the crop
Drought can fail crop
Little use of machinery/modern methods
Farms are too small leading to food shortages
Majority of farmland held by a few wealthy landowners

Question 5

Changes

Answer 5

Green revolution has increased yields 3 times
Irrigation-wells, indundation canals, terraces
Appropriate technology-wells, local labour, renewables resources
Soil conservation

Question 6

General information

Answer 6

Ganges Basin is India’s most extensive and productive agricultural area
Lower Ganges Valley is an important area of intensive subsistence rice cultivation

Question 7

Why is the Ganges Basin perfect?

Answer 7

Temperatures of over 21 degrees
2000mm annual rainfall
Large amount of flat land that can be flooded to create padi fields
Flooding deposits fertile alluvium which allows rice to be grown well
Continuous growing season allows 2 crops to be grown on the same piece of land a year-rice when monsoon rain falls and vegetables in dry season