Food Production and its Management

Organic farming is gaining popularity these days because people are becoming aware of its benefits which are as follows:

1. It provides us toxin-free food that is free from pesticides.
2. Organic farming is environment friendly. It does not cause any kind of pollution. It does not cause any harm to beneficial insects and thus helps to maintain ecological balance.
3. It helps in recycling of waste produced in a farm.
4. It also maintains the fertility and structure of soil.
5. Cropping systems and management practices help in control of insects and pests.

The process of raising crops in the field for food and other useful products is called agriculture .

Rice, wheat and maize are cereals .

Cash crops are grown for their commercial value to earn profits.

Organic produce contains no or very less levels of pesticide residues than conventional produce.

In India, the Green Revolution was led by Dr M. S. Swaminathan.

If hygiene is not maintained at poultry farms, it can lead to various diseases in birds. Some of these diseases may infect humans too. For example, Bird flu.

Two leather-yielding animals are:

1. Sheep
2. Goat

Bikaneri is a breed of sheep in India.

Two important breeds of goat in India are:

1. Black Bengal
2. Jamnapari

White Leghorn is an exotic breed of poultry.

Murrah is a breed of Buffalo.

Pea

Reason — Pea is a pulse.

Cotton

Reason — Cotton is grown for its commercial value.

Dr M. S. Swaminathan

Reason — In India, the Green Revolution was led by the scientist, Dr M. S. Swaminathan.

animal protein

Reason — Poultry products are a rich source of animal protein.

Jersey

Reason — Red Sindhi, Shahiwal, Gir are indigenous breeds of cows in India.

fungus

Reason — Aspergillosis is a fungal disease occurring in birds.

apiary

Reason — Apiary is the place where bees are reared commercially.

apiculture

Reason — The care, breeding and management of honeybees for commercial purposes is called apiculture.

Cattle feed consists of two types of ingredients, roughage and concentrate.

Anthrax is a common disease of cattle.

Pigs get easily infected with tapeworm cyst which can be transferred to human beings.

Pisciculture is the rearing and large-scale production of fish.

The rearing of silkworm is known as sericulture.

The process of treating animal skin to produce leather is called tanning.

Agriculture — The process of raising crops in a field for food and other useful products is called agriculture.

Animal husbandry — The branch of agricultural science that deals with the feeding, shelter, health and breeding of livestock is called animal husbandry.

Apiculture — The breeding and management of honeybees for commercial purpose is called apiculture.

Sericulture — The breeding and management of silkworms for the production of silk is known as sericulture.

The crops that are grown for their commercial value to earn profits are called cash crops. For example, Cotton and Sugarcane

A form of agriculture that uses only organic inputs for supplying nutrients to soil and managing pests is called Organic farming

The branch of agricultural science that deals with the feeding, shelter, health and breeding of livestock is called animal husbandry.

Two indigenous breeds of cows are:

1. Gir
2. Red Sindhi

Improved breeds of cow are obtained by mating the bulls of an exotic breed with the cows of a desi breed.

The exotic breeds of hen lay more and bigger eggs than indigenous breeds.

Two products obtained from honeybees are:

1. Honey
2. Beeswax

Salmon and Tuna are the two examples of marine water fishes.

The cattle feed of milk-yielding animals has two components — roughage and concentrates.

1. Roughage — The roughage includes hay and straw of cereals, green fodder, silage and so on. It has more fibre content then nutritive value.
2. Concentrates — Concentrates include grams and seeds of bajra, maize, cotton seeds, oil cakes, rice and wheat bran. It has less fibre content, but high nutritive value.

Two disease of cattle are:

1. Rinderpest
2. Anthrax

Two disease of poultry are:

1. Ranikhet
2. Fowlpox

Animals can be protected against diseases by following ways:

1. By timely vaccination of animals and immunization.
2. By providing them proper food and nutrition.
3. By maintaining their shelter clean and airy.
4. Diseased animals should be kept in isolation, away from other healthy animals.

The poultry feed consists of mashed cereals such as bajra, wheat, jowar, ragi and groundnut cake. Egg layers and Broilers are given different foods as per their need. Broilers require feed rich in proteins with adequate fat. The levels of vitamin A and K are kept high in poultry. Nutritive diet helps to maintain their immunity also.

The bacteria are useful to human beings in following way:

1. Saprophytic bacteria decompose excretory products and the dead remains of plants and animals into simpler substances. Therefore, they clear the earth of all waste. That is why they are called decomposers or nature’s scavengers.
2. Bacteria along with certain fungi play an important role in maintaining soil fertility.
3. Some bacteria live in the roots of leguminous plants such as peas and beans. They absorb atmospheric nitrogen and convert it into nitrates, which are used by plants.
4. The digestive tract of herbivorous animals contains bacteria which helps to digest cellulose.
5. The manufacturing of vinegar, curd and cheese involves fermentation by bacteria. It is also used in production of tea, coffee, lactic acid, citric acid and alcohol etc.
6. Tanning of leather and retting of fibres are done by the action of bacteria.
7. Certain medicines such as antibiotics and vitamin B complex tablets are manufactured with the help of bacteria.

Five ways in which fungi help us are:

1. They decompose the dead, decaying bodies of plants and animals. Fungi also helps in making the soil fertile.
2. Morels and some mushrooms are consumed as delicacies.
3. Yeast is used in baking industry.
4. Alcohol and alcoholic drinks are produced by the fermentation of grapes, barley etc. by yeast.
5. Yeast is also used for manufacturing vitamins. Penicillin, an antibiotic, is obtained from Penicillium, a fungi.

Saprophytic bacteria are called decomposers or nature's scavengers because they decompose the dead remains of plants and animals and thus help to clean the environment. They decompose the complex compounds of the organic matter and release the nutrients in the soil. In this way, they help to maintain nutrient cycle in the nature.

We get a variety of products from animals. Animals are beneficial to us in following ways:

1. They provide us milk, meat and eggs.
2. We can use the drought animals for work in field.
3. They also provide us wool, hide, leather etc.
4. Other products like honey, silk, pearl and lac are derived from animals.