Prelims 2020 · Q90
MediumIn the context of India, which of the following is/are considered to be practice(s) of eco-friendly agriculture?
- 1.Crop diversification
- 2.Legume intensification
- 3.Tensiometer use
- 4.Vertical farming
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
Answer & explanation
Answer: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only
Crop diversification, legume intensification and tensiometer use are eco-friendly practices: they cut risk and chemical inputs and save water. Vertical farming, a factory-like indoor system, is not counted among India's eco-friendly farming practices.
- ✓ 1. Diversification means changing the cropping pattern and adding other activities. The Centre's Crop Diversification Programme shifts water-guzzling paddy to pulses, oilseeds and other crops, and restores soil fertility through leguminous crops.
- ✓ 2. ICAR's review calls legumes in cropping systems a pathway to sustainable production, because they fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility while cutting water use and pest pressure.
- ✓ 3. A tensiometer measures soil matric potential, which ICAR research uses to schedule irrigation by the soil's need instead of a fixed interval, so water is not wasted.
- ✗ 4. Vertical farming is a high-technology indoor system whose benefits the IPCC calls unproven so far, so it is not treated as an established eco-friendly practice in India.
Remember · Eco-friendly farming: diversify crops, put legumes in rotation, irrigate by soil-moisture readings (tensiometer); vertical farming is not on this list.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 11 Indian Economic Development, Ch 5 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- NCERT Class 11 · Indian Economic Development, Chapter 5 “Diversification includes two aspects - one relates to change in cropping pattern and the other relates to a shift of workforce from agriculture to other allied activities”
- PIB, Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare: Crop Diversification Programmes (10 Feb 2026) ↗ “to restore soil fertility through cultivation of leguminous crops that generate heavy biomass and consume lesser nutrients.”
- ICAR, Agricultural Economics Research Review: Harnessing potential of legumes for sustainable intensification of Indian agriculture ↗ · reference work “The inclusion of legumes in the cropping systems is recognized as a pathway for sustainable agricultural production with substantial environmental benefits.”
- ICAR, Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences: Tensiometer based irrigation scheduling in wheat in middle Indo-Gangetic plains ↗ · reference work “Soil matric potential may be an ideal criterion for irrigation, since soil texture, cultural practices and water management affect wheat irrigation water requirements.”
- IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, Chapter 4: Land Degradation ↗ “could have the potential to meet some of the food needs of cities and reduce the production (and therefore degradation) pressure on agricultural land in rural areas, although thus far this is unproven”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2020, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 30 Sept 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·