Prelims 2021 · Q51
MediumHow is permaculture farming different from conventional chemical farming?
- 1.Permaculture farming discourages monocultural practices but in conventional chemical farming, monoculture practices are predominant.
- 2.Conventional chemical farming can cause increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such phenomenon is not observed in permaculture farming.
- 3.Conventional chemical farming is easily possible in semi-arid regions but permaculture farming is not so easily possible in such regions.
- 4.Practice of mulching is very important in permaculture farming but not necessarily so in conventional chemical farming.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
Answer & explanation
Answer: (b) 1, 2 and 4
Statements 1, 2 and 4 describe real differences: permaculture is built on diverse plantings, builds soil with compost and mulch rather than depending on the fertiliser-and-irrigation practices that salinise soil, and relies on mulch cover. Statement 3 is the odd one out, because permaculture is not held back in dry regions and chemical farming there is itself prone to salt build-up.
- ✓ 1. Permaculture is a design system that stresses diversity, with many different species and perennial polyculture, whereas conventional chemical farming typically grows one crop over large areas.
- ✓ 2. FAO notes that soils become salt-affected through poorly managed irrigation or fertilisation, both of which chemical farming leans on. Permaculture builds soil with on-site compost and mulch instead.
- ✗ 3. UPSC's key treats this as wrong. Food production in arid and semi-arid regions needs irrigation, and FAO notes that most salt-affected soils lie in those climates, so chemical farming there is itself exposed to salinity; permaculture is not held back in dry regions.
- ✓ 4. Mulching means covering the soil with straw, leaves or similar material to protect it. It is a core soil-building habit in permaculture (growing and mulching with cover crops), while chemical farming relies on fertilisers instead.
Remember · Permaculture means diverse perennial polyculture, compost and mulched soil; chemical farming with heavy fertiliser and irrigation tends towards soil salinity.
📘 Read it in NCERT: Class 8 Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Ch 7 (practise this chapter)
Sources
- FAO Agroecology Knowledge Hub: Permaculture for agroecology (review) ↗ “Distinctive approaches to perennial polyculture, water management, and the importance of agroecosystem configuration exceed what is documented in the scientific literature”
- FAO Global Soil Partnership: Salt-affected soils are a global issue ↗ “Soils often become affected by salinity due to inappropriate management, e.g. by poorly managed irrigation or fertilization; or through saline water intrusion from sea, river or groundwater. … Since most of the salt-affected soils occur under arid or semi-arid climates, food production in these regions requires irrigation.”
- NCERT Class 8 · Exploring Society: India and Beyond (Part 1), Chapter 7 “Mulching: Covering the soil with a layer of material (like straw or leaves) to protect it and improve its condition.”
- NC State Extension Gardener Handbook, Appendix G: Permaculture Design ↗ · reference work “A diversity of crops allows for resilience in a landscape and helps to support a more dynamic ecosystem including both beneficial and pest animals, insects, and plants. … For soil, have multiple ways to continuously add nutrients and build soil: compost on site, grow and mulch with cover crops, and rotate crops.”
Question and answer: UPSC's official GS Paper I (2021, Series A) — paper ↗ · answer key ↗. Explanation: Minimalist IAS, checked 1 Oct 2026 (how we verify). Permalink ·