Agriculture, Food Processing and Land Reforms
Syllabus
- Major Crops - Cropping patterns in various parts of the country.
- Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems.
- Storage, transport and marketing of Agricultural produce and issues and related constraints.
- E- technology in the aid of farmers.
- Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and MSP; PDS (objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping, issues of buffer stocks & food security), Technology Missions.
- Economics of Animal-Rearing.
- Food processing and related industries in India (scope & significance, location, upstream-downstream requirements, supply chain management).
- Land Reforms in India.
| Syllabus | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major Crops - Cropping patterns in various parts of the country | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | ||||||||
| Storage, transport and marketing of Agricultural produce and issues and related constraints | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 5 | ||||||||
| E- technology in the aid of farmers | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||||||||
| Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and MSP; PDS (objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping, issues of buffer stocks & food security), Technology Missions | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 12 | |||
| Economics of Animal-Rearing | 1 | 1 | ||||||||||||
| Food processing and related industries in India (scope & significance, location, upstream-downstream requirements, supply chain management); | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | ||||||
| Land Reforms in India | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 |
1. Major Crops - Cropping patterns in various parts of the country
| Themes | UPSC previous year Questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crop Diversification | Explain the factors influencing the decision of the farmers on the selection of high value crops in India. | 2025 | 10 |
| What is the present challenges before crop diversification? How do emerging technologies provide an opportunity for crop diversification? | 2021 | 15 | |
| What are the major reasons for declining rice and wheat yield in the cropping system? How crop diversification is helpful to stabilize the yield of the crop in the system? | 2017 | 15 | |
| Cropping pattern | Explain the changes in cropping pattern in India in the context of changes in consumption pattern and marketing conditions. | 2023 | 15 |
| What are the major factors responsible for making rice-wheat system a success? In spite of this success how has this system become bane in India? | 2020 | 15 | |
| How has the emphasis on certain crops brought about changes in cropping patterns in recent past? Elaborate the emphasis on millets production and consumption. | 2018 | 15 | |
| What is allelopathy? Discuss its role in major cropping systems of irrigated agriculture. | 2016 | 12.5 | |
| Horticulture | Assess the role of National Horticulture Mission (NHM) in boosting the production, productivity and income of horticulture farms. How far has it succeeded in increasing the income of farmers? | 2018 | 15 |
| Integrated Farming System | What is Integrated Farming System? How is it helpful to small and marginal farmers in India? | 2022 | 15 |
| How far is the Integrated Farming System (IFS) helpful in sustaining agricultural production? | 2019 | 10 | |
| Millets | Explain the role of millets for ensuring health and nutritional security in India. | 2024 | 10 |
| Organic Farming | Sikkim is the first ‘Organic State’ in India. What are the ecological and economical benefits of Organic State? | 2018 | 10 |
2. Different types of irrigation and irrigation systems
| Themes | UPSC PYQs previous year Questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Irrigation System | What are the major challenges faced by Indian irrigation system in recent times? State the measures taken by the government for efficient irrigation management | 2024 | 15 |
| Suggest measures to improve water storage and irrigation systems to make its judicious use under depleting scenario. | 2020 | 15 | |
| Micro-Irrigation | How and to what extent would micro-irrigation help in solving India’s water crisis? | 2021 | 10 |
| What is water-use efficiency? Describe the role of micro-irrigation in increasing the water-use efficiency | 2016 | 12.5 | |
| Water Conservation | What are the salient features of the Jal Shakti Abhiyan launches by the Government of India for water conservation and water security? | 2020 | 10 |
| Elaborate on the impact of the National Watershed Project in increasing agricultural production from water-stressed areas. | 2019 | 10 |
3. Storage, transport and marketing of Agricultural produce and issues and related constraints
| Themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Marketing | Elaborate the scope and significance of supply chain management of agricultural commodities in India. | 2025 | 10 |
| What are the main bottlenecks in upstream and downstream process of marketing of agricultural products in India? | 2022 | 15 | |
| What are the main constraints in transport & marketing of agricultural produce in India? | 2020 | 10 | |
| Examine the role of supermarkets in supply chain management of fruits, vegetables and food items. How do they eliminate number of intermediaries? | 2018 | 10 | |
| There is also a point of view that agriculture produce market committees (APMCs) set up under the state acts have not only impeded the development of agriculture but also have been the cause of food inflation in India. Critically examine. | 2014 | 12.5 |
4. E- technology in the aid of farmers
| Themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tech in Agri Production and Marketing | How does e-Technology help farmers in production and marketing of agricultural produce? Explain it. | 2023 | 10 |
| Tech in Agriculture Credit | “In the villages itself no form of credit organization will be suitable except the cooperative society”. All India Rural Credit Survey. Discuss this statement in the back-ground of agricultural finance in India. What constraints and challenges do financial institutions supplying agricultural finance face? How can technology be used to better reach and serve rural clients? | 2014 | 12.5 |
| Tech in Farm Productivity and Income | How does nanotechnology offer significant advancements in the field of agriculture? How can this technology help to uplift the socio-economic status of farmers? | 2025 | 15 |
| How can the ‘Digital India’ programme help farmers to improve farm productivity and income? What steps has the Government taken in this regard? | 2015 | 12.5 |
5. Issues related to direct and indirect farm subsidies and MSP; PDS (objectives, functioning, limitations, revamping, issues of buffer stocks & food security), Technology Missions
| Themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture Subsidy | What are the direct and indirect subsidies provided to farm sector in India? Discuss the issues raised by the World Trade Organization (WTO) in relation to agricultural subsidies. | 2023 | 15 |
| In what way could replacement of price subsidy with Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) change the scenario of subsidies in India? Discuss. | 2015 | 12.5 | |
| What are the different types of agriculture subsidies given to farmers at the national and state levels? Critically analyze the agriculture subsidy regime with the reference to the distortions created by it. | 2013 | 10 | |
| Agriculture Vulnerability & Crop Insurance | Given the vulnerability of Indian agriculture to vagaries of nature, discuss the need for crop insurance and bring out the salient features of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) | 2016 | 12.5 |
| Buffer stock & food security | Elucidate the importance of buffer stocks for stabilizing agricultural prices in India. What are the challenges associated with the storage of buffer stock? Discuss. | 2024 | 15 |
| Food security bill is expected to eliminate hunger and malnutrition in India. Critically discuss various apprehensions in its effective implementation along with the concerns it has generated in WTO. | 2013 | 10 | |
| Miscellaneous | How do subsidies affect the cropping pattern, crop diversity and economy of farmers? What is the significance of crop insurance, minimum support price and food processing for small and marginal farmers? | 2017 | 15 |
| MSP | What do you mean by Minimum Support Price (MSP)? How will MSP rescue the farmers from the low-income trap? | 2018 | 10 |
| PDS | What are the major challenges of Public Distribution System (PDS) in India? How can it be made effective and transparent? | 2022 | 10 |
| What are the salient features of the National Food Security Act, 2013? How has the Food Security Bill helped in eliminating hunger and malnutrition in India? | 2021 | 15 | |
| What are the reformative steps taken by the government to make food grain distribution system more effective? | 2019 | 15 | |
| Revolutions and Missions | Explain various types of revolutions, took place in Agriculture after Independence in India. How these revolutions have helped in poverty alleviation and food security in India? | 2017 | 10 |
6. Economics of Animal-Rearing
| Themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Non-Farm Activities (Live-stock) | Livestock rearing has a big potential for providing non-farm employment and income in rural areas. Discuss suggesting suitable measures to promote this sectors in India | 2015 | 12.5 |
7. Food processing and related industries in India (scope & significance, location, upstream-downstream requirements, supply chain management)
| themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Food Processing Sector | Examine the scope of the food processing industries in India. Elaborate the measures taken by the government in the food processing industries for generating employment opportunities. | 2025 | 15 |
| Elaborate the scope and significance of the food processing industry in India. | 2022 | 10 | |
| What are the challenges and opportunities of food processing sector in the country? How can income of the farmers be substantially increased by encouraging food processing? | 2020 | 10 | |
| Elaborate on the policy taken by the government of India to meet the challenges of the food processing sector. | 2019 | 15 | |
| What are the reasons for poor acceptance of cost effective small processing unit? How the food processing unit will be helpful to uplift the socio-economic status of poor farmers? | 2017 | 10 | |
| What are the impediments in marketing and supply chain management in develop-ing the food processing industry in India? Can e-commerce help in overcoming these bottlenecks? | 2015 | 12.5 | |
| Revolutions and Missions | India needs to strengthen measures to promote the pink revolution in food industry for better nutrition and health. Critically elucidate the statement. | 2013 | 10 |
8. Land Reforms in India
| themes | UPSC PYQs previous year questions | Year | Marks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Land reforms | What were the factors responsible for the successful implementation of land re-forms in some parts of the country? Elaborate. | 2014 | 10 |
| State the objectives and measures of land reforms in India. Discuss how land ceiling policy on landholding can be considered as an effective reform under economic criteria. | 2023 | 10 | |
| How did land reforms in some parts of the country help to improve the socio-eco-nomic conditions of marginal and small farmers? | 2021 | 10 | |
| Discuss the role of land reforms in agricultural development. Identify the factors that were responsible for the success of land reforms in India. | 2016 | 12.5 | |
| Act Based | The right to fair compensation and transparency land acquisition, rehabilitation and resettlement act, 2013 has come into effect from 1 January 2014. What implication would it have on industrialisation and agriculture in India? | 2014 | 12.5 |
| Contract Farming | In view of the declining average size of land holdings in India which has made agriculture non-viable for a majority of farmers, should contract farming and land leasing be promoted in agriculture? Critically evaluate the pros and cons. | 2015 | 12.5 |
| Miscellaneous | Establish the relationship between land reform, agriculture productivity and elimination of poverty in Indian Economy. Discussion the difficulty in designing and implementation of the agriculture friendly land reforms in India. | 2013 | 10 |
UPSC - 2027 - Prelims cum Mains - New Batch Starts on 10-08-2026 
