GeoJournalAs you read this chapter, use your journal torecord information about economic activitiesand environmental issues in South Asia. Besure to include details that illustrate eachactivity or issue.

Chapter Overview Visit the Glencoe WorldGeography Web site at geography.glencoe.comand click on Chapter OverviewsChapter 25 topreview information about South Asia today.

http://geography.glencoe.com

Guide to ReadingConsider What You KnowSouth Asia is world-renowned for itsmany fine fabricssoft pashminasand cashmeres, bright cottons, andfinely spun silks. What other itemsfrom South Asia might you find instores in your community?

Reading StrategyCategorizing Complete a webdiagram similar to the one below byfilling in obstacles new farmingmethods create for the people ofSouth Asia.

Read to Find Out How does agriculture provide a

living for most of South Asiaspeople?

What role do fisheries and mineshave in South Asian economies?

Where in South Asia is rapidindustrial development takingplace?

What issues are raised by tourismin South Asia?

Terms to Know cash crop

jute

green revolution

biomass

cottage industry

ecotourism

Places to Locate Bangalore

Chittagong

Hyderabad

C h a p t e r 2 5 611Hindu temple, Delhi, India

Living in South Asia

A Geographic ViewAncient RhythmsDespite . . . signs of change, much of Bhutan remains as it has alwaysbeen, an unspoiled land of farmersand herders of yaks and cattle.Some 90 percent of Bhutanese live . . . as their [ancestors] did,following livestock through thehigh summer meadows, plant-ing plots of rice and chiles in the valleys. People like . . . awoman I met in the northernvillage of Soe . . . still followthe ancient rhythms. . . .Together we watched pine smoke curl fromher kitchen fire, sipped warm bowls of yak-butter tea, andtalked about the sorts of things that concern farmers everywherethe price of meat, the cost of clothing, [and] the health of the herd.

Bruce W. Bunting, Bhutan: Kingdom in the Clouds, National Geographic, May 1991

Throughout South Asia, agriculture is the most com-mon occupation. More than 60 percent of the labor force in India andBangladesh are employed in agriculture. In this section you will learnhow South Asians today are using new agricultural methods toincrease food production. You will also learn about other ways inwhich the peoples of South Asia earn a living.

Living From the LandMost people in South Asia practice subsistence farming. Subsistence

farmers often rely on labor-intensive farming methods. They may usedigging sticks or hand plows to break up the soil, and they often sow

Bhutanese farmer drying chiles

Obstacles

612 U n i t 8

seed by hand. To water their crops, farmers mayhand-carry water for miles from a well or river,although some areas have irrigation systems.

Subsistence farmers also use animal power. Oxenand water buffalo pull wooden plows, carry heavyloads, and turn simple waterwheels for irrigationand mills for grinding grain. South Asians also useyaks, the long-haired cattle that flourish at high ele-vations; camels in desert areas; and elephants,which can do the heavy work of a tractor.

Farming depends on many changeable factors,such as rainfall, that are beyond the farmers con-trol. A family can lose its entire food supply in oneseason of drought, or crops might be eaten by wildanimals. Even with the risks, however, subsistencefarming allows many South Asians to be econom-ically independent.

Agricultural ConditionsFarms in South Asia vary widely in size and

appearance, based on geographic, historic, and cul-tural factors. In the Himalayan highlands of Nepaland Bhutan, farmers practice terracing, making use ofevery available inch of arable land on the steepslopes. Fruit orchards line the fertile highland valleysof Pakistan. In most of Bangladeshs delta regionand along many of South Asias great rivers, farmerswork in water above their knees to grow rice. Farmsin India are generally very small, with over one-third of them covering less than an acre.

History

Sri Lankas PlantationsIndias tiny farm plots stand in sharp contrast

to the huge tea, rubber, and coconut plantationswhere many Sri Lankans work. British and Dutchcolonizers established these large, technicallysophisticated agricultural operations. The Britishmoved their tea plantations from India to SriLanka (then called Ceylon) when Indian workersdemanded better working conditions.

Although the European planters left Sri Lankawhen the country gained its independence fromthe United Kingdom in 1948, plantations continueto employ about three-fourths of Sri Lankas work-ers. The profitable plantations leave little land forgrowing crops to feed the countrys own people,however, so Sri Lanka must import large quanti-ties of basic foods, such as rice.

South Asian CropsCash crops bring much-needed income to South

Asia. The tea, rubber, and coconuts of Sri Lankaare cash crops, farm products grown for sale orexport. India also grows large quantities of cashews,coffee, and tea for export. Tea plants grow well innortheastern Indias temperate highlands. How-ever, balancing the physical needs of hungry peo-ple with the economic needs of growing countriesis a challenge to the region.

Cotton is a key cash crop in SouthAsia. India and Pakistan are among theworld leaders in cotton production.Jute, a fiber used to make string, rope,and cloth, is the major cash crop ofBangladesh and is grown mainly in the

western lowlands bordering India. Sales of thisfiber, called the golden crop for its color andvalue, account for a large part of Bangladeshsexport income, although demand for jute isdecreasing.

Cotton Production Workers pile cotton by hand to bestored in outdoor warehouses in India.

Human-Environment Interaction Why is it important forcountries to raise other crops in addition to cash crops?

C h a p t e r 2 5 613

India is one of the worlds largest producers ofbananas. Citrus fruits, chiles, and spices are grownfor export in the steppe areas of India, Pakistan,and Bangladesh.

Grains provide South Asia with important foodsources as well as profitable exports. Rice, themajor food crop of South Asia, grows in the tropi-cal rain forest climate of the Ganges Delta andalong the peninsulas western Malabar Coast.India is second only to China in rice production,and Bangladesh ranks fourth in the world. Wheatis the main crop in the western Ganges Plain(Indo-Gangetic Plain) and in Pakistans IndusRiver valley, but millet, corn, and sorghum alsogrow there. Peanuts grow along the Malabar Coastand the southern Deccan Plateau, and farmersgrow sugarcane in most of Indias lowlands.

Agricultural ImprovementsEven with some success in slowing the popula-

tion growth, feeding South Asias people is anenormous challenge. Farmers are being trained touse modern technology and methods for irrigation,pest control, and fertilization to increase productiv-ity. More planting cycles, for example, have beensuccessful in Bangladesh, where farmers usuallycan harvest three rice crops per year. In NepalsKathmandu Valley, farmers are planting and har-vesting winter wheat following the rice harvest.

Educational and governmental efforts haveincreased agricultural productivity. Research sta-tions in Bhutan, for example, have helped farmersestablish fruit orchards, and government-fundedirrigation systems and higher rice prices encourageSri Lankan farmers to grow more food crops.

The Green RevolutionSince the 1960s, an effort known as the green

revolution has sought to increase and diversifycrop yields in the worlds developing countries. InIndia, as elsewhere, the green revolution hasinvolved using carefully managed irrigation, fer-tilizers, and high-yielding varieties of crops. As aresult, Indias wheat and rice production hasgreatly increased. India is now able to storeandeven exportgrain. Not all the new methodswork everywhere in South Asia, however. In partsof the region, monsoon rains allow only one plant-ing cycle per year. Modernization also has costs.

Irrigation and mechanization require expensivefuel, and in a region where not enough petroleumis available and many people burn biomassplant materials and animal dungas their onlyenergy source, the costs are often too high.

Mining and FishingIn addition to farming the soil, South Asians reap

benefits from other natural resources in the region.Mining and fishing are profitable industries with thepotential for growth in years to come.

Mineral WealthThe Ganges Plain and parts of eastern India yield

some of South Asias richest mineral deposits. Ironore, low-grade coal, bauxite, and copper are all

1970

1980

1990

2000

150

120

90

60

30

Per

cen

t o

f 19

899

1 P

rod

uct

ion

Source: United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization

Per Capita Food Production

Total Agricultural ProductionYear

National Geographic Society:WG

GRAPHSTUDY

Indias Agricultureand Food Supply

1. Interpreting Graphs By about how manypercentage points did Indias total agriculturalproduction increase between 1980 and 2000?

2. Applying Geography Skills What humanfactors or processes have had an impact onIndias agriculture and food supply?

614 U n i t 8

foods of SOUTH ASIA

Foods in South Asia usually consist of a staple grain:rice in the south and east, wheat in thenorth and west. Seasonal vegeta-bles are often part of mealsthroughout the region, whilefruits are considered a dessert.Meat and fish are common butnot usually eaten daily.

One of the most importan