Agriculture has been the backbone of Indian economy since the very beginning. It has largely facilitated the livelihood of Indian people.
But the form of agriculture is uneven on regional basis and the responsible factors for this are:
1. Topographical structure: In the entire India, the topographical structure has controlled the form of agriculture, i.e. in the mountains, terrace farming, in the plains, subsistence agriculture, and in the deserts, pastoral farming is practiced.
2. Availability of water: Water is the most important factor for all types of agriculture. Different types of agriculture such as plantation, commercial, shifting, horticulture, etc. fully depend on the availability of water.
3. Fertility of soil: The fertility of soil is the most important factor for the diversity of agriculture. Due to availability of alluvial and muddy soil, the form of intensive cultivation has developed in the plains of Ganga and Yamuna.
4. The awareness of Farmers: The awareness of farmers also decides the form of agriculture, i.e. some illiterate farmers who have only the basic knowledge of agriculture, practice shifting agriculture even today and use the ancient tools and equipments for farming. But the literate farmers, who have abundant knowledge, practice plantation, commercial or horticulture or terrace farming.