Agriculture and Environment: UPSC Previous Year Questions (Environment and Ecology)
2 previous year UPSC Prelims questions on Agriculture and Environment (Environment and Ecology). Choose an option to see the answer and explanation.
Explanations state facts as of the year each question was asked; words like “recently” refer to that year.
Showing 1–2 of 2 questions
UPSC 2021Environment and Ecology · Agriculture and Environment
Q1. How 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 an increase in soil salinity but the occurrence of such a 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
Explanation
Permaculture is a totally integrated design system that’s modelled on nature.
Statement 1 is correct: Permaculture farming promotes multi-cropping and integrated farming systems. While chemical farming is more suitable for monoculture cropping due to the use of crop-specific inputs like irrigation, chemical fertiliser and harvesting methods.
Statement 2 is correct: Conventional farming usually alters the natural environment, increases soil salinity, and eliminates biodiversity. Such problems are not seen in permaculture farming as it relies on organic fertilizers.
Statement 3 is incorrect: Chemical farming is based on the intense use of inputs like chemical fertilizers and irrigation that make the soil less fertile over time, thus restricting its practice in semi-arid regions. Thus, conventional farming is not suitable for semi-arid regions. Permaculture involves well-designed systems that don’t produce waste and permaculture tries to imitate well-designed systems. Thus, it can work in arid climates as well.
Statement 4 is correct: Mulching is an important component of Permaculture systems for promoting maximum efficiency.
UPSC 2021Environment and Ecology · Agriculture and Environment
Q2. In the context of India’s preparation for Climate-Smart Agriculture, consider the following statements: 1. The ‘Climate-Smart Village’ approach in India is a part of a project led by the Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS), an international research programme. 2. The project of CCAFS is carried out under the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) headquartered in France. 3. The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT) in India is one of the CGIAR’s research centres. Which of the statements given above are correct?
Explanation
Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) is a strategy to assist those in charge of managing agricultural systems in efficiently adapting to climate change. The CSA approach pursues the triple objectives of:
Sustainably increasing productivity and incomes Adapting to climate change Reducing greenhouse gas emissions where possible
Statement 1 is correct: The Climate-Smart Village project in India is a CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
Statement 2 is correct: Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCFAS) is carried out under CGIAR (formerly the Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research).
Statement 3 is correct: ICRISAT is a CGIAR Research Center. It is a non-profit, non-political public international research organization that conducts agricultural research for development in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa with a wide array of partners throughout the world.
Answer key for these questions
Q
UPSC year
Correct answer
1
2021
(b) 1, 2 and 4
2
2021
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Frequently asked questions
How many previous year UPSC questions are there on Agriculture and Environment?
This page covers 2 previous year UPSC Prelims GS Paper-I questions on Agriculture and Environment (Environment and Ecology), asked from 2011 to 2022. Each has the correct answer and an explanation.
How should I use previous year UPSC questions for Prelims?
Attempt each question first, then open the answer and read the explanation for every option. Repeat by chapter, and track which statements UPSC reuses across years. Previous year questions show the exam pattern and difficulty level.
Which years are covered for Agriculture and Environment?
Questions on Agriculture and Environment (Environment and Ecology) are available for 9 years, from 2011 to 2022. Use the Year filter to practise a single paper.
