Agriculture is a very popular UPSC mains optional subject. The subject is pretty technical. Hence, it is famous among people who are fond of the subject. You can also opt for the subject if you have an interest in zoology and botany. Along with interest, you need some basic idea about the subject as well. If you do not have a history with the subject it is better to avoid it. The right strategy can help you clear the subject on the first attempt. For this, you need the right set of best agriculture books for UPSC. There are plenty of UPSC agriculture optional books for competitive exams in India. However, we will help you with the smart selection of books for your prep. In today’s article, we will list the best books for your optional papers one and two.
- About the syllabus
- Who must opt for this optional subject?
- Syllabus for Agriculture Optional Paper One Books for UPSC
- Optional Paper Two Syllabus for Agriculture Books for UPSC
- List of the Best Books for Agriculture Optional Paper in India
- About the Agriculture Books for Competitive Exams
- Strategy for Agriculture Optional Subject
- FAQs
- Editor's Note | Agriculture Books for UPSC
About the syllabus
Firstly, we will also talk about the agriculture optional paper syllabus for both papers. Only after reading the syllabus, you will learn the topics covered under the subject. This will help you to make the correct decision. Thus leading to a smart choice in the best UPSC Agriculture Optional Books. The syllabus of the subject is quite limited. Moreover, it is related to the current affairs you read every day. The subject relates to day-to-day problems in farming and issues around farmers in India The subject is easier to interpret for rural aspirants. The reason is pretty obvious.
Who must opt for this optional subject?
Someone coming from rural areas has a better idea about farming. Moreover, rural India’s primary occupation is still Agriculture. On the other hand, urban candidates may find it tough to relate the content. Because urban aspirants have not performed farming. Moreover, they also haven’t seen farming issues closely. Hence, for such candidates, the subject is full of theory and technicalities. However, it is easier for aspirants belonging to farmer families. You will come across the syllabus in two parts. The first part ahead will talk about optional paper one syllabus in detail. After this, we will move ahead to discuss the optional paper two syllabi in detail. After you read about the optional paper one syllabus, you will learn the right agriculture books for UPSC paper one.
Syllabus for Agriculture Optional Paper One Books for UPSC
The in-depth syllabus is quite wide. However, here, we will try to highlight the main topics in the syllabus for a quick read. The first paper has topics around Ecology and its relevance to man. It also talks about sustainability. Further, it has topics around agroecology and cropping patterns. The paper also demands a focus on climate change and advanced farming tools. The subject also covers agroforestry and topics around soil in India. Furthermore, the paper also covers irrigation techniques, farm, and marketing management. Finally, the paper also covers agricultural extension, training programs, and schemes. You must find the best agriculture optional books for UPSC to cover this syllabus.
Optional Paper Two Syllabus for Agriculture Books for UPSC
Further, let us talk about the optional paper two syllabi. The second paper is quite scientific. You need some history in science for this. It is easier to learn for botany, zoology, and bio students. This paper talks about cells, mutations, plant breeding, and seed production. Further, you will also learn about public and private sector roles in seed marketing. Moreover, you will also read bout enzymes and plant pigments. This paper also talks about various fruits, crops, vegetables, etc. You will also read about the various crop diseases and food management in India. Hence, you need to select the right agriculture books for UPSC to cover the syllabus intensively.
List of the Best Books for Agriculture Optional Paper in India
We have now seen the syllabus in brief. Let us now look at books on agriculture in India for competitive exams. The subject is quite extensive. However, the syllabus is limited. Many aspirants try to stick to a single resource for their optional prep. However, this is not what we believe. The right books will help you to evolve and learn not only for the exam but also for practical life. The following list will mention the best agriculture optional books for UPSC. These are the most common sources referred to by aspirants. Hence, we have decided to list them together for your use.
| Fundamentals Of Agricultural Extension Education by U Barman |
| A Text-Book of Agricultural Statistics R. Rangaswamy |
| Entomology – Vasantha Raj & David |
| Agronomy – Yellamanda Reddy |
| Introduction To Horticulture – Kumar |
| Handbook Of Agriculture -ICAR |
| Genetics- B.D.Singh |
| Soil Science – D.K Das Or Brady |
| Plant Breeding -B.D. Singh |
| Physiology – Pandey & Singha |
| Special Issue of Agriculture by The Hindu |
| The Hindu- Survey Of Indian Agriculture |
After listing the books, we will also talk about each book in brief. By the end of this article, you will have a clear idea about the features of each book. This will also help you to evaluate the contents of each book. Thereby, you can select the best book for you. Or you can decide to use two to three books in combination.
About the Agriculture Books for Competitive Exams
There are a total of 12 books listed above. These books cover a wide range of topics. Some of the books above will provide you with the basics of the subject. For anyone who is pretty much confused about whether to opt for the optional subject or no, must first read the basics. The books like fundamentals of the agricultural extension will help you in this. Furthermore, the other books listed are specialized in a particular topic. Hence, for agriculture, you have to consolidate a lot of data.
Therefore, you need to create your notes. You may find some coaching institute’s consolidated notes. However, reading through each topic is equally essential. During the note-making process, you tend to remember topics better. For anyone who needs enhanced knowledge on a particular topic like agronomy, soil science, you can refer to the specialized books. These books cover their respective topics in much detail and in all languages. However, we do not recommend you to read every book from the list. Since aspirants face time constraints, they must choose the books very wisely.
Strategy for Agriculture Optional Subject
You can first start with a basic book and take an overview of the syllabus. Make sure you have a list of topics and syllabus in hand. Tick mark the topics covered from paper one and paper two. You can either prepare in unison for both papers or decide to cover topics separately. When you study individually for each paper, the burden felt is limited. Hence, you are more efficient in your studies. In addition to books, which are a traditional source of preparation, you must also refer to other sources. This includes surveys, schemes, magazines, and newspapers. Agriculture is a very dynamic subject.
Hence, you must relate it with current affairs and topics in your answers. The Hindu- Survey Of Indian Agriculture and the Special Issue of Agriculture by The Hindu will help you in this. Moreover, you can also take help from the Handbook Of Agriculture -ICAR for some valuable data.
Our key takeaways from today’s article are as follows. Firstly, you must select the best book for UPSC agriculture optional in India. This book must cover your paper one and paper two syllabi. If there is no such single material available, you have to refer to multiple resources. After you find out the books that cover your entire syllabus, start making notes as per your need. Consolidate the material for both papers. Moreover, you should make the most out of your newspapers, magazines, and surveys. Give references in your mains answer. This will surely help you to grab some extra points. For more such articles: Click Here.
FAQs
In 2017, around 89 candidates appeared for the subject. However, only 11 of them were recommended further. Hence, the success rate in this year was 12.5 percent.
In addition to the best agriculture optional books for competitive exams, you must refer to magazines. For this, you can use the Yojana and Kurukshetra magazines. They extensively cover the latest govt schemes and policies around agriculture. You can also take help from previous year’s papers: click here.
On average, the subject has a success rate of around 16 percent. However, the rate keeps changing. It depends on the number of candidates appearing for the subject.
Editor’s Note | Agriculture Books for UPSC
Here, we will conclude our article. In today’s article we, covered a very important topic. That is, the best agriculture optional books for UPSC and other competitive exams in India. Thus, we firstly talked about the paper one and paper two syllabus of the subject. Then, we talked about the listof the books for your prep. Thus, we listed around 12 useful sources. These sources are more than enough to cover your complete syllabus. After talking about the books, we also gave a basic strategy to prepare for the subject. We hope that this article helps you in your UPSC journey! All the Best!
