Which of the following factors accounted for the constant expansion of agriculture in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries?

A) Abundance of rainfall
B) The abundance of land
C) Availability of labour
D) Availability of subsidised inputs and MSP
E) Mobility of peasants

Choose the correct answer from the given options:

B, C and E

The correct answer is Option 3 - B, C and E

B) The abundance of land
C) Availability of labour
E) Mobility of peasants

Expansion of agriculture in 16th-17th century:

The abundance of land, available labour and the mobility of peasants were three factors that accounted for the constant expansion of agriculture. Since the primary purpose of agriculture is to feed people, basic staples such as rice, wheat or millets were the most frequently cultivated crops. Areas which received 40 inches or more of rainfall a year were generally rice-producing zones, followed by wheat and millets, corresponding to a descending scale of precipitation. Monsoons remained the backbone of Indian agriculture, as they are even today. But there were crops which required additional water. Artificial systems of irrigation had to be devised for this.