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What did Ibn Battuta observe about Indian agriculture? |
The soil was fertile, allowing two crops per year The soil was infertile so farmers could hardly grow only one crop per year It was unproductive due to infertile land Most land was used for cattle grazing |
The soil was fertile, allowing two crops per year |
The correct answer is Option 1 - The soil was fertile, allowing two crops per year Ibn Battuta noted that India’s fertile soil enabled farmers to cultivate two crops annually, making agriculture highly productive. While Ibn Battuta was not particularly concerned with explaining the prosperity of towns, historians have used his account to suggest that towns derived a significant portion of their wealth through the appropriation of surplus from villages. Ibn Battuta found Indian agriculture very productive because of the fertility of the soil, which allowed farmers to cultivate two crops a year. He also noted that the subcontinent was well integrated with inter-Asian networks of trade and commerce, with Indian manufactures being in great demand in both West Asia and Southeast Asia, fetching huge profits for artisans and merchants. Indian textiles, particularly cotton cloth, fine muslins, silks, brocade and satin, were in great demand. Ibn Battuta informs us that certain varieties of fine muslin were so expensive that they could be worn only by the nobles and the very rich. |
