CHAPTER -1
STORY OF VILLAGE
PALAMPUR
Concepts
Palampur is a small village having about 450 families. It is 3 km away from
Raiganj — a big village. Shahpur is the nearest town to the village.
Main Production Activities
Farming is the main production activity in the village Palampur. Most of
the people are dependent on farming for their livelihood. Non-farming
activities such as dairy, small-scale manufacturing (e.g. activities of weavers
and potters, etc.), transport, etc., are carried out on a limited scale.
Factors of Production (Requirements for Production of
Goods and Services)
Land, labour and capital are the basic requirements for production of goods
and services which are popularly known as factors of production.
Land includes all free gifts of nature, e.g., soil, water, forests, minerals,
etc.
Labour means human effort which of course includes physical as well as mental
labour.
Physical capital is the third requirement for production. Physical capital includes fixed
capital (e.g. tools, machines, building, etc.) and raw materials such as seeds
for the farmer, yarn for the weaver.
Important Changes in Farm Activities
Land area under cultivation is virtually fixed. However, some wastelands in India had been
converted into cultivable land after 1960. Over the years, there have been
important changes in the way of farming, which have allowed the farmers to
produce more crops from the same amount of land. These changes include:
(a) Multiple cropping farming (b)
Use of modern farming methods.
Due to these changes (in the late 1960s) productivity of land has increased
substantially which is known as
Green Revolution. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh were the first to try
out the modern farming methods in India.
Labour : After land, labour is the next basic factor of production. Small farmers
provide their own labour, whereas medium and large farmers make use of hired
labour to work on their fields.
Capital : After land and labour, capital is another basic factor of production. All
categories of farmers (e.g. small, medium and large) require capital. Small
farmers borrow from large farmers or the village moneylenders or the traders
who supply them various inputs for cultivation. Modern farming requires a great
deal of capital.
Sale of Surplus Farm Products
Farmers produce crops on their lands by using the three factors of
production, viz. land, labour and capital. They retain a part of produce for
self-consumption and sell the surplus in the nearby market. That part of farm
produce which is sold in the market is called marketable surplus. Small farmers have little surplus output. It is the medium and large
farmers only who have substantial surplus produce for selling in the market.
Non-farm activities
Out of every 100 workers in the rural areas in India, only 24 are engaged
in non-farm activities. There is a variety of non-farm activities in the
villages. Dairy, small scale manufacturing, transport, etc., fall under this
category.
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (3 MARKS)
Q.1. What was the major impact of electricity on the
farmers of Palampur? Explain.
Ans. 1. Electricity reaching in Palampur transformed irrigation system as
electric-run tubewells could be used to irrigate much larger areas of land more
effectively.
2. Electric tubewell would draw water from well electrically and no manual
handling required.
3. Electricity has also facilitated the harvesting of crops with electric
harvesters.
Q.2. What is the basic aim of production. What are the
essential four requirements for production?
Ans. Basic aim of production was to produce goods and services that we want.
Four requirements for production of goods and services were:
2. Land and other natural resources like water, forests, minerals Labour,
i.e. people who would do the work.
3. Each worker is providing the labour necessary for production.
4. Third requirement is physical capital, i.e. variety of inputs required
at every stage during production.
5. Fourth requirement is knowledge and enterprise to be able to put
together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output.
Q.3. What do you mean by working capital? How does it
affect the day-to-day activities in farming?
Ans. Raw materials and money in hand is known as working capital. Some money is
always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary
items. Working capital is related with day-to-day activities in farming like
use of seeds, pesticides, insecticides, manure, wages of labour etc. So
production in farming is high for more working capital. Higher working capital
would facilitate more purchase of seeds, fertilisers and wages, so higher yield
would be there.
Q.4. What do you mean by Rabi crops and Kharif crops? When are
they sown and harvested? Give examples also.
Ans. Rabi crops are grown in winter season (between October to
December) and harvested in
spring season (between mid-late April to mid-late June). Potato, wheat, barley,
mustard are Rabi crops.
Kharif crops are sown in rainy season (from July to
September) and harvested in
autumn season. Examples of Kharif crops are jowar and bajra, sugarcane, cotton,
red chillies etc.
Q.5. What is the difference between multiple cropping and
modern farming method?
Ans. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known as
multiple cropping. For example, sugarcane is sown along with wheat in winter
season as sugarcane is harvested once every year. Modern farming methods are
the use of improved methods and techniques to be used in agriculture to
increase yield per hectare. Use of HYV seeds, insecticides, pesticides,
electric tube-well etc. is modern farming methods.
Q.6. Modern farming methods require the farmers to invest
more cash than before. Why? Explain.
Ans. Yes, modern farming methods like use of HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers,
electric tubewell for irrigation require higher investment in farming because
they carry higher cost than traditional one. HVY seeds need more water and also
chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce best results. Higher use of
chemicals, cause environmental degradation also.
Q.7. What was the major disadvantage associated with HYV
seeds? Explain.
Ans. 1. Biggest disadvantage associated with HYV seeds is bigger requirement of
water and also chemical fertilisers and pesticides to produce best results.
2. Higher yields are possible only from combination of HYV seeds,
irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides etc.
3. Chemical fertilizers and pesticides degrade our environment killing
necessary bacterias in soil. Poor farmers could not afford HYV seeds due to
increased requirement of fertilisers and machinery.
4. New machinery replaced manual labour leading to unemployment and
rural-urban migration.
Q.8. What are the various farming and non-farming
activities in village Palampur?✔️
Ans. Farming activities: Farming is the main production activity in
Palampur. About 75% of the people depend upon farming for their livelihood.
They use methods of multiple farming and modern farming techniques for increase
in their productivity. Well-developed irrigational facilities and use of HYV
seeds has improved in production levels of agriculture in Palampur.
Non-farming activities : Non farming activities in Palampur includes dairy
farming. Small scale manufacturing units, shop-keeping and transportation
activities. Milk is transported to nearby and far of towns. Family members,
without hired labours run small manufacturing units with simple techniques shop
keepers buy various goods from wholesale markets in cities and sell them in
villages. Road transport facilities include rickshaws, tongs, jeeps, tractors,
trucks and bullock carts.
Q.9. What do the scientific reports indicate about the
modern farming methods? Mention any three points.
Ans. Scientific reports indicate that the modern farming method has overused the
natural resource base.
1. Green revolution, due to increased use of chemical fertilisers, has led
to loss of soil fertility.
2. Use of ground water with due help of tube wells for irrigation has
reduced the level of ground water.
3. Use of chemical fertilisers resulted in loss of soil fertility.
Therefore, farmers are forced to use more and more chemical fertilisers to
achieve the production level which in turn raises the cost of production.
Q.10. What are the sources of irrigation in Palampur?
Ans. Palampur holds a well developed system of irrigation. Due to introduction
of electricity irrigation system transformed from Persian wheels to
electric-run tube wells. Initially, the first few tube wells were installed by
the government and then by mid of 1970s the entire cultivated area of 200
hectare was irrigated by privately installed tube wells.
Q.11. Explain any three types of production activities in
Palampur.✔️
Ans. (i) Farming at Palampur
: Farming is the main activity in village Palampur. Land area available for
farming is fixed. Expansion in production is done due to methods of multiple
cropping and use of modern farming methods.
(ii) Dairy farming : Dairy is a common activity in many families of
Palampur. Many families have cows and buffalos. They feed them on jowar and
bajra. They sell milk either in the village or in nearby villages or town.
(iii) Small-scale
manufacturing : People at Palampur are engaged in same kind of small scale and cottage
industries. Simple techniques of production are used on a small scale. Such
small scale units are mostly carried at home or in fields with the help of
family members. Sugarcan curshing, carpet weaving and basket – making
activities are carried under such production units.
Q.12. State any three advantages of multiple cropping.
Ans. Advantages of multiple cropping are :
(a) Efficient use of
land : Land is not left
idle at any time of the year and therefore more efficiently used in the process
of production.
(b) Increase of production
: It increases the
production on a piece of land during the year.
(c) Increase in income: Multiple cropping
increases the agricultural income of the country as well as for the farmer.
Q.13. What is Green Revolution? Which crop is benefitted
the most due to Green Revolution?
Ans. Green Revolution is a revolution of using modern farming methods for higher
yield and achieving the self sufficiency in the production of wheat and rice.
It includes use of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, irrigation, chemical
fertilisers, pesticides etc for producing best results. Wheat is benefitted
most due to Green Revolution.
Q.14. What are the problems do form labourers face in
terms of employment? Explain any three problems.
Ans. Problems faced by farm labourers are :
(a) Unadequate wages : Government has fixed the minimum wages as Rs 60
day but they donot usually get this amount of money.
(b) Availability of labour : Too much
availability of labour forces the labourers to work on lower wages.
(c) Duration of employment : Labourers are
sometimes employed on the daily wages and sometimes for the whole year. They do
not have surety of job.
Q.15. Explain any three modern farming methods of
Agriculture.✔️
Ans. (i) Use of HYV seeds : Use of High Yielding
Variety seeds promises larger quantity of production of foodgrains.
(ii) Use of farm
machinery : Use of machinery for
irrigation, harvesting, threshing etc improves the quality of work as well as
reduces time consumption.
(iii) Use of chemical
fertilisers and pesticides : Use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides ensure the farmers about the
better upbringing of crops in quality and quantity.
Q.16. Many factors are responsible for the poor economic
condition of farm labourers like Dala and Ramkali. Can you explain a few of
these factors?
Ans. The factors responsible for poor economic conditions of farm labourers like
Dala and Ramkali are :
(i) Use of modern
farming techniques : Use of modern farming techniques make it difficult for farm labourers to
get work. Tractors are used for ploughing, harvesters for harvesting, threshers
for threshing and weedicide for removing weeds. This leaves very less or no
work for farm labourers.
(ii) Poorly Paid : Due to heavy competition for work among the farm
labourers, people agree to work for lower wages. The minimum wages for a farm
labourer set by government is Rs 60 per day but they are generally paid only
half of it. This forces them to take loan from local money lenders which put
them in the vicious circle of poverty.
LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS (5 MARKS)
Q.1. What are the different ways of
increasing production on the same piece of land. Explain any four points.
OR
What are the different ways of increasing
production on the same piece of land. Explain with the help of examples.
OR
State four steps of optimal utilisation
of land.
Ans. Land area under cultivation is fixed. So, the ways of increasing farm
produce on the same piece of land are :
(i) Multiple cropping : It is the most common way of increasing
production on a given piece of land. Under it, more than one crop is grown on
the same piece of land during the year.
Indian farmers should grow atlest two main crops in a year. Some farmers
have been growing a third crop also over the past twenty years
(ii) Green Revolution : It was brought in India
in the late 1960s, the use of HYV (High Yielding Variety) seeds for increase in
production of rice and wheat. It promised to produce much greater amount of
grains on a single plant.
(iii) Use of modern
technology : By the use of well
developed able to cultivate their land with greater efficiency.
(iv) Use of chemical
fertilizers and pesticides Farmers use pumpsets for irrigation, threshers for threshing, harvesters
for harvesting, tractors for floughing etc.: Use of chemical
fertilisers and pesticides improves fertility of soil and reduces pest
respectively for the particular period of production. This improves the
quantity of production.
Q.2. Who provides labour for farming in Palampur? How are
they paid for their work?
Ans. After land, labour is the second most necessary factor for production.
Small farmers along with the other numbers of their family cultivate their own
fields. Thus, they provide the labour required for farming themselves. Medium
and large scale farmers hire farm labourers to work on their fields. Farm
labourers either engaged from landless families or the families cultivating
small piece of land.Farm labourers do not have any right over the crops grown
on the land. They are paid in the following ways :
(i) Wages are paid to them in form of cash or kind, i.e., crops.
(ii) Government has set up minimum wages for farm labourers to be Rs 60 per
day but unfortunately they do not get this much and are mostly exploited.
(iii) Sometimes poor farm labourers work for meal also.
(iv) Sometimes they are employed on daily basis and sometimes for the whole
year. Thus, durations of their employment is not fixed.
Q.3. What are the four requirements for production of
goods and services? Explain. OR
What are the four requirements of production? Explain with
examples.
Ans. There are four requirements of production of goods and services. These
requirements are known as factors of production.These are :
(i) Land : By land we mean not only the level surface but
all gifts of nature which are amenable to human control, such as water,
forests, minerals etc.
(ii) Labour : Manpower required to do the work. The mental and
physical work done by people in an organisation comes under labour.
(iii) Physical Capital : It means a variety
of inputs required at every stage during production. They can be classified as
:
(a) Fixed capital : It includes tools, machines and building that can
be used for production for many years.
(b) Working capital : Money in land and
raw material that has to be used in current products are included in working
capital.
(iv) Enterprise : It means need of knowledge and enterprise to put
together all other factors of production and ability to sell the produce in the
market. This is also called human capital.
Q.4. What is Green Revolution? Explain some of its
features.✔️
Ans. Green Revolution is a revoluton with farmers using modern methods for
higher yields and achieving selfsufficiency in the production of wheat and
rice. It includes use of High YieldingVariety (HYV) seeds, irrigation, chemical
fertilizers, pesticides etc for producing best results.Farmers of Punjab,
Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to try it in the late
1960s.Factors responsible for Green Revolution are :
(i) Increase in yield : HYV seeds promised to produce much greater
amounts of grains on a single plant. As a result, the same piece of land
produce for larger quantities of food grains.
(ii) Use of modern
technology : Use of modern
technology like tractors, harvesters, tubewells etc have made the
implementation of green revolution possible in the environment.
(iii) Use of chemical
fertilisers and pesticides : Unlike traditional fertilisers and manures, useof chemical fertilisers has
increased as a requirement with HYV seeds which improves the quality and
quantity of the produce.
Q.5. Explain any two positive and two negative effects of
Green Revolution. OR
Explain two achievements and two drawbacks of Green
Revolution in Indian agriculture.
Ans. Green Revolution was started in the late 1960s with an aim of achieving self
sufficiency in the production of grains like wheat and rice.Two positive
effects and achievements of green revolution are :
(i) Increase in
productivity of grains : Use of HYV seeds produced much more amount of wheat and rice in comparison
to traditional seeds.
(ii) Modernisation of
agriculture : HYV seeds required
well-developed irrigation, use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides. Use of
farm machinery has also encouraged in the green revolution which resulted in
development and modernisaton of agriculture. It also increased the surplus in
the field of agriculture. Two Negative effects and drawbacks of Green
Revolution :
(i) Decline in fertility
of soil : Too much use of
chemical fertilisers resulted in decline of fertility of soil. Farmers have to use
more and more chemical fertilisers which increases the lost of production.
(ii) Level of groundwater
: Use of groundwater
for cultivation with the help of tube wells have caused decline in level of
ground water.
Q.6. Is Palampur a developed village? Explain by
presenting four arguments. OR
How can you say that Palampur is a well developed
village?
Ans. Palampur is a well developed village. This can be made clear from the
following arguments :
(i) Multiple cropping : Farmers of Palampur have adapted multiple
cropping. They plant three crops on a year and never leave their land idle.
(ii) Modern facilities of
agriculture : They have a well
developed system of irrigation.
Electricity came early in Palampur. They use modern machinery like
tractors, harvesters etc for farming. Use of HYV seeds and chemical fertilisers
is also noticed in Palampur.
(iii) Markets and
Education : There are small
markets setup in Palampur which have all the daily need commodities available.
Kareem is also running computer classes and a good number of students are
learning there. High schools and education for women is available here.
(iv) Transportation : People of Palampur have facilities of
transporting goods to other towns and village with a good transportation system
and well developed roads.
Q.7. What are the various ways through which farmers can get
loan? Write their advantages and disadvantages.
Ans. Farmers can get loans through the following ways :
(i) Large farmers or
village moneylenders : Most of the small farmers prefer taking loans from large farmers or village moneylenders. Advantages of taking loans from such sources are :
(a) They are flexible in terms and conditions of repayment and rate of
interest.
(b) They know the lenders personally so get loans without collateral
security.
Disadvantages:
(a) Rate of interest is very high. (b) Small farmers are exploited and are trapped in
vicious circle of poverty.
(ii) Banks and
cooperative societies : Although, very few number of small farmers approach banks for loan but they
provide them better services. Advantages of loans from banks and cooperatives:
(a) No exploitation of farmers. (b) Uniform and nominal rate of interest
for all.
Disadvantages:
(a) Needs proper security and have set terms and conditions.
HOTS
Q.1. Differentiate between fixed capital and working
capital. State any four points.
Ans. Both fixed capital and working capital are the parts of physical capital
required for production.
(i) Fixed Capital :
(a) It includes fixed factors of production which are used for years.
(b) Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer's
plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines etc.
(c) It includes tools, machines, buildings etc.
(d) They remain constant for many years of production and increased or
decreased only when needed.
(ii) Working Capital :
(a) It includes variable factors of production which are needed to be arranged
every time at the time of production.
(b) Whatever money and raw material required for production are included in
it.
(c) It is required to be arranged according to the desired production.
(d) They are dynamic depending upon the profits and income of last season.
Q.2. Explain any four non-farming activities in Palampur
village.
Ans. Most of the people living in palampur village are involved in production
activities. Only 25% of the people working in Palampur village are engaged in
activities other than agriculture.
Various non-farm activities in Palampur village are :
(a) Dairy : It is a common activity at Palampur village.
People feed their buffalos on jowar and bajra and sold their milk in Raiganj
village. Two traders from Shahpur town have set up collection cum chilling
centres at Raiganj from where the milk is transported to far away towns and
cities.
(b) Small scale
manufacturing units : People get involved in very simple production methods in their homes only
with their family members. They make baskets, pottery etc small things and sell
them in the markets nearby.
Shopkeepers : People get involved in trade, they buy goods from nearby whole sale markets
and sell them in the village. They sell wide range of items like sugar, tea,
oil, soap etc. They open shops for eatables near bus stands.
Transport : People also get involved in providing transportation services like
rickshaws, tongas, jeeps, tractors, trucks, bullok cart, bouggey etc. The
number of people involved in transport has grown over the last several years.
Q.3. What do you mean by Green Revolution? Why was the
initial impact of Green Revolution limited to wheat and only to a few regions?
Ans. 1.Green Revolution is a revolution which started in the late 1960s with an
aim of achieving self-sufficiency in the production of grains like wheat and
rice.
2. The initial impact of Green Revolution was limited to wheat and only to
a few regions because initially only the farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Uttar
Pradesh by out the modern farming method in India.
3. They used tubewells for irrigation and made use of HYV seeds, chemical
fertilisers and pesticides in farming.
4. Capital required for using HYV seeds was very high. Therefore small
farmers and many backward regions could not use the modern techniques.
5. Use of HYV seeds require all other modern techniques of cultivation also
therefore for initial time it remained unapproachable in many backward villages and
small farmers which work without electricity or own poor farm distribution.
Q.4. What is land? Suggest any three ways to sustain
land.
Ans. Land is the levelled surface and other natural resources such as water,
forests, minerals etc used for production of goods and services.Excessive use
of chemical fertilisers or modern techniques of farming destroys land and all
other natural resources.Land can be sustained through following ways :
(i) Limited use of
chemical fertilisers : Chemical fertilisers should be used in a limited number and only as the per
the requirement. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers destroys the fertility
of land.
(ii) Crop rotation : Crops should be planted in such a way that land gets
time of restore its fertility. Different nutrients are required with different
lands, therefore planning of multiple cropping should be done in such a way
that the land is also able to restore the lost nutrients.
(iii) Waste of chemical
fertilisers : Waste of chemical
fertilisers or pesticides should not be thrown in the water bodies of village
as this will pollute the water.
(iv) Adequate use of
ground water : Ground water should be adequately used so that there is minimum wastage of
ground water.
Q.5. What is the main source of capital for medium and large
farmers? How is it different from the small farmers? Explain.
Ans. (a) Surplus wheat
selling : Main source of
capital for medium and large farmers is supply of surplus wheat in market as
they own large area of cultivable land. They retain part of wheat for their own
use and sell rest of wheat in market. While for small farmers, no surplus wheat
is available so they arrange capital from large farmers or village moneylenders
or the traders.
(b) Extra work to
landowner or large farmers : In order to get loan from landowner or large farmers they have to pay
higher interest rates and also extra work on their fields to repay the loan,
while medium and large farmers can devote their full time to their own land.
Q.6. What was the basic aim of the ‘Green Revolution’ in
India? How did it affect the market economy?
Ans. The introduction of HYV seeds and the increased use of fertilisers and
irrigation are known collectively as the Green Revolution which was associated
with increase in production of food grains in India and make India
self-sufficient in foodgrains.
Impact of Green Revolution on market economy
(a) Increased production
of foodgrains like wheat and rice : Foodgrain yields continued to increase throughout the 1980s. In
financial year 1980, almost 75 percent of the total cropped area under wheat
was sown with HYV seeds.
(b) Increased income
disparities, higher income growth and reduced incidence of poverty : Green revolution has increased income disparities,
higher income growth andreduced incidence of poverty.
Value based Questions
Q.1. Explain four efforts that can be made to increase
non-farming production activities in villages?
Q.2. What were the main terms on which Savita got a loan
from Tejpal Singh? How can Savita be benefitted if she gets a loan from the
bank?
Q.3. Why it is necessary to increase the area under
cultivation? Explain.✔️
Q.4. What are the difficulties faced by small farmers in
arranging capital in comparison with medium and large farmers.
Q.5. Why modern farming methods require more inputs which
are manufactured in industry? Explain.
