M.L. Khanna DAV Public School
Sector-VI, Dwarka
Economics Class-9
Ch-1 Story of Village Palampur
Ques.1. What are the main activities in village Palampur?
Ans. Farming is the main activity in Palampur. The other production
activities, referred to as non-farm activities include small manufacturing,
dairy, transport, shop-keeping, etc. are also carried out but on a limited
scale.
Ques.2. Name the village and town which are nearest to Palampur village.
Ans. Palampur is well-connected with
neighbouring villages and towns. Raiganj, a big village, is 3 kms from
Palampur. An all weather road connects the village to Raiganj and further on to
the nearest small town of Shahpur.
Ques.3. Mention the transport facilities available in village Palampur.
Ans. Many kinds of transport
facilities are found to connect Palampur with nearby village and town like
bullock carts, wooden cart
drawn by buffalo, and motor vehicles
like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks.
Ques.4. Briefly discuss the composition and characteristics of population
in Palampur.
Ans. 1. The village Palampur has about 450 families belonging to several
different castes.
2. The 80
upper caste families own the majority of land in the village. Their houses,
some of them quite large, are made of brick with cement plastering.
3. The SCs
(dalits) comprise one third of the population and live in one corner of the
village and in much smaller houses some of which are made of mud and straw.
Ques.5. Give a brief account on the facilities available in village
Palampur.
Ans. 1. Availability of Electricity: In village Palampur, most of the
houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the
fields and is used in various types of small business.
2. Education Facilities: Palampur has two primary schools and one high school.
3. Health Facilities: There is a Primary Health Centre (PHC) run by the government and one
private dispensary where the sick people are treated.
4. Transportation: Many kinds of transport facilities are found here to connect Palampur
with nearby village and town like bullock carts, wooden cart drawn by buffalo, and motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks.
5. Well-developed roads: An all weather road connects Palampur village to Raiganj and
further on to the nearest small town of Shahpur.
Ques.6. What are the four factors which are required for production of
different goods and services?
Ans. Following four factors are required
for the production of goods and services:
1. Land as a factor of production includes land along with all other natural resources such as water,
forests, minerals which we acquire from the nature.
2. Labour, i.e. people who
work to produce goods and services. Some production activities require highly
educated workers to perform the necessary tasks. Other activities require
workers who can do manual work. Each worker is providing the labour necessary
for production.
3. Physical Capital, i.e. the
variety of inputs required at every stage during production like tools and machines which range from very
simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as
generators, turbines, computers, etc. Physical Capital is generally referred to
as Capital and can further be divided into two categories:
(i) Fixed Capital, i.e. tools, machines, buildings which can be
used in production over many years.
(ii) Working Capital, that includes raw material (such as the yarn
used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter) and money in hand (to make
payments and buy other necessary items). These are used up in one or fewer
uses.
4.
Entrepreneur, i.e. the owner who has the organisational skills, who is able
to put together land, labour and physical capital to produce output, and
capable to take up the risk of the business. This these days is called human
capital.
Ques.7. Explain how fixed land is proving to be a limitation for the
people living in village Palampur.
Or
Why is it crucial to use different techniques in farming to grow more on
the same farmland in village Palampur?
Ans. Farming is the main production activity in Palampur. 75 per cent of
the people who are working are dependent on farming for their livelihood. They
could be farmers or farm labourers. The wellbeing of these people is closely
related to production on the farms.
But
there is a constraint in raising farm production as land area under cultivation
is practically fixed. Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been no expansion in
land area under cultivation. By then, some of the wastelands in the village had
been converted to cultivable land. There exists no further scope to increase
farm production by bringing new land under cultivation. Therefore, it is
essential to employ such methods and techniques, like multiple cropping and use
of modern means of farming, through which more output can be generated on the
same farming area.
Ques.8. What are the different ways through which more can be produced on
the same farmland?
Ans. The different ways to use larger
areas of land more effectively are as follows:
1. Availability of better irrigation
facilities: Use of
better irrigation facilities like tube-wells, canals, pump-sets etc. help to
increase farm production manifold. The first few tube-wells were installed by
the government in village Palampur. Later farmers started setting up private
tube-wells. As a result, by mid-1970s, the entire cultivated area of 200
hectares was irrigated there.
2. Multiple Cropping: When more than one crop is grown
on a piece of land during the year, it is known as multiple cropping. It
is the most common way to increase production on a given piece of land.
In Palampur, during rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra
which are used as cattle feed followed by cultivation of potato between October
and December. In winter season (rabi), wheat is grown. A part of the land area
is also devoted to sugarcane which is harvested once every year.
3. Use of HYV seeds: The use of high yielding variety (HYV)
seeds in the farm production leads to substantial increase in crop production.
It resulted Green Revolution in India and the consequent considerable increase
in farm production as well as productivity.
4. Installation of modern farm machines:
Modern farming machines
also help to increase the yield per hectare. The farmers of Punjab,
Haryana and Western UP were the first to start using modern farm machinery like
tractors and threshers, which made ploughing and harvesting faster. They were
rewarded with high yields of wheat, increasing from 1300 kg per hectare to 3200
kg per hectare with HYV seeds.
5.
Use of other modern inputs,
like chemical fertilisers which result extensive rise in the soil fertility,
insecticides and pesticides which help to protect the crops from damage due to
pests and insects etc. also increase farm production by multiple amount.
Ques.9. Explain how farmers were able to grow three different crops in a
year in village Palampur.
Ans. In Palampur, during
rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra which are used as cattle
feed followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In winter
season (rabi), wheat is grown, a part of which farmers keep for family’s
consumption and surplus wheat is sold in Raiganj Market. A part of the land
area is also devoted to sugarcane which is harvested once every year which is
sold to the traders in Shahpur.
The
main reason why farmers are able to grow three different crops in a year in
Palampur is due to the well-developed system of irrigation. Earlier Persian
wheels were used by farmers to draw water from the wells and irrigate small
fields. Electricity came early to Palampur. Its major impact was to transform
the system of irrigation.
Ques.10. When did Green Revolution introduce in India? Briefly discuss
its features and advantages.
Ans. Green Revolution:
Before the introduction of Green
Revolution, till mid1960s, the seeds used in cultivation were traditional ones
with relatively low yields. Traditional seeds needed less irrigation. Farmers
used cow-dung and other natural manure as fertilizers. All these were readily
available with the farmers who did not have to buy them.
The
Green Revolution in the late 1960s introduced the Indian farmer to cultivation
of wheat and rice using high yielding varieties (HYVs) of seeds. Compared to
the traditional seeds, the HYV seeds promised to produce much greater amounts
of grain on a single plant. As a result, the same piece of land would now
produce far larger quantities of food grains than was possible earlier. HYV
seeds were used along with chemical fertilizers, pesticides & insecticides,
modern machines and well-developed irrigation system.
Results of Green Revolution:
1. Substantial increase in crop
production, especially for wheat and rice.
2. Considerable increase in crop
productivity (production per hectare of land).
3. India started curbing its food
imports from other countries as Green Revolution made India self-sufficient in
food grain production.
4. India began to even export the
food grains to other countries which helped in improving India’s income.
5. Increasing income of farmers also
resulted in reduction in level of inequalities among the farming population in
the country.
Ques.11. Green Revolution affected natural resources adversely. Justify.
Ans. Land being a natural resource,
it is necessary to be very careful in its use. Scientific reports indicate that
the modern farming methods under Green Revolution have overused the natural
resource base in following manner:
1. Loss of
Soil Fertility: Green Revolution is
associated with the loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical
fertilizers. Chemical fertilizers kill bacteria and other microorganisms in
the soil. This means some time after their use, the soil will be less fertile
than ever before.
2. Overuse of Ground Water: Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation reduced
the water-table below the ground.
3. Pollution of Ground Water: Excessive use of chemical fertilizers, insecticides and
pesticides polluted the ground water. Chemical
fertilizers may not be retained in the soil for long. They may escape from the
soil and pollute groundwater, rivers and lakes.
Therefore,
we must take care of the environment to ensure future development of
agriculture as environmental resources like soil fertility and groundwater are
built up over many years. Once destroyed it is very difficult to restore them.
Ques.12. In which state, the consumption of
chemical fertilizers is highest? What are its adverse effects?
Ans.
The consumption of chemical fertilizers in Punjab
is highest in the country. The continuous use of chemical fertilizers has led
to degradation of soil health in punjab. Punjab farmers are now forced to use
more and more chemical fertilizers and other inputs to achieve the same
production level. This means cost of cultivation is rising very fast.
Ques.13. What were the limitations of Green Revolution?
Ans. The limitations of Green
Revolution were as follows:
1. Only two crops: The benefits of Green Revolution were limited to mainly two crops –
wheat and rice, not all the crops.
2. Few states benefitted: The gains from Green Revolution were enjoyed by only few
states like Punjab, Haryana and Western UP, not all the states.
3. Only rich farmers gained: Those were only rich farmers who majorly got the benefits of
Green Revolution, not the poor farmers. This is because the inputs of technique
under Green Revolution like HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides &
insecticides along with modern farm machines were expensive that only rich
farmers could afford. This led to rising inequalities among rich and poor
farmers.
Ques.14. The distribution of land is highly unequal among the farmers in
village Palampur. How?
Ans. Land
is an important factor for farming. Unfortunately, not all the people engaged
in agriculture have sufficient land for cultivation. Let us have a quick review
of how land is distributed in Palampur.
1. About one third of the 450 families are landless in Palampur,
i.e. 150 families have no land for cultivation. Most of them are dalits.
2. Of the remaining families who own land, 240 cultivate small
plots less than 2 hectares in size. Cultivation of such plots doesn’t bring
adequate income to the farmers’ families. They have to look for additional work
during part of the year.
3. There are 60 families of medium and large farmers who
cultivate more than 2 hectares of land.
4. A few of the large farmers have land extending over 10 hectares
or more.
Therefore, it can be observed that
the distribution of land is highly unequal in village Palampur which divides
the entire farming population into different categories like large farmers,
medium farmers, small farmers and also, landless farmers who do not own any
land and provide labour to cultivate the land of large and medium farmers.
Ques.15. Green Revolution proved to be a curse for
small and landless farmers. How?
Ans.
Small and landless farmers provide labour to cultivate the farmland of large
and medium farmers. This way, small and landless farmers get work to earn for
their family. But after the introduction of modern means of farming, advanced
machines, tools and equipments such as thrashers, tractors, and harvesters
etc., the demand for farm labour decreased because now much of the work is done
easily by machines employing less number of labourers.
Hence, there is large supply of
labour for farm production by small and landless in contrast to the lower
demand. These farmers, therefore, are now ready to work at wages lower than the
minimum wage rate.
Ques.16. Explain how different farmers arrange
capital for farming.
Ans. Modern farming methods like use of HYV seeds, chemical
fertilizers, insecticides & pesticides, modern machines, tools and
equipments along with developed irrigation system require a great deal of
capital. Let us discuss how farmers arrange capital for this.
1.
Small farmers: Most small farmers have to borrow money to
arrange for the capital. They borrow from large farmers or the village
moneylenders or the traders who supply various inputs for cultivation. The rate
of interest on such loans is very high. They are put to great distress to repay
the loan.
2. Medium & large farmers: In
contrast to the small farmers, the medium and large farmers have their own
savings from farming. This is because they have bigger land than small farmers.
So, they can grow higher yield, sell that in the market and earn high profits. They
are thus able to arrange for the capital needed on their own.
Ques.17. What do you understand by surplus farm
production or marketable farm surplus?
Ans. Marketable farm surplus: The farmers
use the food grains produced from the farmland for fulfilling the consumption
needs of the family first. After satisfying their self-consumption, whatever
surplus food grains are left, farmers take them to the market to sell there in
order to earn profits.
This surplus is known as marketable
farm surplus or surplus farm production. If the farmer’s main aim behind
farming is to grow crops for self-consumption, he is doing subsistence farming.
On the other hand, if farmer targets to produce higher output for sale in
market to earn high profits, the more likely he is to pursue commercial
farming.
Ques.18. Discuss the different non-farm activities
in which farmers can get engaged to add-on to the family income during the
times of less work availability.
Ans. The following non-farm activities can be performed by the
farmers:
1.
Dairy Farming: Dairy is a common non-farm activity. In Palampur,
people feed their buffalos on various kinds of grass and the jowar and bajra
that grow during the rainy season. Farmers sell the milk in the nearby large
village, Raiganj. 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.
2.
Small Scale Manufacturing: Production at small scale is another non-farm
activity that provides source of income to the farmers during the times of less
work. Unlike the manufacturing that takes place in big factories in towns and
cities, manufacturing in Palampur involves very simple production methods. For
example, buying the sugarcane from other farmers, crushing it through electric
run machine at home or in fields by a farmer, processing it into jaggery and
selling to the traders to make small profit is a good small scale manufacturing
activity.
3.
Shopkeeping: Exchanging the goods already produced by others i.e. trading is
also an effective way to supplement family income during the off-season or when
less work is available in farming. For example, the traders of Palampur are
shopkeepers who buy various goods from wholesale markets in the cities and sell
them in the village. There are small general stores in the village selling a
wide range of items like rice, wheat, biscuits, soap, etc.
4. Transportation: The people can also buy any
of the means of transportation to provide transport facilities in order to earn
higher income. For example, there is variety of vehicles on the road connecting
Palampur to Raiganj. Rickshawalas, tongawalas, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and
people driving the traditional bullock cart and bogey are people in the
transport services. They ferry people and goods from one place to another, and
in return get paid for it. The number of people involved in transport has grown
over the last several years.
(Note:
Students can mention and explain any other non-farm activity also.)
