class 9 sst chapter 1 economics story of village of palampur NOTES AND NCERT SOLUTIONS BY POONAM DUA

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Story of Village Palampur

Rural Economy

The village described in this chapter is somewhat big in size. It is well connected by all-weather road from the nearest town. The village has a primary health centre, school, irrigation facilities and electricity supply.
The percentage of such villages is minuscule in India. Most of the villages do not have proper connectivity with the nearest town. They may not be having hospital and schools. Electricity supply can be quite erratic in many villages.
In a typical village; like Palampur; people of different castes and communities live. A village can have 50 to 500 families. Most of the land is usually owned by upper caste people. Rest of the land is owned by the Other Backward Classes and minorities. The dalits usually comprise the landless labour. They normally live on the outskirts of the village.
Organisation of Production: There are four main requirements for organization of production and they are as follows:

1. Land: Land is fixed and scarce. There is not method by which the land can be increased. The growth of population has increased pressure on land. Division of property through subsequent generations has resulted in agricultural plots becoming much smaller. This has also affected the scale economies in farming.
2. Labour: Labour is available in plenty because of a huge army of unemployed. Many people from the poor section are illiterate and hence have to work as unskilled labour. The government provides guidelines on minimum wages from time to time. But because of less demand and huge supply of labour, there are many cases where the farm workers may not be getting even the minimum wages.
3. Physical capital: Tools, machines and buildings comprise the fixed capital in farming. Money is needed as working capital to buy seeds and fertilisers and also to pay the cost of irrigation.
4. Knowledge and enterprise: A farmer also needs the knowledge and enterprise to effectively manage production. In most of the cases, certain knowledge is passed down through generations. Government has also taken initiative in improving the knowledge of farmers.

Improving Farm Productivity: Since land cannot be increase so one needs to find some other methods to improve farm productivity. Use of modern farming techniques, machineries and high yield varieties of seeds can help in improving farm productivity.
Government has made good networks of canals in many parts of the country. This has helped in improving the irrigation facilities. Seeds and fertilisers are made available at subsidized rates for the benefit of farmers.
If proper irrigation facilities are in place, then farmers of a village can grow up to three crops in a year. By doing mixed cropping, they can also improve the productivity substantially.

Disadvantages of Overuse of Land:

After the Green Revolution, foodgrain production has increased manifold in India. But the Green Revolution has also brought many problems. There excess exploitation of groundwater at many places which has resulted in water table going down at many places. Water shortage is becoming a recurring problem in most of the villages.
Overuse of chemical fertilisers has reduced soil fertility and there is a danger of many farmlands turning barren. Before the advent of the Green Revolution, farmers normally used manure and compost to improve yield. Such a practice was eco-friendly and could be sustained for a longer period.
Excess use of chemical fertilisers also contaminates drinking water.

Uneven Distribution of Land:

In most of the villages, there is uneven distribution of land. A major portion of the land is owned by a handful of farmers, while most of the other farmers have to depend on small patches of land. Small plot of land means that the farmer may not be in a position to even meet his family needs. The landless farmers are the worst lot because they have to work on other’s land to earn a livelihood.

Problem of Migration:

Farming is a seasonal occupation. For landless labourers; this means that they do not get work in certain months of the year. They often migrate to cities in search of livelihood. Many landless labourers from Bihar and Uttar Pradesh migrate to Punjab to work as farm workers. The Government had introduced the employment guarantee programme called MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee). Under this programme, one member of each rural family is given 100 days employment in a year. This programme has helped in reducing the migration from many villages.

Problem of capital:

While the big farmers usually have surplus cash, the small farmers may need to borrow to buy seeds, fertilisers and farm equipments. They may go to a bank or cooperative to borrow money. But most of the time, the local merchant or moneylender comes to their rescue. Taking a loan from the local merchant and moneylender is more risky as it carries a higher rate of interest compared to what is prevalent in the banks. There are many cases, when a small farmer is unable to repay the debt on time. Such farmers often get caught in the debt trap.

Sale of Surplus Farm Produce:

After the harvest, the big farmers are able to produce surplus than what they need for their family. The surplus farm produce is sold in the nearby mandi. The government also procures farm produce at an MSP (Minimum Support Price). The merchants from cities and towns purchase the farm produce from mandis in big villages. The farm produce bought by the government is stored in FCI (Food Corporation of India) godowns and used through Public Distribution System (PDS).

Non-farm Activities in Villages:

Dairy: Many farmers rear cows and buffaloes so that they can have an extra source of income. They earn money by selling milk. Now-a-days, milk is often collected by the milk cooperatives.
Small scale manufacturing: Some people are engaged in small scale manufacturing; like making jaggery. Primitive machines are used in such activities and family members contribute in the work.
Shops: Some small shops can also be seen in bigger villages, e.g. grocery stores, cloth stores, medicine shop, etc.
Other Activities: Many people are engaged in various economic activities, like repairing shops, tuition classes, barber shop, mobile repairing shop, etc.
Transportation: Some people are also engaged in transportation. Some of them ply cyclerickshaws, while some of them may be driving autorickshaws or minibuses.

Story of Village Palampur

NCERT Solution

Question – 1-Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?

Answer: This statement is quite correct. Modern farming methods require chemical fertilisers, pesticides and modern farm equipments. All of these are manufactured in industry.

Question – 2 - How did the spread of electricity help farmers in Palampur?

Answer: Electricity can help any village. Availability of electricity ensures better irrigation. It also means that villagers can engage in some manufacturing activities; like flour mills, jaggery production, etc. Children can study late in the evening and shopkeepers can do better business if proper electricity supply can be provided.

Question – 3 - Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?

Answer: As per estimates, 60% of the villages still need proper irrigation facility. Since land under cultivation cannot be increased to increasing the area under irrigation is a major way to improve farm productivity.

Question – 4 - Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of Palampur.

Answer:

Question – 5 - Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?

Answer: There is more supply of workers than the demand. Due to this, the workers are not in a position to bargain from their employers. Hence, the wages for farm labourers are less than minimum wages.

Question – 6 - In your region, talk to two labourers. Choose either farm labourers or labourers working at construction sites. What wages do they get? Are they paid in cash or kind? Do they get work regularly? Are they in debt?

Answer: People who work at construction site usually get the minimum wages. An unskilled worker gets around Rs. 250 per day. A skilled worker; such as a mason; get around Rs. 500 per day.

Question – 7 - What are the different ways of increasing production on the same piece of land? Use examples to explain.

Answer: Production can be increased by using HYV seeds, fertilisers and proper irrigation. Mixed farming can also be used to improve farm production.

Question – 8 -Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

Answer: A farmer with 1 hectare of land shall put under the category of small farmer. Most of the work would be done by the farmer and his family members. The farmer will normally use a pair of bullocks to plough the field. His family members would assist him in sowing the seeds. During harvest time, he may require to hire some labourers.

Question – 9 - How do the medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from the small farmers?

Answer: Medium and large farmers usually have surplus cash by selling their farm produce. Since they have land and house, they easily get loan from banks. Small farmers, on the other hand, may not be able to get bank loans. They have to depend on the local merchant and moneylender for loan.

Question – 10 - Talk to some old residents in your region and write a short report on the changes in irrigation and changes in production methods during the last 30 years.

Answer: During the early period, irrigation was done by Persian wheel. Diesel operated or electricity operated pumps have replaced the Persian wheels. Tractors have replaced bullocks for ploughing the large farms. Now more and more farmers are in a position to grow up to three crops in a year.

Question – 11 - What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.

Answer: Cycle repair shop, carpenter, ironsmith, general store, tea stall, stationary shop, computer training institute, etc.

Question – 12 - What can be done so that more non-farm production activities can be started in villages?

Answer: The government should improve electricity supply in the villages. It should open more schools so that children can grow to become educated adults. Moreover, government can also provide vocational training to the rural youths. These activities would help in increasing non-farm production activities in a village. 

Class IX - The Story of Village Palampur

Questions Within The Lesson

Q.1. What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming methods?

Ans. Difference between Multiple Cropping and Modern Farming :

Multiple cropping and modern farming are two ways of increasing production from the same

piece of land. Under multiple cropping, production is increased by growing more than one crop

on a piece of land during the year. It is the most common way of raising agricultural

production.

Under modern farming method, production is increased by using modern technology in

place of traditional agricultural practices. Under this method, high yielding varieties (HYVs)

of seeds are used in place of simple seeds. HYV seeds promise to produce much greater

amounts of grain on a single plant. Again, chemical fertilisers are used in place of cow dung

and other natural manures.

Q.2. The following table shows the production of wheat and pulses in India after the Green

Revolution in units of million tonnes. Plot this on a graph. Was the Green Revolution

equally successful for both the crops? Discuss.

Table 1.2 : Production of pulses and wheat

                  Production of Pulses        Production of Wheat

1965 – 66            10                                      10

1970 – 71            12                                      24

1980 – 81            11                                      36

1990 – 91            14                                      55

2000 – 01            11                                      70

Ans. Graph showing production of pulses and wheat.

The graph clearly shows that Green Revolution was more successful in wheat crop. In fact,

there was nothing like Green Revolution in case of pulses.

Q.3. What is the working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods?

Ans. Working capital required by the farmer using modern farming includes the following :

(i) HYV seeds (ii) Chemical fertilisers (iii) Pesticides

(iv) Water (v) Diesel (vi) Cash or money in hand

Q.4. What kind of farming methods — modern or traditional or mixed do the farmers use?

Write a note.

Ans. In India, some farmers (mainly large farmers) use modern methods of farming. Farmers of

Punjab, Haryana and western U.P. use these methods. However, small and marginal farmers

all over the country still use traditional methods of cultivation. However, some of them have

begun to use better seeds, chemical fertilisers, etc. In fact, we find farmers using modern

methods along with the farmers who still use traditional methods.

Q.5. What are the sources of irrigation?

Ans. (i) Canals (ii) Tubewells (iii) Tanks

A majority of the farmers in India continue to depend on rains as source of irrigation.

Q.6. How much of the cultivated land is irrigated? (very little/nearly half/majority/all)

Ans. Nearly half.

Q.7. From where do farmers obtain the inputs that they require?

Ans. Farmers obtain the required inputs from the traders.

Q.8. Why are farm labourers like Dala and Ramkali poor?

Ans. Both Dala and Ramkali are among the poorest people in village Palampur.

Dala is a landless farm labourer who works on daily wages. He fails to get regular work in

the fields because of mechanisation of agriculture.

Similarly, Ramkali hopes to get lesser work even during the harvesting season this year. Last

year she worked for less than five months in the entire year. Due to past debt, the village

moneylender has refused to give her any more loan.

So Dala and Ramkali are poor.

Q.9. Gosaipur and Majauli are two villages in north Bihar. Out of a total of  850 households

in the two villages, there are more than 250 men who are employed in rural Punjab and

Haryana or in Delhi, Mumbai, Surat, Hyderabad or Nagpur. Such migration is common

in most villages across India. Why do people migrate? Can you describe (based on your

imagination) the work that the migrants of Gosaipur and Majauli might do at the place

of destination?

Ans. Some people (250 in number) of Gosaipur and Majauli have migrated to the rural areas of

Punjab, Haryana, Mumbai, Nagpur etc. The migrants are employed by the large farmers of

these regions either as regular workers or as daily wage workers.

Q.10. What does Tejpal Singh do with his earnings?

Ans. Tejpal Singh — a large farmer of the village — deposits most of his earnings in the bank. Then

he uses this accumulated money for lending to poor farmers like Savita. He also uses this

money to arrange for the working and fixed capital for cultivation.

Q.11. (a) What capital did Mishrilal need to set up his jaggery manufacturing unit? Who

provides the labour in this case?

(b) Can you guess why Mishrilal is unable to increase his profit?

(c) Could you think of any reasons when he might face a loss?

(d) Why does Mishrilal sell his jaggery to traders in Shahpur and not in his village?

Ans. (a) Sugarcane crushing machine and sugarcane.

(b) Mishrilal is unable to increase his profit because of high price of sugarcane.

(c) He might face a loss when —

(i) sugarcane price rises further (ii) demand for  jaggery declines

(d) Mishrilal sells his jaggery to traders in Shahpur because he gets a better price.

Q.12. (a) In what ways is Kareem’s capital and labour different from Mishrilal’s?

(b) Why didn’t someone start  a computer centre earlier? Discuss the possible reasons.

Ans. (a) Mishrilal’s capital is used to produce jaggery (gur), while Kareem’s capital is used in the

production of service. Similarly, Mishrilal employs unskilled labour, whereas Kareem has

employed technically trained workers.

(b) There was no computer centre in the village before that of Kareem. Also, there were no

degree-holders in computer applications in the village before. Moreover, computer has

become a popular subject only in the recent years.

Q.13. (a) What is Kishora’s fixed capital?

(b) What do you think would be his working capital?

(c) In how many production activities is Kishora involved?

(d) Would you say that Kishora has benefitted from better roads in Palampur?

Ans. (a) Kishora’s fixed capital includes — a buffalo, wooden cart.

(b) Kishora had a loan from the bank which could be his working capital.

(c) Kishora is involved in the following activities :

(i) He works as a farm labourer

(ii) Dairying is another activity. He sells baffalo’s milk.

(iii) He is also involved in transport activity.

(d) Yes, because he is involved in transport activity.