CLASS IX

CHAPTER 1
THE STORY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR

Q1) Give a brief introduction about the village Palampur.

Ans.
1. Palampur is well connected with neighboring villages and towns. An all weather road connects it to a
big village, Raiganj and further on to the nearest small town of Shahpur. Many kinds of transport are
available like bullock carts, tongas, bogeys, motor cycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks.
2. It has 450 families belonging to several different castes. The 80 upper caste families own the majority
of land in the village and their large houses are made up of brick and cement plastering. The SCs (dalits)
comprise one third of the population and live in one corner of the village and their houses are very small
made up of mud and straw.
3. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is
used in various types of small business.
4. It has 2 primary Schools and 1 high School. It has 1 primary Government Health Centre and one
private dispensary.
5. Farming is the main activity in Palampur. 75% of working people are dependent on it. Rest 25%
people are engaged in non-farming activity.

Q2) Define Production. Explain the 4 factors of production.

Ans. Production is a process by which factors of production (land, labour, capital, enterprise) are
combined to produce goods and services which satisfy human wants. It is the conversion of inputs to
outputs.

The 4 factors of Production are as follows:

1) LAND and other natural resources like water, minerals, forests etc.

2) LABOUR: It refers to all the human resources. It can be classified into 2 categories:
a) Skilled Labour: It refers to those workers who have received some special training or education in a
particular field to perform the necessary tasks.
b) Unskilled Labour: It refers to those workers who have not received any special training or education
in a particular field and can do manual work.

3) CAPITAL: It includes a wide variety of inputs that are required at every stage of production. It is also
known as physical capital. It can be classified into 2 categories:

FIXED CAPITAL WORKING CAPITAL

1) The money required to purchase assets to

1) The money required to conduct day
last for a long period of time is called fixed
to day operations of the business is
capital. called working capital.
2) It can be used again and again. 2) It is used up in the process of
production.
3) It does not change with the level of 3) It changes with the level of output.
output.
4) Eg: machinery, land , building, tools, 4) Eg: cash in hand, raw materials,
farmer’s plough, generator, computer etc. yarn used by the weaver, clay used by
the potter etc.
4) ENTERPRISE: It is the most important factor of production. It refers to the human capital i.e.
knowledge and skills. An entrepreneur has the ability to combine the other 3 factors of production and
takes risk to start the business.

Q3) What are the factor payments made to the following: Land , Labour, Capital and enterprise.
Ans. Rent, Wages, Interest, Profit.

Q4) What is the basic constraint in raising farm production in Palampur?

Ans. Land area under cultivation is practically fixed. Some of the wastelands had already been converted
to cultivable land. Thus, no land is left idle.

Q5) What is the standard unit of measuring land?

Ans. Hectare. One hectare equals the area of a square with one side measuring 100 metres.
Local units of measuring land are bigha, guintha.

Q6) Which crops are grown in Palampur?

Ans.
1. During the rainy season(kharif), farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed.
2. Between October and December, cultivation of potato is done.
3. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. Farmers keep enough wheat for the family
consumption and sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj.
4. A part of the land area is also devoted to sugarcane which is harvested once every year. Sugarcane, in
its raw form, or as jaggery is sold to the traders in Shahpur.

Q7) Why are farmers able to grow different crops in a year?

​ ​ ​ ​ Or
Which are the different ways of increasing production on a piece of land?
Ans.
1. A well developed system of irrigation helped in increasing production.
2. Electricity came early to Palampur which powers all the tubewells in the fields. Persian wheels were
used before the onset of electricity, to draw water from the wells and irrigate some part of the fields.
3.Multiple Cropping was the most commonly used method i.e. to grow more than one crop on a piece of
land during the year.
4. Use of modern farming methods like HYV seeds, irrigation facilities, pesticides etc gave higher yield.
5. Conversion of wasteland into farmland was beneficial.

Q8)Fill in the blanks.

a)​ The Riverine Plains and Coastal regions in our country are well irrigated.
b)​ Plateau regions such as the Deccan Plateau have low levels of irrigation.
c)​ Out of the total cultivated area, a little less than 40% is irrigated even today. In the remaining
areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall.
d)​ Palampur resembles a village of the western UP according to the kind of crops grown.
e)​ By mid 1970s, the cultivated area of 200 hectares was irrigated by tubewells in Palampur.

Q9) Define Yield.

Ans. Yield is measured as crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season.

Q10) Differentiate between Traditional and Modern farming methods.

Ans.

TRADITIONAL FARMING MODERN FARMING

 1. It uses traditional seeds. 1. It uses HYV seeds.

2. It makes use of cow dung and natural 2. It makes use of chemical fertilizers and
manure as fertilizer without any pesticides. pesticides.

3. It makes use of outdated tools like sickle. 3. It makes use of modern tools and
equipment like tractors and threshers.

4. It is more dependent on rainfall. 4. It makes use of a well developed irrigation

system.

5. It is less expensive since most of the inputs 5. It is more expensive since all the inputs are
are already available with the farmer. to be purchased.

6. The yield is less comparatively. 6. The yield is more.

Q11) Modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in industry. Do you agree?
(NCERT)
Ans. Yes, it is true that modern farming methods require more inputs which are manufactured in
industry. For eg:
1. Tubewells and pump sets required for irrigation.
2. Tractors and other machinery required for farming.
3. Pesticides and fertilizers to improve production

Q12) Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why?

Ans. More area under irrigation would lead to more production to fulfill the needs of the growing
population. This would fetch more income to the farmers. It would provide them more employment
opportunities. Their supplement income can provide them more capital for further investment in non
farm activities also.

Q13) What is meant by the Green Revolution? What are its advantages and disadvantages?
Ans. Tremendous increase in the production of wheat and rice in the late 1960s because of the use of High
Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds, Chemical fertilizers, pesticides and modern irrigation facilities is called
Green Revolution. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana ad Western UP were the first to try out the modern
farming method in India. The farmers in these regions set up tubewells for irrigation, and made use
of HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers and pesticides in farming. Some of them bought farm machinery, like
tractors and threshers, which made ploughing and harvesting faster. They were rewarded with high
yields of wheat.

ADVANTAGES
1. It led to high agricultural production especially in wheat and rice which helped India in solving its food
shortage problem.
2. Due to high production, farmers were left with high surplus, leading to higher incomes.
3. India became a self-sufficient country.

DISADVANTAGES
a) Excessive use of Chemical fertilizers made the soil less fertile by killing bacteria and microorganisms.
Thus to produce the same amount of crops, more fertilizers have to be used. This has increased the cost of
production.
b) Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has reduced the water table below the ground.
c) Modern farming methods have overused the natural resource base, specially land.
c) Excessive use of chemical fertilizers pollutes the groundwater, rivers and lakes.

Thus, modern farming methods have resulted in over exploitation of natural resources.

Q14) Why do modern farming methods require more capital?

Ans. 1) Modern farming methods need tractors, harvesting machines and other mechanical tools. To
purchase them, a huge amount of money is required.
2) It needs HYV seeds to increase production. To purchase them a huge amount of money is required.
3) The price of chemicals is very high.
4) Installing tubewells to irrigate fields is a very costly process.
5) Modern farming also needs skilled workers. To hire the skilled workers, a huge amount of capital is
required.

Q15) Which state has the highest consumption of chemical fertilizers? What is its drawback?
Ans. Punjab has the highest consumption of chemical fertilizers. It has led to degradation of soil health.
The farmers in Punjab are forced to use more and more chemical fertilizers and other inputs to achieve
the same production level. This has raised the cost of cultivation.

Q16) How is the land distributed among the farmers in Palampur?

Ans. Size of land holding Type of farmers
# No land for cultivation Landless labourers.
150 families out of 450.
# small plots of land less than 2 hectares Small farmers.
240 families out of 450.
Doesn’t bring them adequate income.
# land size of more than 2 hectares Medium and large farmers
60 families out of 450

A few of the large farmers have land extending over 10 hectares or more.
Thus, agricultural holdings are small and fragmented in size. It is due to the law of inheritance. ( i.e. upon
the death of the land owner, his land will be divided and sub-divided among his heirs so that after some
generations only tiny plots of land are left with the descendants of the same land owner. Hence farmers
are not able to earn sufficient earnings)

Q17) Define Farm Labourer.

Ans. A person who works on the land owned by another person in return for wages which can be either
in cash or kind.

Q18) Who provides the labour?

Ans.
1) Small farmers along with their families cultivate their own fields.
2) Medium and large farmers hire farm labourers to work on their fields. Farm Labourers either come
from landless families or families cultivating small plots of land. They do not have a right over the crops
grown on the land. They are paid wages by the farmer for whom they work. Wages can be in cash or
kind( crops, meals).

Q19) What is the minimum wage for a farm labourer set by the government?
Ans. The minimum wage for a farm labourer set by the government is Rs 300 per day . But the labourers
are given low wages because of surplus labour i.e. there are many more people willing to work as farm
labourers than required. This heavy competition for work pushes down their wages. Those who cannot
find work either migrate to other towns and villages or engage in non-farming activities.

Q20) How do farmers arrange capital needed in farming?

Ans.
1. Most SMALL FARMERS have to borrow money either from the large farmers or the village
moneylenders and the traders. The rate of interest on such loans is very high. Due to their insufficient
income to pay back their loans, they get caught in the debt trap. They have to work at very low wages or
sometimes at no wages on the farms of the large farmers to return their loan.

2. The MEDIUM AND LARGE FARMERS have their own savings from farming. They use it in the
following ways:
a) They may save the money in the bank account for future use and further can use for lending to small
farmers.
b) The money can be utilized for buying machines like tractors or cattle etc.
c) It can be used for buying things for day to day operations like seeds etc.

Q21) Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

Ans.
●​ The farmer with a small land of 1 hectare needs less capital to prepare his land.
●​ He uses traditional seeds and animals to plough without using any machines.
●​ He uses cow dung as manure without any fertilizers.
●​ He does irrigation manually or is dependent upon rainfall.
●​ He is helped by his family members to do the work of harvesting.
●​ The produce is consumed within the family and hence no marketable surplus.
●​ He works on the farm of medium and large farmers to supplement his income.

Q22) What problems do farm labourers face in terms of employment?

Ans. 1) They don't get regular work.
2) Their wages are very low.
3) They are exploited by large farmers and money lenders.
4) They get stuck in a debt trap.
5) They are landless labourers and they don't have their own source of income.
6) Due to the use of tractors and harvesting machines, their demand has decreased.

Q23) What do you understand by debt-trap?

Ans. Debt Trap is a situation in which a farmer is unable to pay his debt to the money lender. As a result,
the farmer is forced to work without any wages or at low wages. If he dies his family has to pay the debt.
Thus, the farmer’s family gets into a debt trap.

Q24) What do you understand by marketable surplus?

Ans. It is that part of the agricultural produce which is sold in the market for making profits after
retaining a portion for self consumption.
Small farmers mostly keep the entire crop for self consumption and hence have no marketable surplus.
Normally large and medium farmers supply the marketable surplus.

Q25) Define Surplus.

Ans. Surplus is the difference between the quantity of total production of the farmer and the quantity he
keeps for self consumption.
Q26) Differentiate between Farm and Non Farm Activities.
Ans. Farm Activities are those production activities which are related to the cultivation of crops and
allied activities. For eg: Agriculture and horticulture.
Non Farm Activities are those production activities which are not related to the cultivation of crops and
require less of land. For eg: Transport, shop-keeping, dairy etc.

Q27) Explain the various non farm activities in Palampur.

Ans.
1. DAIRY: It is a common activity in many families of Palampur. People feed their buffaloes on various
kinds of grass, jowar and bajra which grow during the rainy season. The milk is sold in the nearby large
village, Raiganj. 2 traders from Shahpur town have set up collection cum chilling centres at Raiganj
from where milk is transported to far away towns and cities.

2. SMALL SCALE MANUFACTURING: At present less than 50 people are engaged in manufacturing in
Palampur. It involves simple production methods done on a small scale. It is mostly carried out at home
or in the fields with the help of family labour and very rarely labourers are hired.

3. SHOPKEEPING: The traders of Palampur are shopkeepers who buy various goods from wholesale
markets in the cities ( rice, wheat, sugar, tea, oil, biscuits, clothes, pen etc.) and sell them in the village. A
few of the families whose houses are close to the bus stand have used a part of the space to open small
shops and sell eatables.

4. TRANSPORT : There are a variety of vehicles connecting Palampur to Raiganj like Rickshaws,
tongas, jeep, tractors, trucks, bogeys etc. They ferry people and goods from one place to another and in
return get paid for it.

Q28) Why should non farm activities be encouraged?

Ans. Non farm activities should be encouraged as most of the poor farmers do not have enough money to
arrange for the next year’s capital. They are forced to borrow money from the money lenders at a very
high rate of interest. Mostly, they are unable to return the debt and therefore enter into a debt trap.
Non farm activities will help them in following ways:
a)​ In repaying their debt
b)​ Acts as a source of additional income
c)​ The surplus labour can be employed in non farm activities to reduce the burden on farms.

Q29) How non farm activities can be encouraged?

Ans. Non farming activities can be encouraged by providing following facilities:
1. loan to the people at a low rate of interest .
2. infrastructural facilities like roads, transport, electricity.
3. training in skills like carpentry, computers, technology etc.
4. Developing markets where goods and services can be sold.

Q30) Fill in the blanks:

a)​ Small farmers constitute about 80% of total farmers in India.
b)​ Out of every 100 workers in rural India, only 24 are engaged in non-farm activities.
c)​ The most abundant factor of production is Labour.
d)​ __________ is a scarce factor of production.( Land)