Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 Extra Question Answers - The Story of Palampur

Q.90. What are the merits and demerits of the Green Revolution?
Ans. Merits of the Green Revolution:

• Higher yields: The introduction of High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds has significantly increased crop production.
• Modern machinery: Equipment such as tractors and harvesters has made farming tasks like ploughing and harvesting quicker and easier.
• Increased income: Farmers can sell surplus food, leading to higher earnings.
• Pest control: The use of pesticides and insecticides helps protect crops from pests.
• Improved irrigation: Effective irrigation systems have enhanced crop production.

Demerits of the Green Revolution:

• Soil fertility loss: Overuse of chemical fertilizers has degraded soil quality.
• Water table depletion: Continuous groundwater extraction for irrigation has lowered the water table.
• Groundwater pollution: Soluble chemical fertilizers can contaminate groundwater.
• Harmful to soil life: Chemicals can kill beneficial bacteria and microorganisms essential for soil health.
• Soil alkalinity: Excessive fertilizer use can lead to soil becoming alkaline, making it unsuitable for farming.

Q.91. What are the different ways of increasing production? Give examples.
Ans. The different ways of increasing production include:

• Multiple cropping: This method involves growing more than one crop on the same piece of land within a year. It is the most common technique for enhancing production, especially when a good irrigation system is in place. For example, farmers often grow potatoes between two seasonal crops like rice and wheat.
• Modern farming methods:These methods utilise advanced techniques and inputs to boost yields:
  • High Yielding Variety (HYV) seeds replace traditional seeds to increase output.
  • Chemical fertilisers are used instead of natural manure.
  • Farmers apply insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides for better crop protection.
  • Machinery such as tractors, harvesters, and threshers is employed to enhance efficiency.

Regions like Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh were pioneers in adopting these modern techniques, leading to significant increases in crop yields. For instance, in Palampur, wheat yields rose from 1300 kg to 3200 kg per hectare with the use of HYV seeds.

Q.92. How do medium and large farmers obtain capital for farming? How is it different from small farmers?
Ans. 
(i) 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 and these farmers are in great stress to repay loans.
(ii) In contrast to the small farmers, medium and large farmers have their own savings from farming. They use this saving to arrange for next year's capital and make high profits by selling surplus production and earning higher amounts. Sometimes, they deposit their savings in a bank or lend their money to small farmers or save their savings or buy cattle, truck or to set up shops.

Q.93. Which non-farm activities are practised in Palampur? Write a short note.
Ans. The non-farm activities of Palampur are:
(a) Dairy farming:
(i) People feed their buffaloes with various kinds of grass, jowar, bajra that grows during the rainy season.
(ii) The milk is sold in nearby villages.
(iii) Some people have set up collection centers and chilling centers from where milk is transported to far away towns and cities.
(b) Small-scale manufacturing:
(i) Manufacturing in Palampur involves very simple production methods and are done on a small scale.
(ii) They are carried out mostly at home.
(iii) This is mostly done with the help of family labor. Labor is rarely hired.
(c) Shopkeeping:
(i) Shopkeepers buy various goods from the wholesale market in the cities and sell them in the village.
(ii) Small general stores in the village sell a wide range of items like rice, wheat, sugar, oil, biscuits, soap, batteries, candles, toothpaste, pens, pencils, notebooks, and even some clothes.
(iii) Some families whose houses are closer to the bus stand has used a part of the space to open small shops. They sell eatables here.
(d) Transport:
(i) Rickshawallahs, tongawallahs, jeep, tractor, truck drivers and people driving the traditional bullock carts and bogeys are the people in transport services.
(ii) They carry people and goods from one place to another and in return get paid for it.
(iii) The number of people in transport services has risen over the last several years.
(iv) Self-employed: Some people have opened coaching institutes for various kinds of arts like computer training centers or stitching classes, etc. to obtain profit from a non-farm activity and train more and more people for better opportunities in their life. 

Q.94. How is multiple cropping practiced in Palampur?
Ans. In Palampur, all land is actively cultivated, ensuring no land remains idle. The farming practices include:

• During the rainy season (kharif), farmers grow jowar and bajra, primarily for cattle feed.
• Between October and December, potatoes are cultivated.
• In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. Farmers retain enough wheat for their family's consumption and sell any surplus at the market in Raiganj.
• A portion of the land is dedicated to sugarcane, harvested annually and sold to traders in Shahpur.

The ability to grow multiple crops each year is largely due to a well-developed irrigation system. The introduction of electricity transformed irrigation methods:

• Initially, farmers used Persian wheels to draw water from wells.
• With electric tubewells, larger areas of land can be irrigated more effectively.
• By the mid-1970s, the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares was irrigated.

Such advanced irrigation is not common across all Indian villages, making Palampur's farming practices unique.

Q.95. What kind of labor is found in Palampur? 
Ans. Farm laborers come either from landless families or families cultivating small plots of land. Unlike farmers, farm laborers do not have a right over the crops grown on the land. Instead they are paid wages by the farmer for whom they work. Sometimes laborers get meals also. Wages vary widely from region to region, from crop to crop, from one farm activity to another. There is also a wide variation in the duration of employment. A farm laborer might be employed on a daily basis, or for one particular farm activity like harvesting, or for the whole year. 

Q.96. The main activity of the village of Palampur is: 
(a) Manufacturing
(b) Dairy farming
(c) Farming
(d) Cattle rearing
Ans. (c)
The primary activity in Palampur is farming, which engages the majority of its population. While dairy farming and cattle rearing are significant, they are secondary to the overall farming activity.

Q.97. Which Kharif crop is grown during the rainy season? 
(a) Jowar
(b) Rice
(c) Millets
(d) Sugar
Ans. (a)
Rice is a primary Kharif crop that thrives in the rainy season, while Jowar and Millets are also grown but are less common during this period.

Q.98. HYV means: 
(a) High Yoghurt Variety
(b) High Yielding Variety
(c) Highly Yellow Variety
(d) Highly Young Variety
Ans. (b) 
HYV stands for High Yielding Variety, which refers to seeds that produce a greater yield compared to traditional varieties.

Q.99. Two major factors of production are: 
(a) Land and capital
(b) Labor and land
(c) Capital and labor
(d) Land and technology
Ans. (a)
Labor and land are fundamental factors of production, as they are essential for any agricultural or industrial activity.

Q.100. What capital is needed to set up a jaggery manufacturing unit? 
(a) Fixed capital
(b) Physical capital
(c) Working capital
(d) Recurring capital
Ans. (c)
Setting up a jaggery manufacturing unit primarily requires working capital to cover operational costs, such as raw materials and labor.

Q.101. If more than two crops are grown on the same piece of land during a year, it is called: 
(a) Green Revolution
(b) Multiple Cropping
(c) Modern Farming
(d) Subsistence Farming
Ans. (b)
Multiple cropping refers to the practice of growing more than two crops on the same land within a year, enhancing productivity and resource use.