Page 1 The Story of Village Palampur 1 Overview The purpose of the story is to introduce some basic concepts relating to production and this we do through a story of a hypothetical village called Palampur.* Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale. These production activities need various types of resources — natural resources, man- made items, human effort, money, etc. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn how various resources combine to produce the desired goods and services in the village. Introduction 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. Many kinds of transport are visible on this road starting from bullock carts, tongas, bogeys (wooden cart drawn by buffalos) loaded with jaggery (gur) and other commodities to motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks. This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. 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. 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 of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. • The description above shows that Palampur has fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Compare these facilities with those in your nearby village. The story of Palampur, an imaginary village, will take us through the different types of production activities in the village. In villages across India, farming is the main production activity. The other production activities, referred to as non- farm activities include small manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. We shall take a look at both these types of activities, after learning a few general things about production. The Story of Village Palampur The Story of Village Palampur 1 Chapter 1 Picture 1.1 Scene of a village * The narrative is partly based on a research study by Gilbert Etienne of a village in Bulandshahr district in Western Uttar Pradesh. 2020-21 Page 2 The Story of Village Palampur 1 Overview The purpose of the story is to introduce some basic concepts relating to production and this we do through a story of a hypothetical village called Palampur.* Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale. These production activities need various types of resources — natural resources, man- made items, human effort, money, etc. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn how various resources combine to produce the desired goods and services in the village. Introduction 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. Many kinds of transport are visible on this road starting from bullock carts, tongas, bogeys (wooden cart drawn by buffalos) loaded with jaggery (gur) and other commodities to motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks. This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. 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. 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 of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. • The description above shows that Palampur has fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Compare these facilities with those in your nearby village. The story of Palampur, an imaginary village, will take us through the different types of production activities in the village. In villages across India, farming is the main production activity. The other production activities, referred to as non- farm activities include small manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. We shall take a look at both these types of activities, after learning a few general things about production. The Story of Village Palampur The Story of Village Palampur 1 Chapter 1 Picture 1.1 Scene of a village * The narrative is partly based on a research study by Gilbert Etienne of a village in Bulandshahr district in Western Uttar Pradesh. 2020-21 2 Economics Organisation of Production The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want. There are four requirements for production of goods and services. The first requirement is land, and other natural resources such as water, forests, minerals. The second requirement is labour, i.e. people who will do the work. 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. The third requirement is physical capital, i.e. the variety of inputs required at every stage during production. What are the items that come under physical capital? (a) Tools, machines, buildings: Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers, etc. Tools, machines, buildings can be used in production over many years, and are called fixed capital. (b) Raw materials and money in hand: Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools, machines and buildings, these are used up in production. There is a fourth requirement too. You will need knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output either to use yourself or to sell in the market. This these days is called human capital. We shall learn more about human capital in the next chapter. • In the picture, identify the land, labour and fixed capital used in production. Picture 1.2 A factory, with several labourers and machines Every production is organised by combining land, labour, physical capital and human capital, which are known as factors of production. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn more about the first three factors of production. For convenience, we will refer to the physical capital as the capital in this chapter. Farming in Palampur 1. Land is fixed 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 well- being of these people is closely related to production on the farms. But remember that there is a basic constraint in raising farm production. Land area under cultivation is practically fixed. Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been no expansion in land area under 2020-21 Page 3 The Story of Village Palampur 1 Overview The purpose of the story is to introduce some basic concepts relating to production and this we do through a story of a hypothetical village called Palampur.* Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale. These production activities need various types of resources — natural resources, man- made items, human effort, money, etc. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn how various resources combine to produce the desired goods and services in the village. Introduction 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. Many kinds of transport are visible on this road starting from bullock carts, tongas, bogeys (wooden cart drawn by buffalos) loaded with jaggery (gur) and other commodities to motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks. This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. 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. 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 of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. • The description above shows that Palampur has fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Compare these facilities with those in your nearby village. The story of Palampur, an imaginary village, will take us through the different types of production activities in the village. In villages across India, farming is the main production activity. The other production activities, referred to as non- farm activities include small manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. We shall take a look at both these types of activities, after learning a few general things about production. The Story of Village Palampur The Story of Village Palampur 1 Chapter 1 Picture 1.1 Scene of a village * The narrative is partly based on a research study by Gilbert Etienne of a village in Bulandshahr district in Western Uttar Pradesh. 2020-21 2 Economics Organisation of Production The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want. There are four requirements for production of goods and services. The first requirement is land, and other natural resources such as water, forests, minerals. The second requirement is labour, i.e. people who will do the work. 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. The third requirement is physical capital, i.e. the variety of inputs required at every stage during production. What are the items that come under physical capital? (a) Tools, machines, buildings: Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers, etc. Tools, machines, buildings can be used in production over many years, and are called fixed capital. (b) Raw materials and money in hand: Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools, machines and buildings, these are used up in production. There is a fourth requirement too. You will need knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output either to use yourself or to sell in the market. This these days is called human capital. We shall learn more about human capital in the next chapter. • In the picture, identify the land, labour and fixed capital used in production. Picture 1.2 A factory, with several labourers and machines Every production is organised by combining land, labour, physical capital and human capital, which are known as factors of production. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn more about the first three factors of production. For convenience, we will refer to the physical capital as the capital in this chapter. Farming in Palampur 1. Land is fixed 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 well- being of these people is closely related to production on the farms. But remember that there is a basic constraint in raising farm production. Land area under cultivation is practically fixed. Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been no expansion in land area under 2020-21 The Story of Village Palampur 3 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. larger areas of land more effectively. The first few tubewells were installed by the government. Soon, however, farmers started setting up private tubewells. As a result, by mid-1970s the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares (ha.) was irrigated. The standard unit of measuring land is hectare, though in the villages you may find land area being discussed in local units such as bigha, guintha etc. One hectare equals the area of a square with one side measuring 100 metres. Can you compare the area of a 1 hectare field with the area of your school ground? 2. Is there a way one can grow more from the same land? In the kind of crops grown and facilities available, Palampur would resemble a village of the western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. All land is cultivated in Palampur. No land is left idle. During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. From the wheat produced, farmers keep enough wheat for the family’s consumption and sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj. 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 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. Electricity came early to Palampur. Its major impact was to transform the system of irrigation. Persian wheels were, till then, used by farmers to draw water from the wells and irrigate small fields. People saw that the electric-run tubewells could irrigate much Not all villages in India have such high levels of irrigation. Apart from the riverine plains, coastal regions in our country are well-irrigated. In contrast, plateau regions such as the Deccan plateau have low levels of irrigation. Of the total cultivated area in the country a little less than 40 per cent is irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known as multiple cropping. It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main crops; many are growing potato as the third crop in the past fifteen to twenty years. Picture 1.3 Different crops Let’s Discuss • The following Table1.1 shows the land under cultivation in India in units of million hectares. Plot this on the graph provided. What does the graph show? Discuss in class. 2020-21 Page 4 The Story of Village Palampur 1 Overview The purpose of the story is to introduce some basic concepts relating to production and this we do through a story of a hypothetical village called Palampur.* Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale. These production activities need various types of resources — natural resources, man- made items, human effort, money, etc. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn how various resources combine to produce the desired goods and services in the village. Introduction 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. Many kinds of transport are visible on this road starting from bullock carts, tongas, bogeys (wooden cart drawn by buffalos) loaded with jaggery (gur) and other commodities to motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks. This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. 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. 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 of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. • The description above shows that Palampur has fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Compare these facilities with those in your nearby village. The story of Palampur, an imaginary village, will take us through the different types of production activities in the village. In villages across India, farming is the main production activity. The other production activities, referred to as non- farm activities include small manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. We shall take a look at both these types of activities, after learning a few general things about production. The Story of Village Palampur The Story of Village Palampur 1 Chapter 1 Picture 1.1 Scene of a village * The narrative is partly based on a research study by Gilbert Etienne of a village in Bulandshahr district in Western Uttar Pradesh. 2020-21 2 Economics Organisation of Production The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want. There are four requirements for production of goods and services. The first requirement is land, and other natural resources such as water, forests, minerals. The second requirement is labour, i.e. people who will do the work. 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. The third requirement is physical capital, i.e. the variety of inputs required at every stage during production. What are the items that come under physical capital? (a) Tools, machines, buildings: Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers, etc. Tools, machines, buildings can be used in production over many years, and are called fixed capital. (b) Raw materials and money in hand: Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools, machines and buildings, these are used up in production. There is a fourth requirement too. You will need knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output either to use yourself or to sell in the market. This these days is called human capital. We shall learn more about human capital in the next chapter. • In the picture, identify the land, labour and fixed capital used in production. Picture 1.2 A factory, with several labourers and machines Every production is organised by combining land, labour, physical capital and human capital, which are known as factors of production. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn more about the first three factors of production. For convenience, we will refer to the physical capital as the capital in this chapter. Farming in Palampur 1. Land is fixed 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 well- being of these people is closely related to production on the farms. But remember that there is a basic constraint in raising farm production. Land area under cultivation is practically fixed. Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been no expansion in land area under 2020-21 The Story of Village Palampur 3 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. larger areas of land more effectively. The first few tubewells were installed by the government. Soon, however, farmers started setting up private tubewells. As a result, by mid-1970s the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares (ha.) was irrigated. The standard unit of measuring land is hectare, though in the villages you may find land area being discussed in local units such as bigha, guintha etc. One hectare equals the area of a square with one side measuring 100 metres. Can you compare the area of a 1 hectare field with the area of your school ground? 2. Is there a way one can grow more from the same land? In the kind of crops grown and facilities available, Palampur would resemble a village of the western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. All land is cultivated in Palampur. No land is left idle. During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. From the wheat produced, farmers keep enough wheat for the family’s consumption and sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj. 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 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. Electricity came early to Palampur. Its major impact was to transform the system of irrigation. Persian wheels were, till then, used by farmers to draw water from the wells and irrigate small fields. People saw that the electric-run tubewells could irrigate much Not all villages in India have such high levels of irrigation. Apart from the riverine plains, coastal regions in our country are well-irrigated. In contrast, plateau regions such as the Deccan plateau have low levels of irrigation. Of the total cultivated area in the country a little less than 40 per cent is irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known as multiple cropping. It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main crops; many are growing potato as the third crop in the past fifteen to twenty years. Picture 1.3 Different crops Let’s Discuss • The following Table1.1 shows the land under cultivation in India in units of million hectares. Plot this on the graph provided. What does the graph show? Discuss in class. 2020-21 4 Economics Name of crop Month sown Month Harvested Source of irrigation (Rain, tanks, tubewells, canals, etc.) Picture 1.4 Modern Farming Methods: HYV seeds, chemical fertilizer etc. Table 1.1: Cultivated area over the years • Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why? • You have read about the crops grown in Palampur. Fill the following table based on information on the crops grown in your region. You have seen that one way of increasing production from the same land is by multiple cropping. The other way is to use modern farming methods for higher yield. Yield is measured as crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season. Till the mid- 1960s, 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 foodgrains than was possible earlier. HYV seeds, however, needed plenty of water and also chemical fertilizers and (P) - Provisional Data Source: Pocket Book of Agriculture Statistics 2017, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers W elfare. Year Cultivated Area ( in Million Hectares ) 1950–51 129 1990–91 157 2000–01 156 2010–11 (P) 156 2011–12 (P) 156 2012–13 (P) 155 2013–14 (P) 156 2014–15 (P) 155 2020-21 Page 5 The Story of Village Palampur 1 Overview The purpose of the story is to introduce some basic concepts relating to production and this we do through a story of a hypothetical village called Palampur.* Farming is the main activity in Palampur, whereas several other activities such as small scale manufacturing, dairy, transport, etc. are carried out on a limited scale. These production activities need various types of resources — natural resources, man- made items, human effort, money, etc. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn how various resources combine to produce the desired goods and services in the village. Introduction 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. Many kinds of transport are visible on this road starting from bullock carts, tongas, bogeys (wooden cart drawn by buffalos) loaded with jaggery (gur) and other commodities to motor vehicles like motorcycles, jeeps, tractors and trucks. This village has about 450 families belonging to several different castes. 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. 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 of mud and straw. Most of the houses have electric connections. Electricity powers all the tubewells in the fields and is used in various types of small business. Palampur has two primary schools and one high school. There is a primary health centre run by the government and one private dispensary where the sick are treated. • The description above shows that Palampur has fairly well-developed system of roads, transport, electricity, irrigation, schools and health centre. Compare these facilities with those in your nearby village. The story of Palampur, an imaginary village, will take us through the different types of production activities in the village. In villages across India, farming is the main production activity. The other production activities, referred to as non- farm activities include small manufacturing, transport, shop-keeping, etc. We shall take a look at both these types of activities, after learning a few general things about production. The Story of Village Palampur The Story of Village Palampur 1 Chapter 1 Picture 1.1 Scene of a village * The narrative is partly based on a research study by Gilbert Etienne of a village in Bulandshahr district in Western Uttar Pradesh. 2020-21 2 Economics Organisation of Production The aim of production is to produce the goods and services that we want. There are four requirements for production of goods and services. The first requirement is land, and other natural resources such as water, forests, minerals. The second requirement is labour, i.e. people who will do the work. 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. The third requirement is physical capital, i.e. the variety of inputs required at every stage during production. What are the items that come under physical capital? (a) Tools, machines, buildings: Tools and machines range from very simple tools such as a farmer’s plough to sophisticated machines such as generators, turbines, computers, etc. Tools, machines, buildings can be used in production over many years, and are called fixed capital. (b) Raw materials and money in hand: Production requires a variety of raw materials such as the yarn used by the weaver and the clay used by the potter. Also, some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital. Unlike tools, machines and buildings, these are used up in production. There is a fourth requirement too. You will need knowledge and enterprise to be able to put together land, labour and physical capital and produce an output either to use yourself or to sell in the market. This these days is called human capital. We shall learn more about human capital in the next chapter. • In the picture, identify the land, labour and fixed capital used in production. Picture 1.2 A factory, with several labourers and machines Every production is organised by combining land, labour, physical capital and human capital, which are known as factors of production. As we read through the story of Palampur, we will learn more about the first three factors of production. For convenience, we will refer to the physical capital as the capital in this chapter. Farming in Palampur 1. Land is fixed 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 well- being of these people is closely related to production on the farms. But remember that there is a basic constraint in raising farm production. Land area under cultivation is practically fixed. Since 1960 in Palampur, there has been no expansion in land area under 2020-21 The Story of Village Palampur 3 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. larger areas of land more effectively. The first few tubewells were installed by the government. Soon, however, farmers started setting up private tubewells. As a result, by mid-1970s the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares (ha.) was irrigated. The standard unit of measuring land is hectare, though in the villages you may find land area being discussed in local units such as bigha, guintha etc. One hectare equals the area of a square with one side measuring 100 metres. Can you compare the area of a 1 hectare field with the area of your school ground? 2. Is there a way one can grow more from the same land? In the kind of crops grown and facilities available, Palampur would resemble a village of the western part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. All land is cultivated in Palampur. No land is left idle. During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra. These plants are used as cattle feed. It is followed by cultivation of potato between October and December. In the winter season (rabi), fields are sown with wheat. From the wheat produced, farmers keep enough wheat for the family’s consumption and sell the surplus wheat at the market at Raiganj. 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 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. Electricity came early to Palampur. Its major impact was to transform the system of irrigation. Persian wheels were, till then, used by farmers to draw water from the wells and irrigate small fields. People saw that the electric-run tubewells could irrigate much Not all villages in India have such high levels of irrigation. Apart from the riverine plains, coastal regions in our country are well-irrigated. In contrast, plateau regions such as the Deccan plateau have low levels of irrigation. Of the total cultivated area in the country a little less than 40 per cent is irrigated even today. In the remaining areas, farming is largely dependent on rainfall. To grow more than one crop on a piece of land during the year is known as multiple cropping. It is the most common way of increasing production on a given piece of land. All farmers in Palampur grow atleast two main crops; many are growing potato as the third crop in the past fifteen to twenty years. Picture 1.3 Different crops Let’s Discuss • The following Table1.1 shows the land under cultivation in India in units of million hectares. Plot this on the graph provided. What does the graph show? Discuss in class. 2020-21 4 Economics Name of crop Month sown Month Harvested Source of irrigation (Rain, tanks, tubewells, canals, etc.) Picture 1.4 Modern Farming Methods: HYV seeds, chemical fertilizer etc. Table 1.1: Cultivated area over the years • Is it important to increase the area under irrigation? Why? • You have read about the crops grown in Palampur. Fill the following table based on information on the crops grown in your region. You have seen that one way of increasing production from the same land is by multiple cropping. The other way is to use modern farming methods for higher yield. Yield is measured as crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season. Till the mid- 1960s, 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 foodgrains than was possible earlier. HYV seeds, however, needed plenty of water and also chemical fertilizers and (P) - Provisional Data Source: Pocket Book of Agriculture Statistics 2017, Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers W elfare. Year Cultivated Area ( in Million Hectares ) 1950–51 129 1990–91 157 2000–01 156 2010–11 (P) 156 2011–12 (P) 156 2012–13 (P) 155 2013–14 (P) 156 2014–15 (P) 155 2020-21 The Story of Village Palampur 5 • Modern farming methods require the farmer to start with more cash than before. Why? Suggested Activity • During your field visit talk to some farmers of your region. Find out: 1. What kind of farming methods — modern or traditional or mixed — do the farmers use? Write a note. 2. What are the sources of irrigation? 3. How much of the cultivated land is irrigated? (very little/nearly half/ majority/all) 4. From where do farmers obtain the inputs that they require? 3. Will the land sustain? Land being a natural resource, it is necessary to be careful in its use. Scientific reports indicate that the modern farming methods have overused the natural resource base. In many areas, Green Revolution is associated with the loss of soil fertility due to increased use of chemical fertilisers. Also, continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has led to the depletion of the water-table. Environmental resources, like soil fertility and groundwater, are built up over years. Once destroyed it is very difficult to restore them. We must take care of the environment to ensure future development of agriculture. Suggested Activity • After reading the following reports from newspapers/magazines, write a letter to the Agriculture Minister in your own words telling him how the use of chemical fertilisers can be harmful. Production Production of Pulses of Wheat 1965 - 66 10 10 1970 - 71 12 24 1980 - 81 11 36 1990 - 91 14 55 2000 - 01 11 70 2010 - 11 18 87 2012 - 13 18 94 2013 - 14 19 96 2014 - 15 17 87 2015 - 16 17 94 2016 - 17 23 99 2017 - 18 24 97 Table 1.2: Production of pulses and wheat ( in Million Tonnes) ...Chemical fertilisers provide minerals which dissolve in water and are immediately available to plants. But these may not be retained in the pesticides to produce best results. Higher yields were possible only from a combination of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, etc. Farmers of Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh 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. In Palampur, the yield of wheat grown from the traditional varieties was 1300 kg per hectare. With HYV seeds, the yield went up to 3200 kg per hectare. There was a large increase in the production of wheat. Farmers now had greater amounts of surplus wheat to sell in the markets. Let’s Discuss • What is the difference between multiple cropping and modern farming method? • 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. • What is the working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods? Source: Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, as on February , 2018. 2020-21Read More
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