The Story of Village Palampur

Q1. Give an example of fixed physical capital.

Ans. Farmer’s plough

Q2. Which factor of production is fixed and scarce?

Ans. Land is fixed and scarce.

Q3. Name the third crop grown in Palampur as a part of multiple cropping.

Ans. Potato

Q4. During which season do farmers of Palampur grow jowar and bajra?

Ans. During the rainy season (kharif) farmers grow jowar and bajra.

Q5. What is the standard unit of measuring land?

Ans. The standard unit of measuring land is hectare.

Q6. What are the examples of working capital?

Ans. Raw materials and money in hand are called working capital.

Q7. How did the introduction of green revolution affect the cost of cultivation?

Ans. The cost of cultivation went up due to the introduction of Green Revolution.

Q8. What is the importance of human capital?

Ans. Human capital is important because some level of human knowledge and skills is necessary to increase productivity and thus profitability.

 
Q9. Mention any two characteristics of modern farming.

Ans. Two characteristics of modern farming:

                          i.        Use of HYV seeds

                         ii.        Use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides

Q10. Why are farm labourers like Dala and Ramkali poor?

Ans. Farm labourers like Dala and Ramkali are poor because they are landless and due to heavy competition for work among the farm labourers they are paid low wages.

 
Q11. What is meant by non-farm activities? Explain with examples.

Ans. 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.

Q12. What is the working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods?

Ans. The working capital required by the farmer using modern farming methods are raw material and money. Some money is always required during production to make payments and buy other necessary items.

Q13. Modern farming methods require the farmer to start with more cash than before. Why?

Ans. Modern farming methods require the use of HYV seeds which needs chemical fertilizers and pesticides to procure best result and increased production. In order to buy all these inputs a lot of money is needed. Thus, farmer needs to have more cash to start farming. 

Q14. What are the non-farm production activities taking place in your region? Make a short list.

Ans. The non-farm production activities taking place in our region are:

                          i.        Dairy

                         ii.        Transportation

                        iii.        General stores

                        iv.        Fishing

Q15. Construct a table on the distribution of land among the 450 families of
Palampur.

Ans.

Q16. Why do so many families of farmers cultivate such small plots of land?

Ans. Existing land is divided among family members continuously and as a result each member of the family gets smaller plot of the land. Since land is fixed and there is no scope of bringing new land under cultivation, farmers are forced to cultivate small plots of land.

Q17. Why are the wages for farm labourers in Palampur less than minimum wages?
Or
Why are the wages for farm labourers less than minimum wages?

Ans. There are many landless farm labourers who work on daily wages in Palampur. The minimum wages for a farm labourer set by the government is Rs 115 (April, 2011) per day. There is heavy competition for work among the farm labourers in Palampur, so people agree to work for lower wages.