CHAPTER-1 THE SOTRY OF VILLAGE PALAMPUR
NOTES
1. Farming is the main activity in Palampur, while other activities such as small-scale manufacturing, dairy, and transportation are carried out on a limited scale.- The village has around 450 families belonging to different castes.
3. Organization of Production– The purpose of production is to produce goods and services that we need. Four essential factors are required for the production of goods and services.
- The first requirement is land and other natural resources, such as water, forests, and minerals.
- The second requirement is labor, meaning the people who will work.
- The third requirement is physical capital, which includes various inputs needed at every stage of production.
4. Fixed Capital– Tools, machines, and buildings are used in production for many years, and they are referred to as fixed capital.
5. Working Capital– Some money is required during production to make payments and purchase necessary goods. Raw materials and cash are referred to as working capital.
6. Human Capital– Knowledge and entrepreneurship are required to combine land, labor, and physical capital for production. This is known as human capital.
7. Factors of Production– Production is organized by combining land, labor, and capital, which are known as the factors of production.
8. Farming in Palampur-
A) Land is Limited– Farming is the primary activity in Palampur, with 75% of the people depending on it for their livelihood. Since 1960, there has been no expansion in the cultivated land area in Palampur.
- By that time, some barren land in the village had been converted into cultivable land.
Note– The standard unit for measuring land is a hectare. One hectare is equal to the area of a square with a side of 100 meters.
B) Any Way to Increase Production from Land– In Palampur, all available land is used for farming. No land is left idle.
- During the rainy season (Kharif), farmers grow jowar and bajra.
- Between October and December, potatoes are cultivated.
- In the winter season (Rabi), wheat is grown.
- By the mid-1970s, the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares was irrigated.
- Multiple Cropping System– Growing more than one crop on the same land in a year is called a multiple cropping system.
- Until the mid-1960s, traditional seeds were used in farming, which had relatively low yields.
- At the end of the 1960s, the Green Revolution introduced Indian farmers to high-yielding variety (HYV) seeds for wheat and rice cultivation.
- Farmers in Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to adopt modern farming techniques in India.
C) Will the land be able to sustain this-
- Scientific reports indicate that modern farming techniques have overused natural resource bases.
- Environmental resources like soil fertility and groundwater take years to develop. Once depleted, regenerating them is very difficult.
D) Land Distribution Among Farmers in Palampur-
- Out of 450 families in Palampur, about one-third, or 150 families, do not own any land for farming, most of whom belong to the Dalit community.
- Around 240 families who own land cultivate small plots of less than 2 hectares.
- There are 60 medium and large farmer families in Palampur who farm on more than 2 hectares of land. Some large farmers own 10 hectares or more of land.
E) Arrangement of Labor-
- Farming requires a lot of hard work. Small farmers work on their fields themselves along with their families.
- Medium and large farmers hire other laborers to work on their fields.
F) Capital Required for Farming-
- Modern farming techniques require a lot of capital. Therefore, farmers now need more money than before.
- Most small farmers have to borrow money to arrange capital. The interest rates on such loans are very high.
- Unlike small farmers, medium and large farmers generate savings from farming. This allows them to arrange the necessary capital.
G) Sale of Surplus Agricultural Produce-
- Some farmers use their savings to buy livestock, trucks, or open shops.
9. Non-Agricultural Activities in Palampur-
A) Dairy: Another Common Activity-- Dairy is a common activity in many families in Palampur. People feed their buffaloes various types of grass and sorghum and millet (chari) that grow during the rainy season.
B) Small-Scale Manufacturing in Palampur-
- Unlike the large factories in cities and towns, manufacturing in Palampur uses very simple production methods.
- Manufacturing activities are mostly carried out at home or on farms with the help of family labor.
C) Shopkeepers of Palampur-
- The traders of Palampur are shopkeepers who buy various goods from wholesale markets in cities and sell them in the village.
- Some families, whose houses are near the bus stand, have opened small shops in part of their homes.
D) Transportation: A Rapidly Growing Sector-
- Rickshaw pullers, tonga drivers, jeep, tractor, and truck drivers, as well as those operating traditional bullock carts and other vehicles, are the people engaged in transportation services.
