The Story of Indian FarmingClass 7 Social Science NCERT Solutions
10 Solutions
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Q1Questions and activities
Why do farmers in Kerala grow rice while farmers in Punjab grow mostly wheat? What would happen if they swapped?
Solution
Farmers in Kerala grow rice while farmers in Punjab grow mostly wheat due to differences in climate, soil, and water availability. The choice of crop is strongly linked to these regional factors.
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Kerala: Located on the Malabar coast, Kerala receives heavy rainfall from both the southwest and northeast monsoons. This abundance of water makes its climate and soil ideal for cultivating water-intensive crops like rice. The text mentions that states with good water availability from monsoons and irrigation can grow rice.
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Punjab: This region has a different climate and its cropping patterns are suited for wheat, which is a rabi (winter) crop. The alluvial soils of the northern plains are well-suited for wheat cultivation.
If the farmers swapped their primary crops, it is very likely that the crops would fail or have very low yields. Rice requires a large amount of water and a specific climate which is not available in Punjab during the wheat-growing season. Similarly, wheat requires cooler and drier conditions than what is typically found in Kerala's tropical wet climate. Therefore, swapping the crops would be agriculturally and economically unviable.
Q2Questions and activities
Match the following:
Column A Column B (a) Kharif crops (i) Crops during the winter (b) Rabi crops (ii) Crops grown during the monsoon (c) Alluvial soil (iii) Thin, rough, and rocky soil found in mountainous regions (d) Terrace farming (iv) Crops grown in summer (e) Alpine soil (v) Soil rich in nutrients deposited by rivers (f) Zaid crops (vi) Method of farming on hillsides
Solution
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| (a) Kharif crops | (ii) Crops grown during the monsoon |
| (b) Rabi crops | (i) Crops during the winter |
| (c) Alluvial soil | (v) Soil rich in nutrients deposited by rivers |
| (d) Terrace farming | (vi) Method of farming on hillsides |
| (e) Alpine soil | (iii) Thin, rough, and rocky soil found in mountainous regions |
| (f) Zaid crops | (iv) Crops grown in summer |
Q3Questions and activities
Why do certain crops thrive in specific regions?
Solution
Certain crops thrive in specific regions because their growth is dependent on a combination of several environmental factors. As the chapter explains, the story of farming is linked to these factors:
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Climate: India is divided into 15 agroclimatic zones. Each zone has different amounts of sunshine, rainfall, and temperature variations, which determine which crops can grow successfully. For example, tea grows well in the Northeast, while saffron grows in the temperate climate of Kashmir.
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Soil Type: India has six major soil types, each with distinct properties. Crops are strongly influenced by the soil they grow in. For example, black soil is excellent for cotton, while alluvial soil is ideal for wheat and sugarcane.
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Availability of Water: The amount and timing of water, either from rainfall (monsoons) or irrigation, is crucial. Rice, a water-intensive crop, is grown in regions with high rainfall like Kerala, while drought-resistant crops like millets are grown in drier, rain-fed areas.
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Terrain: The physical landscape also plays a role. In hilly areas, farmers practice terrace farming to grow crops, a method not needed in the flat northern plains.
Q4Questions and activities
How has modern technology helped farmers?
Solution
Modern technology has significantly helped farmers by increasing productivity, improving efficiency, and providing better resource management. The chapter highlights several ways this has been achieved:
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The Green Revolution: This movement introduced high-yielding varieties (HYV) of seeds, chemical fertilisers, and pesticides, which led to a massive increase in food grain production, especially wheat and rice.
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Mechanisation: The use of machines like tractors, harvesters, and threshing machines has made farming operations faster and less labour-intensive compared to traditional methods that relied on manual labour and animals.
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Efficient Irrigation: Modern techniques like drip irrigation and sprinkler irrigation allow for the precise application of water directly to the plants' roots or as artificial rain. This conserves water, which is crucial in areas with decreasing groundwater levels.
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Information and Assessment: Technology like drones can be used to assess soil moisture. Digital technology gives farmers better access to information about weather forecasts, market prices, and new farming practices, helping them make better decisions.
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Advanced Farming Methods: Techniques like hydroponics allow for growing plants without soil, which is useful in urban areas or places with poor soil quality.
Q5Questions and activities
Why is sustainable agriculture important? Write a short note on this.
Solution
Sustainable agriculture is important because it aims to meet our current food needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It focuses on creating a balance between productivity and environmental health.
The Green Revolution, while successful in increasing food production, had several long-term negative consequences. These include soil impoverishment, depletion of groundwater, contamination of soil and water with chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and damage to human and animal health. Sustainable agriculture offers a way to overcome these problems.
This approach combines the wisdom of traditional practices with the productivity of modern methods. It promotes environment-friendly techniques such as:
- Organic Farming: Avoids chemical fertilisers and pesticides, relying instead on natural inputs like compost and manure.
- Water Conservation: Uses efficient irrigation methods to preserve water resources.
- Soil Health: Employs traditional methods like crop rotation and mulching to maintain soil fertility naturally.
By working in harmony with nature, sustainable agriculture ensures the long-term health of our ecosystems and a stable food supply for the future.
Q6Questions and activities
Name some challenges that farmers face today. What might be their impact for people?
Solution
Indian farmers today face several significant challenges, as mentioned in the chapter:
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Small Landholdings: Over generations, land gets divided among family members, leading to very small farm sizes (average is about three-fourths of a hectare). This makes it difficult to earn sufficient income and use modern machinery efficiently.
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Climate Change: Farmers are increasingly affected by unpredictable weather patterns, such as untimely rains, severe droughts, or heavy rainfall. This leads to a higher risk of crop destruction and heavy financial losses.
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Debt Trap: In times of hardship, such as crop failure, farmers often take loans. Difficulty in repaying these loans can trap them in a cycle of debt.
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Economic Viability: For many, income from farming and allied activities is inadequate to provide a decent quality of life.
Impact for People:
These challenges have a severe impact on the wider population. When farmers face heavy losses and debt, many are compelled to abandon agriculture. This threatens India's overall food production and food security. A decline in the farming population can lead to food shortages and increased prices, affecting everyone. It also puts the livelihood of millions of people who depend on agriculture at risk, potentially leading to increased urban migration and economic instability.
Q7Questions and activities
Have a debate in class on the topic "Traditional irrigation methods are better than modern ones."
Solution
This debate topic involves considering the advantages and disadvantages of both traditional and modern irrigation methods as described in the chapter.
Arguments FOR Traditional Irrigation Methods:
- Sustainability and Local Adaptation: Traditional systems like the phad system in Maharashtra or bamboo drip irrigation in the Northeast are developed using local materials and knowledge. They are well-adapted to the local environment.
- Community-Based: Many traditional systems are community-managed, which fosters social cooperation and ensures equitable water distribution.
- Rich Heritage: India has a rich history of creating water structures like kull, kund, ahar, and eri, which shows a deep, time-tested understanding of water management.
- Ecological Harmony: These methods often work in harmony with the natural water cycle, collecting rainwater and allowing it to recharge the soil and groundwater.
Arguments FOR Modern Irrigation Methods:
- Water Efficiency: Modern methods like drip and sprinkler irrigation are highly efficient. They deliver water directly to the crops, minimizing waste through evaporation or runoff. This is critical as groundwater reserves are decreasing.
- Increased Productivity: By ensuring a controlled and reliable water supply, modern irrigation reduces dependence on unpredictable monsoons. This enables farming in areas with low rainfall and helps increase crop yields.
- Precision and Control: These systems allow for precise control over the amount of water supplied, preventing both waterlogging and underwatering of crops.
- Wider Applicability: Modern systems can be adapted to various terrains and soil types, making agriculture possible in regions where traditional methods might not be feasible.
Q8Questions and activities
Write a short essay describing what farming might be like when you are 60 years old. You could also draw / paint a picture to illustrate what you envision.
Solution
When I am 60 years old, farming in India will likely be a fascinating blend of ancient wisdom and futuristic technology, driven by the need for sustainability in the face of climate change.
The small, fragmented landholdings of today might be managed differently, perhaps through farmer cooperatives that pool resources to use advanced machinery designed for smaller plots. Technology will play a central role. Drones might be a common sight, not just for assessing soil moisture as mentioned in the chapter, but also for precision planting, targeted pest control using natural pesticides, and monitoring crop health. This will help use resources like water and fertilisers with maximum efficiency.
Sustainable practices will be the norm, not the exception. The harmful effects of the Green Revolution will have taught us the importance of soil health. Organic farming, crop rotation, and the use of biofertilisers like panchagavya will be widespread. Traditional knowledge will be highly valued, with modern science validating and refining ancient techniques to improve resilience.
In cities, where space is limited, urban farming will flourish. Techniques like hydroponics, where plants are grown in nutrient-rich water, will be common on rooftops and in vertical farms, ensuring a fresh supply of vegetables for urban populations.
The government's role will also evolve, with digital platforms providing real-time data on weather, market prices, and soil conditions directly to farmers, empowering them to make informed decisions and get fair prices for their produce. Farming will be less about brute force and more about intelligent, precise, and harmonious cooperation with nature.
Q9Questions and activities
Form small groups and discuss the issues affecting the Ganga basin. Prepare a presentation proposing your solutions and their rationale (your reasons). Share and discuss in class. Your teacher will guide you in this exercise.
Solution
This is a group activity. Here is a sample structure for a presentation on the issues affecting the Ganga basin, based on the chapter.
Presentation: Saving the Ganga Basin for a Sustainable Future
Slide 1: Introduction
- Topic: Issues Affecting the Ganga Basin and Proposed Solutions.
- The Ganga basin has been a source of food and water for millions for millennia.
- Today, it is under severe stress, threatening agriculture and livelihoods.
Slide 2: The Problems
- Global Warming: Himalayan glaciers, the source of the Ganga, are melting at an unprecedented rate, affecting the river's flow.
- Water Diversion: Large amounts of water are diverted for irrigation, reducing the water level in the river.
- Groundwater Depletion: Agriculture and industry pump out huge amounts of groundwater, which is not being replenished fast enough.
- Interference with Flow: Hundreds of dams interfere with the river's natural flow and ecological balance.
Slide 3: Proposed Solutions & Rationale
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Promote Efficient Irrigation:
- Solution: Encourage the adoption of modern methods like drip and sprinkler irrigation.
- Rationale: These methods use water more efficiently, reducing the need to divert large quantities of water from the river and deplete groundwater.
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Adopt Sustainable Agricultural Practices:
- Solution: Promote organic farming, crop rotation, and mulching.
- Rationale: Healthy soil with high organic matter retains more moisture. This reduces the need for frequent irrigation and helps recharge groundwater.
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Implement Afforestation Programs:
- Solution: Plant more trees along the river basin.
- Rationale: As seen in the chapter, afforestation helps prevent soil erosion. Tree roots hold the soil, improve water absorption, and help regulate the river's flow.
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Regulate Water Usage:
- Solution: Introduce stricter policies for water extraction by industries and manage the construction of dams more carefully.
- Rationale: This will help maintain a minimum ecological flow in the river, which is essential for its health and for the replenishment of groundwater.
Slide 4: Conclusion
- The challenges facing the Ganga basin are complex and interconnected.
- A combination of modern technology, sustainable practices, and strong government policies is needed to ensure that the Ganga can continue to support agriculture and millions of people for generations to come.
Q10Questions and activities
Looking at the crops listed in the section 'Echoes from the Past’, which ones do you find in use in your home? What conclusion can you draw from your observations?
Solution
The section 'Echoes from the Past' lists several crops that were cultivated in ancient India. These include:
- Grains: Rice, barley, millets, and wheat.
- Oilseeds: Sesame, mustard, and castor.
- Legumes/Pulses: Green gram (moong), black gram (urad).
- Fibre Crops: Cotton.
- Fruits: Grapes, dates, mango, and black plum (jamun).
Upon observing the food items used in my home, I find that many of these ancient crops are still a fundamental part of our daily diet. We regularly consume rice and wheat (in the form of roti or bread). Pulses like moong and urad dal are staples. We use mustard oil for cooking. Fruits like mangoes are eagerly eaten in season. Cotton is the source of much of our clothing.
Conclusion:
From this observation, I can conclude that there is a remarkable continuity in Indian agricultural and dietary traditions that spans thousands of years. The crops that sustained ancient civilizations like the Harappans are still nourishing people in India today. This shows the deep-rooted and enduring nature of India's farming heritage and its fundamental role in shaping our culture and daily life.