Question

If every farmer in India follows modern farming practices, explain any two positive changes this could bring to villages.

Hint:

Write about the village and not just the field. Cover the rise in output and food security, the rise in income, and the new kinds of work that a larger harvest creates.

Answer 1

Concept:

• Modern farming means the use of high yielding variety seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, assured irrigation and machines such as tractors and threshers.
• The question asks for changes in the village, so the answer must go beyond the field to the life of the people living there.

Step 1: The first change, higher production and food security.
High yielding seeds along with assured irrigation and fertilisers raise the output of the same piece of land, and more than one crop can be taken in a year.
The village produces enough for its own needs and has a surplus left to sell, so the fear of shortage after a weak monsoon is reduced.

Step 2: The second change, higher incomes and less poverty.
A surplus sold in the market brings cash into the household. With a larger and steadier income the farmer can repay loans, repair the house, buy better food and keep children in school for longer.

Step 3: A further change, more work in the village.
Modern farming needs storage, transport, repair of machines, sale of seed and fertiliser, and the marketing of the produce. These activities create work for people who do not own land, so labourers and small traders also gain.

Step 4: One caution to keep in mind.
The gains last only if the practices are used carefully. Excessive use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides and over-pumping of groundwater can damage the soil and lower the water table, which would take away the very benefit the farmer is seeking.

Final Answer: Two clear gains would be a large rise in production that makes the village secure in food and leaves a surplus to sell, and a rise in household incomes that reduces poverty and creates fresh work in transport, storage and trade within the village itself.