Class 9 Economics Chapter 1 The Story Of Palampur | Notes And Expected Questions
The first chapter of class 9 Economics is about the village Palampur. Expected questions from this chapter and notes are given below.
Economic activities are of two types: farming and non-farming
Farming -> agriculture
Non-farming -> manufacturing, transport, shop keeping
Aim of production: to produce goods and services
Four requirements of production
- Land
- Labour
- Capital
- Human capital
Land
The land area under cultivation is practically fixed and this is a basic difficulty involved in raising farm production.
The standard unit of measuring land is hectare.
Local units are: bigha and guinta
Labour
Labour can be: skilled labour, intellectual labour and physical labour
Capital: fixed capital, working capital
Different types of crops
Rabi (winter crops) -> wheat
Kharif (rainy seaon) -> jowar, bajra
October – December -> potato
Sugarcane -> sugarcane is grown throughout the year, but harvested only once
Multiple cropping
Multiple cropping is the practice of growing more than one crop on a piece of land during the year.
What is yield?
Yield is the amount of crop produced on a given piece of land during a single season.
Traditional method of farming
- Traditional farming largely depends on rainfall.
- Little or no irrigation is used
- Natural fertilizers like cow dung are used
- Farmers use locally available traditional seeds
Modern method of farming (green revolution)
- This type of farming uses HYV (high yield variety) seeds
- It requires more water and uses the artificial irrigation method
- Chemical fertilizers and pesticides are used
- The combination of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilizers and pesticides produce a greater amount of crops. This method of generating higher yields is known as green revolution.
- It is also called wheat revolution.
- Green revolution was first implemented in Punjab, Haryana and western parts of Uttar Pradesh.
What are the negative impacts of green revolution?
Green revolution can lead to the loss of soil fertility because of the increased use of chemical fertilizers. Also, excessive use of groundwater for tube well irrigation has led to the depletion of water table. Soil gains fertility over several years after the accumulation of humus. Once it is destroyed, it is difficult to regain it. Likewise, fall in groundwater levels cannot be restored to the previous levels easily.
Extra questions
1. Classify the following into land, labour, and capital
Weavers, fertilisers, packaging machine, water, money, wood, seeds, factory, vans, accountants
Land – water, wood
Labour – weavers, accountants
Capital – fertilizers, packaging machine, money, seeds, factory, vans
2. What is the aim of production? State 4 requirements needed for goods and services.
Producing goods and services is the aim of production. The four requirements of production are – land, labour, capital and human capital.
3. Which capital would you consider the best?
Human capital is the best because it is the main asset of the economy. Humans have the ability to leverage land, labour, and capital. For this reason, investing in human capital by educating people and ensuring that they receive good healthcare will yield higher productivity and income. Without skilled human capital, it is not possible to take advantage of land and physical capital.
4. Describe any three ways by which production can be increased from a fixed plot of land.
Multiple cropping
Growing more than one crop on a piece of land during one year will increase yield.
Modern farming
Modern farming methods that involve the use of HYV seeds, fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation will increase production.
Irrigation
Well irrigated crops tend to yield higher returns.