Farming Practices and the Green Revolution in Palampur

Chapter Notes:

• Farming as Main Activity: 75% of Palampur’s working population depends on farming for livelihood, either as farmers or farm labourers.

• Land as a Fixed Factor:

  • Constraint: Land area under cultivation is practically fixed.

  • No Expansion: Since 1960, no expansion in cultivated land area; wastelands were converted, leaving no further scope for increasing farm production by bringing new land under cultivation.

  • Unit of Measurement: Hectare is the standard unit (1 hectare = area of a square with 100-meter sides); local units like bigha, guintha also exist.

• Increasing Production from the Same Land:

  • Cultivation Pattern: All land is cultivated in Palampur, no land is left idle.

    • Kharif (Rainy Season): Jowar and bajra (used as cattle feed).

    • Between October and December: Potato cultivation.

    • Rabi (Winter Season): Wheat (surplus sold in Raiganj market).

    • Annual Crop: Sugarcane (harvested once a year, sold as raw form or jaggery to traders in Shahpur).

  • Well-Developed Irrigation System: Key reason for multiple crops.

    • Electricity’s Impact: Early arrival of electricity transformed irrigation.

    • Traditional Irrigation: Persian wheels used to draw water from wells for small fields.

    • Modern Irrigation: Electric-run tubewells could irrigate larger areas more effectively. Government installed the first few, then farmers set up private ones.

    • Full Irrigation: By mid-1970s, the entire cultivated area of 200 hectares was irrigated.

  • Irrigation in India (Comparison): Not all Indian villages have high irrigation levels. Riverine plains and coastal regions are well-irrigated, but plateau regions (e.g., Deccan plateau) have low irrigation levels. Less than 40% of total cultivated area in India is irrigated today; remaining areas depend on rainfall.

  • Multiple Cropping: Growing more than one crop on a piece of land during the year. Most common way to increase production on a given land. All farmers in Palampur grow at least two main crops, many adding potato as a third.

• Modern Farming Methods and the Green Revolution:

  • Goal: Higher yield (crop produced on a given land during a single season).

  • Traditional Seeds: Used till mid-1960s, had low yields, needed less irrigation, and used natural manure (cow-dung).

  • Green Revolution (late 1960s): Introduced High Yielding Varieties (HYV) of seeds for wheat and rice.

    • Advantages of HYV: Produced much greater amounts of grain on a single plant, leading to larger quantities of foodgrains from the same land.

    • Requirements of HYV: Needed plenty of water, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides for best results. Higher yields depended on a combination of HYV seeds, irrigation, chemical fertilisers, and pesticides.

  • Early Adopters in India: Farmers of Punjab, Haryana, and Western Uttar Pradesh were the first to adopt modern farming methods. They used tubewells, HYV seeds, chemical fertilisers, pesticides, and machinery like tractors and threshers.

  • Impact in Palampur: Wheat yield increased from 1300 kg/hectare (traditional) to 3200 kg/hectare (HYV). This led to a large increase in wheat production and greater surplus for sale.

  • Capital for Modern Farming: Requires more cash upfront for HYV seeds, chemical fertilizers, pesticides, and water.

• Land Sustainability:

  • Environmental Concern: Modern farming methods have overused natural resources.

  • Loss of Soil Fertility: Increased use of chemical fertilizers leads to loss of soil fertility.

  • Groundwater Depletion: Continuous use of groundwater for tubewell irrigation has depleted the water-table.

  • Irreversible Damage: Environmental resources like soil fertility and groundwater are built up over years and are difficult to restore once destroyed.

  • Harmful Effects of Chemical Fertilizers:

    • Minerals dissolve in water and are not retained in the soil for long.

    • Pollute groundwater, rivers, and lakes.

    • Can kill bacteria and other microorganisms in the soil, making it less fertile over time.

  • Punjab Example: Highest consumption of chemical fertilizers in India, leading to soil health degradation and rising cultivation costs due to the need for more inputs to maintain production levels.