CHAPTER-6

RURAL DEVELOPMENT

I Choose the correct answer (Each question carries one mark)

1 Most of the agricultural labourers are
a) Rich b) middle class c) poor d) upper class
2 Leather industry and tourism are
a) Non -farm sector b) Farm sector c) other sectors d) Productive activities
3 The increased milk production can be mainly attributed to the successful implementation of
a) Operation food b) operation flood c) operation blue d) operation fruit
4 It is an agricultural allied activity
a) Poultry b) Cottage industry c) small industry d) tourism
II Fill in the blanks (Each question carries one mark)
1 The growth of real India is possible only from the development of Villages.
2 At the time of independence Money lenders and tradersexploited the small and marginal
farmers.
3 OrganicFarming is free from Chemicals.
4 The fishing community regards the water body as Mother.
III Match the following. (Each question carries on mark)
A B
1. NABARD Milk production
2. Money lender Institutional source
3. Green revolution Fruit production
4. Golden revolution Non- institutional force
5. White revolution Food production
A B
1. NABARD Institutional source
2. Money lender Non- institutional force
3. Green revolution Food production
4. Golden revolution Fruit production
5. White revolution Milk Production
IV Answer the following questions in a word / sentence each. (Each question carries one mark)
1 What is rural credit?
Rural Development means improvement of socio-economic life of rural people by providing basic
infrastructures which make to engage in productive activities.
2 Give the meaning of agricultural marketing?
It refers to process of assembling, storing, processing, grading, packing and distributing the
agricultural products throughout the country.
3 What is organic farming?
It is the farming which relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest for
growing crops. It is the system of farming that restores, maintains and enhances the ecological
balance.
4 Expand PDS.
Public Distribution System.
V Answer the following question in four sentences each. (Each question carries Two mark)
1 Name the areas which are challenging and need fresh initiatives’ for rural development.
The areas which are challenging and need fresh initiatives’ for rural development are:
• Development of human resources.
• Land reforms.
• Development of the productive resources of each locality.
 • Infrastructure development.
• Special measures for alleviation of poverty.
2 Give the meaning of Rural Development.
Rural development means improvement of socio- economic life of rural people by providing basic
infrastructures which make to engage in productive activities. In simple words, the term rural
development refers to the overall development of the rural economy.
3 How money lenders exploited the rural farmers.
Money lenders and traders exploited small and marginal farmers and land less labourers by-
• Charging very high rate of interest.
• Manipulating the accounts to keep them in debt trap.
• Trespassing the agricultural land by misusing their illiteracy.
• Making debtors into Bonded Labourers.
4 Name the institutional sources of rural credit.
The institutional sources of rural credit are as follows:
• Commercial Banks,
• Regional Rural Banks (RRBs),
• Cooperative societies and
• Land Development Banks.
5 Give two examples for alternative market.
The examples for alternative market are :
• Rytharasanthe in Karnataka,
• RythuBazzar in Andhra Pradesh,
• ApniMandi in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan
6 Name the two life-giving sources of fishing community.
The major life giving sources for fishing community are rivers, lakes, oceans, natural and aquatic
ponds.
7 Mention the benefits of organic farming.
The main benefits of organic farming are:
• It offers a means to substitute costlier agricultural inputs (chemical fertilizers, pesticides)
with cheaper ones.
• It generates income through exports.
• It contributes to ecological balance.
• Provides healthy and chemical free food.
VI Answer the following question in twenty sentences each. (Each question carries four marks)
1 List out the major problems of rural development.
The major problems which need fresh initiatives for development in rural India are:
a) Development of Human resources:The development of human resources includes promotion of
literacy particularly female literacy, education and skill development, providing health care by
addressing both sanitation and public health.
b)LandReforms:The land reforms include ceiling on land holdings, prevention of fragmentation and
subdivision of land and making the tiller as the owner of the land.
c) Infrastructure Development: The development of infrastructure like provision of electricity,
irrigation, banking, marketing, transportation, agricultural research centres, information etc.
d) Poverty alleviation measures: Special measures for poverty alleviation and bringing progress
among weaker sections of the population and giving importance to productive employment
opportunities also part of major issues of rural economy.
2 Explain the drawbacks of agricultural market.
Agricultural marketing is a process that involves the assembling, storage, processing, transportation,
packaging, grading and distribution of different agricultural commodities across the country.
The major drawbacks of agriculture marketing in India are as follows:
 • Long chain of middlemen taking away the profit of farmers.
• No proper storage facilities to protect the agricultural products.
• Faulty methods of weighing/measuring agricultural products.
• Manipulation of accounts.
• Farmers are forced to sell their products at low prices due to lack of information.
3 Write a short note on alternative markets.
The examples for emerging alternative marketing channels are as follows:
• Farmers directly sell their agricultural produce to consumers. Example: ApniMandi in
Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan, RythuBazzar- vegetables and fruits markets in Andhra
Pradesh, UzhavzrSandies – a farmers market in Tamil Nadu.
• Agricultural contracts- several domestic and multinational companies entering agreements
with Indian farmers in which farmers are encouraged to grow farm products of desired
quality by providing them with not only seeds and other inputs but also assured
procurement of the produce at pre-decided prices.
The main benefits of alternative Agricultural Marketing channels are:
• The farmers get seeds and other agricultural inputs.
• Farmers are assured of procurement of agricultural products at pre-decided prices.
• Help in reducing price risk of farmers.
• Expansion of markets for farm products in India and abroad.

VII Answer the following question in twenty sentences each. (Each question carries six marks)
1 Explain the measures taken by the government to improve the Agricultural Marketing System.
The Government of India has undertaken the following steps to improve agricultural market in India.
They are as follows:
a) Establishment of Regulated Market: The regulated markets are those markets which are
controlled and managed by the Government to provide orderly and transparent marketing
conditions like better storage facilities, fair prices, removing middlemen etc. This has benefited the
farmers and consumers.
b) Provision of infrastructural facilities: The provision of physical infrastructural facilities like roads,
railways, warehouses, godowns, cold storages and processing units will make agricultural sector a
commercial and profit oriented sector in India.
c) Establishment of cooperative marketing societies: These societies are encouraged by the
government to realize fair prices for agricultural products and ensure better income to the farmers.
The success of milk cooperative societies in transforming the social and economic conditions of
Gujarat is worth mentioning.
d) The other measures are:
• Assurance of minimum support prices (MSP) for agricultural products to protect the farmers
from loss.
• Maintenance of Buffer stocks of wheat and rice by Food Corporation of India.
• Distribution of essential commodities like wheat, rice, sugar and kerosene under Public
Distribution System (PDS).
2 Write a short note on the following.
a) Horticulture b) Fisheries
a) Horticulture:It is one of the types of farming in which cultivation of land is undertaken to grow
crops like fruits, vegetables, flower, medicinal plants, spices and plantation crops. India is the second
largest producer of fruits and vegetables. The economic condition of many farmers engaged in
horticulture has improved and Horticulture has become a means of improving livelihood for many
poor families of rural India.
Flower harvesting, nursery maintenance, hybrid seed production and tissue culture, propagation of
fruits and flowers and food processing are highly remunerative employment for women labourers
in India.
 b) Fisheries: The fishing community regards the water body as mother. The major sources of life for
fishing community are rivers, lakes, oceans, natural and aquatic ponds. In India after progressive
increase in budget allocationwe can see development of fisheries. About 49% of fish production
comes from inland sources and remaining from ocean and sea. Among the states Kerala, Gujarat,
Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu are the major producers of marine products.
3 Write a note on animal husbandry.
The animal husbandry i.e, livestock rearing includes cattle breeding, goats, fowl rearing etc.
Livestock production provides stable income, food security, fuel and nutrition for the family in rural
areas. In India, more than 70 million small and marginal farmers have got alternative livelihood
options from Animal Husbandry.
If the distribution of livestock rearing is taken into consideration, the poultry accounts for the largest
share. The other animals which include camels, asses, horses, etc., also found remunerative. In India,
we have about 28.7crores of cattle including 9crores of buffaloes.
The performance of Indian diary sector has been remarkable from past few decades. This is mainly
because of implementation of “operation flood”. It is a system whereby all the farmers can pool
their milk produced according to different grading and the same is processed and marketed to urban
centres. In this farmers are assured of fair price and minimum income from the supply of milk to
urban areas.
The animal husbandry is undertaken to develop organic farming by developing green manure and
the animal waste is being used to produce gobar gas in rural areas.
Meat, eggs, wool and other by-products are also emerging as important productive sectors in animal
husbandry.
4 List out the benefits of organic farming.
Organic farming is that farming which relies on crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological
pest for growing crops.
The main benefits of organic farming are as follows:
i) It offers a means to substitute costlier agricultural inputs with cheaper ones.
ii) It generates income through exports.
iii) I t contributes to ecological balance.
iv) Provides healthy and chemical free food.
v) The organic farming contributes to higher production and productivity.
vi) It enhances quality and quantity of agricultural products.
vii) Provides alternative employment opportunities to rural people.
viii) Helps in prevention of deterioration in fertility and conservation of soil.
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