Question

Describe the work of a farmer with 1 hectare of land.

Answer 1

• A farmer with 1 hectare of land will cultivate it with wheat or rice or some other crops depending upon the type of soil, weather conditions and irrigation facilities. The farmer will be using seeds, pesticides and fertilizers. The farmer may not use machines like tractors as the size of the land is very small.
• A farmer with 1 hectare of land is not financially very stable or rich. He or she does the work on the farm without recruiting additional farm labourers. A farmer with 1 hectare of land may work with the help of his family members.
• As the earnings from 1 hectare of land may not be sufficient the farmer may be forced to borrow money from large farmers or money lenders at high-interest rates and end up in a cycle of the debt trap. These small-scale farmers may not have access to formal sources of lending.
• As these small-scale farmers end up in a debt trap, they would be forced to work in the fields of large farmers in addition to working in their own field of 1 hectare.