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Question Numbers: 71-79
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted to help you answer some of the questions.
With the Humane Agrarian Centre, a one-of-a-kind rural museum, Prem Singh’s farm stands as an exception in the hilly region of Bundelkhand, divided between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The land is otherwise synonymous with droughts, farmer suicides, unemployment as a result of crop failure, extreme weather conditions with below-average rainfall, and low water availability. Despite all the odds stacked against him, Prem Singh made out against these tribulations as a farmer who went debt-free without loans from the banks only by using taking the less travelled road. Singh’s lush green farmland paints a vivid picture of sustainable farming: organic produce and homegrown compost, fruit-bearing trees, livestock shelter with water- bodies, well-nourished soil, natural fertilisers and, most importantly, a continuous source of income.
Born into a family of farmers, Prem (54) grew up on the fields amidst the once lush green farms, fresh harvest and livestock. After studying MA Philosophy at Allahabad University and Management in Rural Development under Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya, he joined his ancestors' occupation and began farming in 1987. Despite toiling daily, Prem’s family continued to be in loss; bank loans and interest rates increased with each passing loan repayment date. Two years into the profession, he realised that something was wrong: conventional agriculture was proving to be very expensive and his family began slipping into debt. Further, the increased use of fertilisers and chemicals proved to be harmful to the soil’s ecological balance.
That is when he started to look for alternative ways of farming and his meeting with Nagraj helped. In 1989, he sought his father’s permission to start experimenting with sustainable and traditional farming in a small part of his land.
Prem Singh of Banda district in Uttar Pradesh now practices Avartansheel Kheti, also known as Periodic proportionate farming, which he says is the way forward for farmers in the country. Avartansheel Kheti is based on the philosophy of A Nagraj, who was a proponent of harmonious co-existence. Singh believes that nature value adds to everything, like trees add value to the soil nutrients by producing fruits. Similarly, farmers should also process everything before selling. Mr Singh, in accordance with the philosophy of Avartansheel Kheti, insists that farmers should produce food for themselves first and what remains after consumption should be sold in the market. This way, the farmer will never put harmful pesticides and fertilisers if they are growing for themselves.
He explains the method of his technique: the farmer would have to utilise his farm by dividing it into three parts: core one-third would be used for rearing fruits and crops, the outer one-third for growing timber and the remaining portion for animal husbandry. The outer circle of trees shields the inner crops from wind and reduces the intensity of the weather extremities.
Mr Singh now processes all the produce from his farm, He makes pickle out of turmeric; candy and powder out of amla (gooseberry), sattu or gram flour __________ chickpeas, and produces paneer from milk. He also gets about 15-20 tonnes of mango every year, which he sells in the open market. Middlemen, he thinks, are one of the biggest problems for farmers and he says that the only way to reach the consumer directly is by processing the produce at the farm level.
Mr. Singh’s multi-pronged technique, pioneered and implemented by him for over a decade, is similar to the idea of farming Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been propagating in his addresses to farmers.
Directions: Read the following passage and answer the following questions. Some words are highlighted to help you answer some of the questions.
With the Humane Agrarian Centre, a one-of-a-kind rural museum, Prem Singh’s farm stands as an exception in the hilly region of Bundelkhand, divided between Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. The land is otherwise synonymous with droughts, farmer suicides, unemployment as a result of crop failure, extreme weather conditions with below-average rainfall, and low water availability. Despite all the odds stacked against him, Prem Singh made out against these tribulations as a farmer who went debt-free without loans from the banks only by using taking the less travelled road. Singh’s lush green farmland paints a vivid picture of sustainable farming: organic produce and homegrown compost, fruit-bearing trees, livestock shelter with water- bodies, well-nourished soil, natural fertilisers and, most importantly, a continuous source of income.
Born into a family of farmers, Prem (54) grew up on the fields amidst the once lush green farms, fresh harvest and livestock. After studying MA Philosophy at Allahabad University and Management in Rural Development under Mahatma Gandhi Chitrakoot Gramoday Vishwavidyalaya, he joined his ancestors' occupation and began farming in 1987. Despite toiling daily, Prem’s family continued to be in loss; bank loans and interest rates increased with each passing loan repayment date. Two years into the profession, he realised that something was wrong: conventional agriculture was proving to be very expensive and his family began slipping into debt. Further, the increased use of fertilisers and chemicals proved to be harmful to the soil’s ecological balance.
That is when he started to look for alternative ways of farming and his meeting with Nagraj helped. In 1989, he sought his father’s permission to start experimenting with sustainable and traditional farming in a small part of his land.
Prem Singh of Banda district in Uttar Pradesh now practices Avartansheel Kheti, also known as Periodic proportionate farming, which he says is the way forward for farmers in the country. Avartansheel Kheti is based on the philosophy of A Nagraj, who was a proponent of harmonious co-existence. Singh believes that nature value adds to everything, like trees add value to the soil nutrients by producing fruits. Similarly, farmers should also process everything before selling. Mr Singh, in accordance with the philosophy of Avartansheel Kheti, insists that farmers should produce food for themselves first and what remains after consumption should be sold in the market. This way, the farmer will never put harmful pesticides and fertilisers if they are growing for themselves.
He explains the method of his technique: the farmer would have to utilise his farm by dividing it into three parts: core one-third would be used for rearing fruits and crops, the outer one-third for growing timber and the remaining portion for animal husbandry. The outer circle of trees shields the inner crops from wind and reduces the intensity of the weather extremities.
Mr Singh now processes all the produce from his farm, He makes pickle out of turmeric; candy and powder out of amla (gooseberry), sattu or gram flour __________ chickpeas, and produces paneer from milk. He also gets about 15-20 tonnes of mango every year, which he sells in the open market. Middlemen, he thinks, are one of the biggest problems for farmers and he says that the only way to reach the consumer directly is by processing the produce at the farm level.
Mr. Singh’s multi-pronged technique, pioneered and implemented by him for over a decade, is similar to the idea of farming Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been propagating in his addresses to farmers.
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