Question

List the different types of people you read about in Kalpattu who depend on farming. Who is the poorest among them and why?

Answer 1

HINT: In India, the agriculture sector employs more than 50% of the population. A lot of non-farming secondary activities are also dependent upon agriculture. But there is a drastic inequality even within the sector. Most of the village land and resources are owned by a handful of farmers while others are left with no land or very little to lead a comfortable life.

COMPLETE ANSWER:
Kalpattu is a small coastal village in Tamil Nadu. People here are engaged in various farming and non-farming jobs.
 Types of people dependent on farming are:
 (A) Agricultural laborers (like Thulasi) who do not own land and work on others’ lands as laborers for sustenance.
 (B) Small farmers (like Sekar) have a small plot of land and are often dependent on loans for purchasing fertilizers, seeds machinery, etc.
 (C) Big farmers (like Ramalingam) cultivate most of the land in the village. Having large land, they are left with a lot of surpluses which can be sold in the market.
Agricultural laborers are the poorest among all. They don't own land. Therefore for livelihood, they work on other farmers’ farms either in their village or they may travel long distances in search of work. The work in the agriculture sector is seasonal and so when there is no work they have to find other low-paying jobs. The wages are minimal, and hardly fulfill their primary needs like food shelter, and clothing. Secondary needs like education and health are many times out of reach of agriculture laborers.

NOTE:
Small farmers have land but the earning through it is not enough for sustenance. So they are often forced to borrow money either from banks or money lenders. If the yield is not good they are trapped in a debt cycle where all their current income gets used up in repaying the accumulated debt, leaving little money with them. Next year they again need to get a loan for basic needs. This is called debt overhang.