SYSTEMS OF FARMING 1. peasant farming 2. state farming 3. capitalistic farming 4. collective farming 5. cooperative farming

1. PEASANT FARMING, STATE FARMING,
CAPITALISTIC FARMING, COLLECTIVE
FARMING, COOPERATIVE FARMING
P. DHAMODHARAN
DEPARTMENT OF AGRONOMY

2. PEASANT FARMING

3. PEASANT - Introduction
A peasant is a pre-industrial agricultural laborer or a farmer with limited land-ownership or
paying rent, tax, fees, or services to a landlord.
Peasants may not own land while working on land on the basis of tenancy, rent etc. and may be
related to feudal order of landlord slave system, while farmers own land, livestock and are
higher in order.
This type is practised by peasant farmers on small farm holdings. The output of the farm is
both for subsistence and for sale. The labour is mostly supplied by the farmer and his family.
Simple farm implements are used.

4. This system of farming refers to the type of organization in which an individual cultivator is the
owner, manager and organizer of the farm.
He makes decisions and plans for his farm depending upon his resources which are generally
meager in comparison to other systems of farming.
“A peasant society is composed of settled rural people, engaged for the most part in
agricultural production, whose productive activities and culturally distinct characteristics are
influenced, shaped, or determined to a significant extent by powerful outsiders”.

5. Types of Peasants
i. On the Basis of Land Ownership:
The peasants who have the document of land ownership in their name are the Maliks, those
who do not own the land ownership document (patta) but cultivate the land are the Kisans and
the tillers of the land, i.e., the agricultural laborers, are known as the Mazdoors.
ii. On the Basis of the Size of the Land Holdings:
a. Rich Peasants: more than 15 acres of land.
b. Small Peasants: between the size of 2.5 and 5 acres.
c. Marginal Farmers: less than 2.5 acres.
d. Landless Peasants: These peasants earn their livelihood by working as manual laborers in
agricultural lands of others as they do not possess any land. They work as sharecroppers and
sub-tenants.

6. Iii. Peasant Classification on the Basis of Resource Ownership:
a. Owner-cultivator.
b. Largely owner-cultivator.
c. Largely tenant-cultivator.
d. Tenant-cultivator.
e. Totally poor peasant.

7. FEATURES OF PEASENT FARMING
 Location
Monsoon lands of SE Asia on fertile river plains around the Indus and Ganges.
 Population density
Nuclear villages
High densities are possible due to high fertility of the land and high yields.
 settlement pattern
Ganges valley – the land of million villages
“busy ” landscape dominated by villages, terraced hillsides and flooded paddy fields.
Fragmentation of farms

8. Climate and soil
Equatorial and monsoon climate
Fertile soils- alluvium, silts
Long growing season and fertile soils – ideal for growing cereals
Technology- Low cost of technology
Labours – children are also helpful
Animals – water buffaloes

9. Main Features Small fields due to land
tenure
Rice being planted under water.
Lack of mechanisation.
High number of workers.
Use of animals.
Embankment used to retain water.
Slopes terraced to maximise land use and conserve soil and water.

10. Advantages of Peasant Farming:
(a) Better Supervision
(b) More Employment
(c) Greater Productivity
(d) Tenacity of Small Farms
(e) Possibility of Quick Decision
Higher yields mean people are better fed and may even have surplus crops for sale or export.
Increased yields have meant a drop in food prices for local people in some areas.
Faster growing HYVs allow an extra crop to be grown each year.
Yields are more reliable as many new varieties are more disease-resistant.

11. Disadvantages of Peasant Farming:
(a) Difficulty in Using Improved Practices and Improved Inputs
(b) Low Marketable Surplus
(c) No Optimum Use of Available Resources
(d) Weak Commercial Motive
HYVs need a reliable and controlled water supply and much greater amounts of machinery and
agrochemicals. These greatly increase farmers' costs.
Only rich farmers, who can afford to invest in these changes, will benefit.
Those who can't afford the extra cost of modernisation run into debt and can end up being
forced off their land.

12. State farming

13. State farming
State farming, as the name indicate, is managed by the government.
Here the operation and management is done by the government officials.
Suratgarh farm in Rajasthan and state farm at Bahraich in Uttar Pradesh are some of the
examples of this system.
A state farm can be described as a farm that has been established with all the funds required
by the government and the inputs provided by the state.
But such farms are not many and they are generally attached either to some institution or they
themselves are institutions for a particular work. Supervision is done by the farm manager or
farm incharge who in turn is a government official.
No limitation of resources

14. All the labourers are hired on daily or monthly basis and they have no right in deciding farm
policy. Such farms are not very paying because of lack of incentive.
Farm policy is usually planned at the top whereas farming is such a profession which requires
immediate and at the spot decision.
 Such farming system is often practiced to carry out farm research work, demonstration and
production of quality seeds, e.g. research farm. Farms are managed by the governments.
 State farming is not profitability

15. Capitalistic Farming

16. Capitalistic Farming
In Capitalistic farming system, farming activities are controlled and manipulated by individual
entrepreneurs. Capitalistic farming system is predominant in South America, North America and
Europe. Prominent aspects of capitalistic management exist in the world.
Main objective is to maximize the profit.
Capitalists use the improved method and farming technologies on their big farm.
In India it is confined to tea, coffee and rubber gardens. Plantation is the commonest example
of capitalistic farming.

17. Estate farming
The management and ownership of such farms is under rich persons or capitalists.
The size of such farms is sufficiently large and the management is also quite efficient.
These farms are owned by individuals or groups of individuals or shareholders.
Resources are plenty, latest technical know how is used and hence they are efficient.
Sugar factories farms, rubber, coffee and tea plantations are common examples of such a
system.
Management is paid and the general policies are decided by managing body or board of
directors.
These farms are not very common in India but in USA, Australia, Canada or newly developed
agricultural countries they are very common.

18. Features
Estate farming
Ownership & management under rich person(capitalists),or Group of individuals (Shareholder)
Farm size is large
Management are very efficient
Resources are not limited
New technology are easily adopted
Mechanization of farm activities Common in USA,CANADA ,hills of INDIA
The advantages of such farming are good supervision, strong organizational setup, sufficient
resources etc.
Its weaknesses are that it creates socio-economic unbalances and the actual cultivator is not the
owner of the farm.

19. Collective farming

20. collective farming
The name collective farming implies the collective management of land wherein large number of
families or villagers residing in the same village pool their resources, e.g. land livestock machinery,
etc.
In this farming, multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise. That type of collective is
often an agricultural cooperative in which member-owners jointly engage in farming activities
A general body having highest power is formed which manages the farm. These resources then do
not belong to any family or farmer but to the society or the collective.
If any farmer wants to dissociate from it, he can do so, but he cannot go with his share (resource).
This system had started in Russia.
This system is not prevalent in India.
Farming is done generally on large scale and thereby is mostly mechanized.
Maharashtra & Tamilnadu have some such farming collaboration with corporates.

21. Features of collective farming
• Farm ownership & management under society.
• All family head member surrender their land , livestock , and machine to the society.
• Management committee elected by member.
• Farm is considered as a unit.
• Resources belong to society.
• Payment to the workers on the basis of quality and quantity of work.
• Committee provide services to their member.
• Very common in communist countries(China ,Cuba etc.)

22. Cooperative farming

23. Cooperative farming
All the members/farmers pool their land, labour and capital on the voluntary basis and
perform the farming operation to get mutual benefit.
Co-operative farming is a voluntary organization in which small farmers and landless labourers
increase their income by pooling land resources.
According to planning commission, Co-operative farming necessarily implies pooling of land
and joint management. The working group on co-operative farming defines a co-operative
farming society as “a voluntary association of cultivators for better utilization of resources
including manpower and pooled land and in which majority of the members participate in farm
operation with a view to increasing agricultural production, employment and income.”

24. Characteristics
Members pool their resources voluntarily & manage farm jointly under a democratic set- up.
Pooled land treated as one unit.
Effective utilisation of pooled resources.
Farmer retain right on his own land.
A part of the profit is divided in proportion to the land contributors, and rest is distributed in
proportion to the labour contributed by each farmer.

26. Types of cooperative farming
Co-operative better farming: These societies are based on individual ownership and individual
operation. Farmers who have small holdings and limited resources join to form a society for
some specific purpose eg: use of machinery, sale of product. They are organized with a view to
introduce improved methods of agriculture. Each farmer pays for the services which he receives
from the society. The earnings of the member from piece of land, after deducting the expenses,
his profit
Co-operative Joint farming: Under this type, the right of individual ownership is recognized and
respected but the small owners pool their land for the purpose of joint cultivation. The
ownership is individual but the operations are collective. The management is democratic and is
elected by the members of the society. Each member working on the farm receives daily wages
for his daily work and profit is distributed according to his share in land.

27. Co-operative tenant farming: Such societies are usually organized by landless farmers. In this
system usually land belongs to the society. The land is divided into plots which are leased out for
cultivation to individual members. The society arranges for agricultural requirements eg: credit,
seeds, manures, marketing of the produce etc. Each member is responsible to the society for the
payments of rent on his plot. He is at liberty to dispose of his produce in such a manner as he
likes.
Co-operative collective farming: Both ownership and operations under this system are
collective. Members do not have any right on land and they can not take farming decisions
independently but are guided by a supreme general body. It undertakes joint cultivation for
which all members pool their resources. Profit is distributed according to the labour and capitals
invested by the members