NCERT Solutions for Class 5 EVS Chapter 19 - A Seed Tells A Farmers Story

Yes, I have eaten roti made from bajra and jowar. I found them different from those made from wheat. I liked these rotis.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Yes, rotis are made in my home. They are usually made from wheat, but in winters we also use bajra, jowar, and ragi to make the rotis.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

The following festivals are related to the cultivation and harvesting of crops—
i) Lohri, ii) Makar Sankranti, iii) Bihu, iv) Pongal
Makar Sankranti is celebrated in the North Indian states. It marks the termination of the winter season and the beginning of the new harvest season. It is also called Uttarayan.
The dishes made on Makar Sankranti are til ladoo, chikki, and daal churma.
People celebrate Makar Sankranti with their friends, relatives and neighbours. Women apply mehendi, boys fly kites, and the older people sing traditional songs.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

Yes, there were special foods like bajra khichdi, baakli and lapsi, which are not cooked anymore.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

The following crops are grown in my area—
i) Wheat
ii) Rice
iii) Maize
iv) Bajra
v) There are mango farms in my area which are famous in the country.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

My mother does the following things to protect grains and pulses from insects—
i) Dry them in the sun.
ii) Keep them in airtight containers.
iii) Add cloves and neem leaves to stop insects from entering the gunny bags containing grains and pulses.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

The differences noticed by the bajra seed are given below—

I would like to see progress in the following sectors in my area—
i) Better transport system.
ii) Advanced medical facilities.
iii) Proper schools in the locality.
iv) Space for playing and recreation.
[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

I feel that the seeds were right. Hasmukh was looking for short-term profits, and for this, he was over-exploiting the fields. He did not realise that such practices would lead to a permanent loss in the form of reduced soil fertility. Also, using modern machines will lead to loss of livelihood for many people, which cannot be considered progress. Hence, it can be concluded that there should be a balance in the use of every resource available.

Hasmukh may face the following problems after some years—
i) Loss of fertility of soil due to continuous cultivation.
ii) Pollution of soil due to the accumulation of non-biodegradable chemicals present in the chemical fertilizers.
iii) Loss in the production of crops may lead to debts and other financial crises.

Paresh must have chosen a different work due to the following reasons—
i) Agriculture depends on natural factors, and hence, financial benefits are not consistent.
ii) A lot of labour and resources are required for it.
iii) Strong investment is needed if one aims for high crop production, and for that, one needs financial stability.

The jobs which are underpaid and not respected by society are taken up by the poor and uneducated people. Due to poverty and lack of education and skills, poor people get involved in these types of works.

 Agriculture is dependent on various factors like rains, type of soil, availability of good quality seeds, usage of fertilizers, availability of modern machinery, irrigation facilities, etc. To carry out farming, many farmers take loans but cannot repay them as the produce is not enough to earn and repay. In this situation, the government should plan low interest loans so that the farmers are not overburdened by debt.
The government should think of ways where farmers are not solely dependent on the environmental factors for the produce. Moreover, during adverse conditions, the government should extend the time for repaying the loan without the interests so that farmers do not suffer.

I visited a farm near my city that is open for ordinary people to enjoy and observe how a farm operates. The farm belongs to an affluent family that has hired around 15 people for working on the farm. The farm occupies a large area of land, and various trees like guava, mango, tamarind, custard apple, sweet lime, etc., are grown there. A small patch of land there is used to cultivate wheat and bajra during their respective seasons. They also grow vegetables.
Apart from various trees and plants, they have a small dairy farm where they have kept five buffaloes and five cows. These buffaloes and cows give milk and help in other works. People on the farm use the animal waste to produce biogas that is used for cooking, and the remaining waste is used as manure.
I discovered that they do not use any chemical fertilizers and pesticides at the farm. Everything there is grown organically.
I felt refreshed by spending the whole day on the farm, and my parents bought a variety of fruits and vegetables. By visiting the farm, I got inspired to make a kitchen garden of my own.

[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

The following questions come to my mind about farmers and farming—

[Students should mention their experience based on the above lines.]

There have been the following changes in our food over time—
i) The majority of the population depends on wheat and rice.
ii) Earlier, people ate a variety of grains like jowar, bajra, ragi.
iii) The crops grown earlier did not comprise any chemical fertilizers
or pesticides. They were grown organically using natural manure.
iv) Packaged or ready-to-eat food is consumed by many people these
days, whereas there was no concept of such food earlier.
v) People nowadays are exposed to different types of cuisines like
Chinese, Continental, Mexican, etc., which include foods like pizza,
burgers, tacos, wantons, etc. Earlier, people did not know these food
items.

A sieve would have been used while sieving the flour so that the husk would get separated from the flour.

 i) Ripe Bajra cobs are harvested manually with a sickle.
ii) The cobs are beaten to separate the Bajra grains out of it.
iii) The Bajra grains are cleaned and sieved to separate the dust particles.
iv) A grinder (chakki) is used to make flour out of Bajra grains.
v) The flour obtained is sieved to remove the husk and the other unwanted particles out of it.
vi) A dough is prepared from the flour by mixing water in it.
vii) Small rotis are made from the dough.
viii) The rotis are baked on a tawa with the help of heat.
ix) The baked rotis are ready to eat.

The picture shows a sickle being used for cutting the cobs from the stem of the plants.

A grinder is used to make flour out of seeds and then the flour is mixed with water to make a dough out of it.

It would have the following effects—
i) Effect on soil: The soil will lose nutrients that are required to grow that particular crop. A change in crop cultivation in every season helps the soil replenish its nutrients.
ii) Effect on people: People will get bored eating only one type of grain. There would be no variety in food.

There have been the following changes in our food over time—
i) The majority of the population depends on wheat and rice.
ii) Earlier, people ate a variety of grains like jowar, bajra, ragi.
iii) The crops grown earlier did not comprise any chemical fertilizers or pesticides. They were grown organically using natural manure.
iv) Packaged or ready-to-eat food is consumed by many people these days, whereas there was no concept of such food earlier.
v) People nowadays are exposed to different types of cuisines like Chinese, Continental, Mexican, etc., which include foods like pizza, burgers, tacos, wantons, etc. Earlier, people did not know these food items.