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Change and Development in Rural Society – Class 12 Sociology notes, important questions and MCQs

NCERT Class 12 Sociology, chapter 10. Notes, key terms, important questions with answers and MCQs.

Chapter overview

Agriculture is the main source of livelihood for a large part of India's rural population, and agrarian structure, meaning the distribution of land, shapes rural social relations. After independence, land reforms tried to reduce inequality, and the Green Revolution increased production but also widened inequalities. Liberalisation and globalisation have brought new changes, including contract farming, rural migration and agrarian distress.

Agrarian structure and land reforms

Land ownership is unequal and closely linked to caste: dominant landowning castes control land, while many Dalits and Adivasis are landless labourers.
Land reforms included abolition of the zamindari system, tenancy reforms and land ceiling laws; zamindari abolition succeeded most, while ceiling laws were weakly implemented because of loopholes such as benami transfers.
The Green Revolution (from the mid-1960s) used high-yielding seeds, fertilisers, pesticides and irrigation, mainly in Punjab, Haryana and western UP, raising output.

Consequences and new changes

The Green Revolution benefited large and medium farmers more, increased mechanisation, displaced some tenants and labourers, and created regional inequality and environmental problems.
Rural labour has become more migratory; 'footloose labour' (a term by Jan Breman) moves seasonally to cities, brick kilns and other farms, and the feminisation of agricultural labour has occurred as men migrate.
Liberalisation brought contract farming, export-oriented crops and greater dependence on markets; indebtedness and crop failure have contributed to agrarian distress and farmer suicides.

Key terms

Agrarian structure: the pattern of land ownership and relations in agriculture
Land ceiling: an upper limit on the amount of land a family can own
Green Revolution: increase in crop yields through HYV seeds, fertilisers and irrigation
Contract farming: a company contracts farmers to grow crops for it at fixed terms
Feminisation of agricultural labour: rising share of women in agricultural work

Important questions with answers

What is contract farming?2 marks

Contract farming is an arrangement in which a company contracts farmers to grow specific crops, often for export or processing, and agrees to buy the produce at a fixed price. It gives assured markets but makes farmers dependent on companies and may reduce food crop cultivation.

Why were land reforms only partly successful?3 marks

Zamindari abolition removed intermediaries, but tenancy reforms often led to eviction of tenants, and land ceiling laws were weakened by loopholes, benami transfers in the names of relatives, exemptions and lack of political will, so little surplus land was redistributed.

Discuss the social consequences of the Green Revolution.5 marks

The Green Revolution, launched in the mid-1960s, introduced high-yielding varieties of wheat and rice along with chemical fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation and mechanisation, first in Punjab, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. It greatly increased food production and helped India become self-sufficient in foodgrains. However, its social consequences were mixed. Since it required costly inputs, large and medium farmers who could afford them benefited most, while small and marginal farmers lagged behind, increasing inequality within villages. Mechanisation reduced the demand for some labour, and many tenants were evicted as landlords took back land to cultivate profitably. Relations between landlords and labourers changed from traditional patron-client ties to cash wage relations. Regional inequality grew, since irrigated areas benefited while dry and rainfed regions did not. Commercialisation made farmers more dependent on markets and credit. Environmental problems arose, including soil degradation, falling water tables and pesticide pollution. Some dominant castes gained economic and political power. In some areas, increased prosperity also led to agrarian movements of rich farmers. Thus the Green Revolution brought growth but also new forms of inequality and distress.

Quick revision

Agrarian structure and caste.
Land reforms and their limits.
Green Revolution and its consequences.
Migration, contract farming and agrarian distress.

Exam tips

Remember the three types of land reforms: zamindari abolition, tenancy reform, land ceiling.
List two positive and two negative effects of the Green Revolution.

Practice MCQs

The pattern of land ownership in agriculture is called
1. agrarian structure
2. industrial structure
3. urban structure
4. market structure
Show answer
Answer: (a) agrarian structure. It shapes rural relations.
The Green Revolution began in India in the
1. 1940s
2. 2000s
3. 1990s
4. mid-1960s
Show answer
Answer: (d) mid-1960s. HYV seeds were introduced.
An upper limit on land a family can own is a
1. land tax
2. land record
3. land ceiling
4. tenancy
Show answer
Answer: (c) land ceiling. It aimed to redistribute land.
The Green Revolution was most successful in
1. Punjab, Haryana and western UP
2. Kerala and Assam
3. Odisha and Bihar only
4. Rajasthan only
Show answer
Answer: (a) Punjab, Haryana and western UP. They had irrigation.
Workers who move seasonally from place to place for work were called 'footloose labour' by
1. Jan Breman
2. Srinivas
3. Ghurye
4. Desai
Show answer
Answer: (a) Jan Breman. He studied migrant workers.
Land ceiling laws were weakly implemented mainly because of
1. too much land
2. lack of farmers
3. loopholes such as benami transfers
4. excess rainfall
Show answer
Answer: (c) loopholes such as benami transfers. Landlords evaded them.
Why is the rising share of women in farm work called feminisation of agricultural labour
1. men migrate to other work, leaving women to do more farm labour
2. women own most land
3. machines replaced women
4. women stopped farming
Show answer
Answer: (a) men migrate to other work, leaving women to do more farm labour. Women's workload increased.
A major social consequence of the Green Revolution was
1. greater inequality as richer farmers gained more
2. equal benefit for all
3. end of all rural migration
4. abolition of caste
Show answer
Answer: (a) greater inequality as richer farmers gained more. Small farmers could not afford inputs.

All chapters of Class 12 Sociology

Written by Kundali IQ from standard, well-established facts to help with revision. This is not an official NCERT publication; always read your textbook too.