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Which one of the following best describes the concept of 'Small Farmer Large Field'?
Explanation
The correct answer is Option 2. The 'Small Farmer Large Field' (SFLF) model is an innovative collective farming approach designed to overcome the disadvantages faced by small and marginal farmers due to land fragmentation.
Under this model:
- Farmers voluntarily organize into groups to pool their lands virtually, without losing individual ownership.
- They synchronize and harmonize agricultural operations like seed procurement, sowing, and harvesting.
- This collective action creates economies of scale, reducing input costs and increasing bargaining power in the market.
Option 1 is incorrect as it describes refugee resettlement. Option 3 describes a land-lease arrangement which involves surrendering land, contrary to the SFLF principle of retained ownership. Option 4 describes Contract Farming, where a company dictates production for its specific industrial needs, whereas SFLF focuses on farmer-led synchronization for better efficiency and market integration.
PROVENANCE & STUDY PATTERN
Guest previewThis question is a classic 'Term-Logic' test. While the specific phrase 'Small Farmer Large Field' (an IRRI model) might be missing from static texts, the options describe standard agrarian concepts: Collectivisation (A), Cooperative/FPO logic (B), Corporate Farming (C), and Contract Farming (D). You solve this by matching the literal meaning of the phrase to the correct mechanism.
This question can be broken into the following sub-statements. Tap a statement sentence to jump into its detailed analysis.
Describes collectivisation (kolkhoz) where small peasant holdings were eliminated and peasants forced to cultivate collectively on large, state-controlled farms.
A student could combine this pattern of forced consolidation and collective cultivation with knowledge of post‑war land policies to test whether "Small Farmer Large Field" refers to resettlement of wartime uprooted people or to internal collectivisation.
Explains that most holdings are small/marginal and fragmented, and that such small size is viewed as unsuitable for modern (mechanised) agriculture.
Use this rule (small fragmented holdings motivating consolidation) plus knowledge of state responses to land fragmentation to judge if the concept implies consolidation into large collective fields.
Notes variation in what counts as a large farmer and that large farmers were the main gainers from modernisation, able to adopt new technology and expand landholdings.
A student could extend this by checking whether "Large Field" implies state-created large units (collective/state farms) or simply larger private holdings, helping separate collectivisation from resettlement-based schemes.
Highlights widespread existence of small plots and their relation to landless labour, and asks whether cultivated land distribution is unequal.
Combine this pattern of unequal/fragmented holdings with historical examples of land consolidation to assess if the concept involves collective cultivation and shared produce.
Describes how small/marginal farmers are disadvantaged (lack access to inputs/credit), which can motivate policies to reorganise agriculture into larger, more viable units.
A student could link this motivation for reorganisation to either privatized land consolidation or state collectivisation, and then check whether the statement's specific claim about wartime resettlement matches either option.
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