A Seed Tells a Farmer's Story Class 5 NCERT Guide

Chapter Overview: What Story Does a Seed Tell?

This chapter teaches us to look at a seed as the beginning of a long journey. Before a seed becomes grain, cotton, pulses or vegetables, the farmer must prepare the field, choose seeds, arrange water, protect the crop and harvest it at the right time. The chapter also shows that farming has changed with time. Machines can save labour, pumps can bring water, and new seeds can give more crop. But these changes may need money, fuel and electricity. If the crop fails because of less rain, pests or poor soil, the farmer may suffer a big loss. So EVS asks us to think with care: farming gives us food, but farmers take many risks to grow it.

Important Terms in the Chapter

Seed

The part of a plant that can grow into a new plant when it gets suitable soil, water, air and warmth.

Manure

Natural material made from animal dung, dry leaves and plant waste. It improves the soil and helps plants grow.

Fertiliser

A substance, often made in factories, added to soil to give nutrients quickly. Too much use can harm soil and water.

Pesticide

A chemical or natural substance used to kill insects and pests that damage crops.

Irrigation

The process of giving water to crops through wells, canals, pumps, tanks or other methods.

How a Crop Grows: From Seed to Harvest

1. Step 1: Preparing the field — The farmer loosens and turns the soil by ploughing. This allows air to enter the soil and helps roots spread easily. Earlier, bullocks were commonly used; now tractors are also used in many places.
2. Step 2: Sowing seeds — Good seeds are selected and placed in the soil at the correct distance. If seeds are too close, plants compete for water, sunlight and nutrients.
3. Step 3: Watering and adding nutrients — Crops need water at the right time. Farmers may use rainwater, wells, canals or pumps. Manure or fertiliser is added so the soil can support healthy plant growth.
4. Step 4: Protecting the crop — Weeds, insects and diseases can reduce the crop. Farmers remove weeds and may use natural methods or pesticides to protect plants. Care is needed because chemicals can harm health and soil if overused.
5. Step 5: Harvesting and storing — When the crop is ready, it is cut, dried and stored. Proper storage protects grains and seeds from moisture, rats and insects. Some farmers save seeds for the next season.

Farming Earlier and Farming Today

Worked Answer Examples

• Q: Why do farmers need to think carefully before buying new seeds?
  A: Step 1: New seeds may give more crop, but they usually cost money.
  Step 2: They may also need more water, fertiliser or pesticide.
  Step 3: If rain is less or pests attack, the farmer may lose both crop and money.
  Final answer: Farmers must think carefully because new seeds can increase production but also increase cost and risk.

• Q: Explain one benefit and one problem of using a tractor.
  A: Step 1: A tractor ploughs the field faster than bullocks or hand tools.
  Step 2: It saves time, especially when a large field must be prepared before the season changes.
  Step 3: But a tractor needs fuel, repair and money to buy or rent.
  Final answer: A tractor saves time and labour, but it can be expensive for small farmers.

Common Mistakes and Exam Tips

Do not write that modern farming is only good or only bad. CBSE EVS expects balanced thinking. For example, pumps help crops get water, but too much pumping can reduce groundwater. Fertilisers help plants grow, but overuse can damage soil. In answers, use cause and effect words such as because, so, therefore and however. Also remember: a farmer's work does not end after sowing seeds; watering, weeding, protecting, harvesting and storing are equally important.

Practice Questions with Solutions

• Q: List any four things a farmer needs to grow a crop.
  A: Step 1: Think about what a plant needs to grow: soil, water, sunlight and air.
  Step 2: Think about what the farmer adds or uses: seeds, tools, manure or fertiliser.
  Step 3: Choose four important items from these.
  Final answer: A farmer needs seeds, soil, water and manure or fertiliser to grow a crop.

• Q: Why did many farmers earlier save seeds from their own crops?
  A: Step 1: Earlier, farmers did not always buy seeds from the market.
  Step 2: They kept good seeds from the harvest for the next season.
  Step 3: This saved money and helped them use seeds suited to their local soil and climate.
  Final answer: Many farmers saved seeds because it reduced cost and gave them seeds already suitable for their fields.

• Q: How can too much use of chemical fertilisers harm farming?
  A: Step 1: Fertilisers add nutrients and can help crops grow quickly.
  Step 2: But using too much can make the soil weak over time.
  Step 3: Chemicals may also mix with water and harm living things.
  Final answer: Too much chemical fertiliser can damage soil quality and pollute water, making farming difficult later.

• Q: A farmer's crop is attacked by insects. What can the farmer do, and what care should be taken?
  A: Step 1: The farmer must first identify that insects are damaging leaves, stems or grains.
  Step 2: The farmer can remove pests, use natural methods or use pesticides if needed.
  Step 3: If pesticides are used, they should be used in the correct amount and safely.
  Final answer: The farmer can protect the crop from pests, but pesticides must be used carefully to avoid harming people, animals, soil and water.

Frequently Asked Questions