Malgudi Express

8/13/2019 Malgudi Express

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MALGUDI EXPRESS

This simulation was developed on the basis of fieldwork conducted by the faculty of IRMA

in a village in Sabarkantha district of Gujarat. It focuses attention on decision making

processes of farmers, especially the small and marginal farmers. It also seeks to simulate,

under some simplifying assumptions, how decisions taken by large farmers influence the

fortunes of small farmers. It is expected that it will give you an experience that will sensitizeyou to issues of the rural poor in our country and help to develop better understanding of

conditions under which policy interventions could produce better results.

There are four main actors in the game: (1) the Game Manager who represents God andthe Government, (2) the Trader who represents the market and the implementing arm of

the Government, (3) the households of the village represented by you - the participants,and (4) the Game Inspectors to supervise the game and to help you and validate/ratify

your transactions.

Malgudi Express simulates economic relationships underlying four major subsystems of

the village economy, namely, (i) crop production system, (ii) livestock production system,(iii) household system, and (iv) market system. These basic interrelationships are shown

in Figure 1 at the end of this note.

The first thing you have to do is to form teams from among yourselves, according to the

instructions given, to represent individual households of Malgudi village. Each team will

consist of 3 members. At the beginning of the game, you will be given the details regarding

the family members and assets of the village household of which you will jointly act as the

head throughout the game. You will take decisions for this household as well as accept

the consequences of these decisions.

The objective of each team during the simulation is to manage such assets as it has, in a

manner that

a. it can at least meet subsistence requirements for all family members,

b. It can feed appropriately its young and adult animals, and

c. It can maximize its financial surplus/wealth after meeting all these requirements.

The main data set that you will need in order to take your decisions is presented in the

next section. Do spend some time to understand these tables before you come for thesimulation. It will involve quite a bit of computations, and you will not have access to MS

XL. So do get a calculator; it will stand you in good stead! Bringing some pencils, an eraserand a sharpner may also be a good idea.

The rest of the game will be explained to you by your Game Manager before you beginthe simulation.


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Figure: 1

Economic Relationships Underlying Malgudi Express

Market

HYV Seeds System

Fertiliser

Pesticides

IrrigationMaize

Gheepower Maize

Crop Maize LivestockProduction Maize Production

System Straw SystemBullock powerunits

LabourLabour

Milk

HouseholdMaizeSystem


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DATA TABLESThe main data you will need in order to play Malgudi Express and take your decisions ispresented in Table I to VI. Your asset base and your family details will be allotted to youat the beginning of the simulation.

Please go through it carefully and familiarize yourselves with the rules. Also, please go

through the entries to be made in the Players Recording Statement (PRS).Your GameManager will help you in understanding how to make entries in the PRS before theSimulation begins.

Table I Crop production states

No drought, nopest attack

No drought, butpest attack

Drought, butno pest attack

Drought andpest attack

no irrigation, nopesticide

A C B D

irrigation only A+ C+ A C

pesticide only A A B B

irrigation andpesticide

A+ A+ A A

Table II Crop yield (kg/acre) corresponding to different crop states

and production technologies

Crop Maize Grain Maize Straw

Ordinary HYV Ordinary HYVProdNo With No With No With No Withferti ferti ferti- ferti- ferti- ferti- ferti- ferti-

States

A+ 1080 1560 1200 2160 2640 3120 4680 5400

A 900 1300 1000 1800 2200 2600 3900 4500

B 600 750 350 480 2100 2400 3700 4100

C+ 780 984 600 720 2160 2520 3720 3960

C 650 820 500 600 1800 2100 3100 3300

D 430 480 140 160 1700 2000 2700 3000


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Table III Inputs requirements (per acre) for maize crop

Input requirements Maize (ord seed) Maize (HYV seed)

Essential

seeds (kg) 30 30

labour (FLU/year) 1 1.5bulls (BPU/year) 2 4

Optional

irrigation power (hours) 40 60

fertilizer (kg) 50 100

pesticide (kg) 5 10

Notes:

1. HYV refers to High Yield Varietyseeds for maize. These seeds are genetically modifiedin order to give a crop yield higher than the ordinary seeds.

2. The maize crop from HYV seed, if used as seed the next year, will not carry HYV traits. Itmay also be highly prone to pest attacks. Crop from ordinary seed will not have thisdrawback.

3. Maize straw is used as fodder for animals.4. Land can only be used in units of 1 acre. You cannot take any decisions for fractions of

one acre.5. FLU (Family Labour Unit)is the labour put in for one year by one male or female in the

age group of 1660 years. Labour can be used or hired in terms of FLUs. Each familymember in the specified age group provides labour equivalent of 1 FLU per year. A child,on attaining the age of 16, starts providing 1 FLU. An adult (male or female) attaining theage of 60 cannot be used as farm labour. However, the nutritional requirements of theperson do not change.

6. BPU (Bull Power Units)is the bull power needed for land preparation, tilling and other

farming operations. A single bull provides 20 BPUs per year.7. In order to irrigate your land, you should have a well and a pump set. Since the water

table is very low, digging a well and mounting a pump costs Rs. 10,000. You can buy thepump from the trader. You will also have to buy power for running your pump from thetrader. One well and pumpset can generate a maximum of 600 irrigation hours per year.You could also buy irrigation hours from some other farmer who may have made theinvestment, at a price mutually agreed upon.

8. Other inputs i.e. seed, fertilizer and pesticide can be bought from the trader at pricesannounced by him/her from time to time. These prices will be displayed on a chart next tothe trader.

9. The trader will also buy your output (maize) from you at prices announced by him/herannually.

10. You can store your excess maize production for consumption for next year.

11. Any surplus of maize straw, FLUs, BPUs and irrigation hours will have to be consumed ortraded in the same year. These are perishables and cannot be stored for future use.12. Any surplus of fertilizer, seed or pesticide not used this year can be stored for future use.13. The rainfall and pest situationwill be announced by the Game Manager from time to

time.


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Table IV Food requirements for subsistence

Family members Maize (kg/year/person) Milk(kg/yr/person)

adult >= 16 yrs 300 25

child < 16 yrs 300 75

Notes:

1. The food requirements for your family are to be computed on the basis of the perhead requirement given in the above table.

2. If you are not able to arrange for total requirements for the survival of your family,starvation deaths will occur with the youngest member of the family dying first.

3. Any surplus of maize or milk generated can be sold or stored only aftersubsistence maize and milk requirements for the entire family for the current yearhave been met.

4. If family labour is being hired out, the responsibility for feeding the person still

stays with the family he/she is a member of, unless explicitly decided on in thetrade.5. You cannot enter the next year of the game without balancing the feed

requirements of your family and animals or declaring them dead to balance thesame. The Game Manager has to certify this.


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Table V Feed input milk output relation for cow in-milk

Feed Feeding Rates MilkCombi- (kg/year) output

nations with

Maize Maize 5% fatstraw (kg/year)

1 2000 --- 150

2 1800 100 220

3 1700 200 340

4 1500 400 5855 1300 600 850

6 1200 750 950

Table VI Feed requirements for other cattle

Cattle Maize (kg/year/animal) Maize straw (kg/year/animal)Bull 300 2400

Cow (dry) - 2000Calf - 2000

Table VII Conversion of milk into ghee

Milk (kg) Ghee (kg)

20 1

Notes:

1. Each adult animal would require FLU to tend to iteach year.2. A young cow gives birth to a calf for the first time and begins to produce milk at

the beginning of the third year of her age.

3. From then on it gives birth to a calf every alternate year i.e. a cow gives birth to a

calf and produces milk in the 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th and 11th year of its life. During this

period it is referred to as a Cow in Milk. In the remaining years, it is referred to as

a Dry Cow.

4. A cow, either in milk or dry, cannot be drafted for farming operations.

5. A young bull becomes available for draft purposes from the third year of his life.

The normal life of any animal is limited to 12 years. When it reaches its 12th

year, it will die.

6. In case of a cow in milk, you can choose amongst the feeding rates given above.

The milk output of your cow will correspond to the feeding rate chosen by you.

7. Milk can be used for family consumption, sold to other households in need of it or

converted to ghee for sale to Trader. The conversion rate between milk and ghee


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is given in Appendix VI. The price at which the trader will buy ghee will be

announced every year.

If you are unable to provide enough fodder for your animals, your animals will diestarting with the youngest animal.

Table VIII Asset Value

S. No. Assets Unit price (Rs.)

1. land 5,000

2. bullocks 1,200

3. in-milk cows 1,000

4. dry cows 1,000

5. calf (male or female) 3007. Pumpset pegged to market price

Notes:

1. Prices will stay constant for the period of the game. There will be no appreciationor depreciation in asset value over time.


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PLAYERS

RECORDING STATEMENT


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Section 1. Demography & Resources

Category Ages

Adults (age >=16 yrs)

Children (age


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Players Recording Statement

Section 2. Crop Production System

Particulars Maize (ord) Maize (HYV)

2.1 Essential inputs

A. Land (acres)

B. Seed (kg)C. FLU

D. BPU

Signature of Game Manager

(Pls dont proceed without sign)

2.2 Crop status & optional inputs

A. Pest attack (Y/N) Y/N Y/N

B. Rain (Y/N)

C. Pesticide (kg)

D. Irrigation hrs

E. Crop status (A+, A,B,C+,C,D)F. Fertiliser (kg)

2.3 Output

A. Maize grain (kg)

B. Maize straw (kg)

Section 3. Animal Production System

Type of animal Maize Maize straw Milk output

A. Feed combination I/ II/ III

B. In milk cows

C. Dry cowsD. Calves

E. Bulls

Total

Section 4. Surplus or Deficit of Milk and Crop Output

Particulars Maize Maize straw Milk (kg)

A. Production

B. Family use

C. Animal use

Balance (+,-)

Coupons given: Coupons taken: Starvation deaths: Y/N

Milk Milk Humans:

Maize Maize Animals:

Maize Straw Maize straw

Cleared for the year: Yes/ No Sign _______________


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PRS (contd.)

Section 5. Transactions with other families

Famil

y no

Inflow Outflow Sign of family Sign of

inspector

Item Quantity Item Quantity

1. Entries in each row of Section 5 should be certified by the Game Inspector by putting his/her brief

signature at the end of the row.

2. In case of hiring of labour units or bull units, the responsibility for feeding the same is on the family

to which they belong. If feeding them is part of the wage, it must be clearly indicated in the contract

and the owner family should collect the food coupons (maize & milk) accordingly from the family

which hires in.

3. Any loans taken from other households can also be entered in Section 5, with the interest rate

agreed upon.


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Section 6. Transactions with Trader

6.1 Purchase of goods : cash outflows

Commodity Price Quantity Total expenditure Sign of trader

Maize seed ord

Maize seed HYV

FertilizerPesticide

Maize grain

Pump set

Irrigation power

Total

6.2 Sales of goods : Cash inflows

Commodity Price Quantity Total revenue Sign of trader

Maize grain

Ghee

1. Entries in each row of Section 6 should be certified by the Trader by putting his/her brief signature

at the end of the row.


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Sale and purchase of assets

Purchase of assets

Year Asset Price

(Rs.)

Quantity Total expenditure

(Rs.)

Sign of the

trader/ family

Sign of

inspector

Sale of assets

Year Asset Price

(Rs.)

Quantity Total expenditure

(Rs.)

Sign of the

family

Sign of

inspector


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NET WORTH STATEMENT (NWS)

(Statement for calculation of change in HouseholdsNet Worth)

A. Assets at the Beginning of the Game

S. no. Assets Number of units Unit Price (Rs.) Total Value(Rs)

1. Land

2. Bulls

3. In-Milk Cows

4. Dry Cows

5. Calves (male or female)

6. Well + pumpset

7. Cash

Total (A)

Part A of the NWS is to be filled as the beginning of the game.

B. Assets at the end of the Game

S. no. Assets Number of units Unit Price (Rs.) Total Value(Rs)

1. Land

2. Bulls

3. In-Milk cows

4. Dry cows

5. Calves (male or female)

6. Maize grain

7. Maize seed (HYV)

8. Ghee

9. Fertilizer

10. Pesticide

11. Well + pump set

12. Cash

Total (B)Part B of the NWS is to be filled at the end of the game. Please wait for the Game Manager to declare the

game closed.

C. Index of change in Net Worth (Asset Base)

(BA)

------------- x 100 =

A

Malgudi Express

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Transcript of Malgudi Express