Answer:
During seventeenth century the conditions of average peasant was not very good, though it was better than what was to follow during British Raj. The average peasant of North India mostly possessed a pair of bullocks and two ploughs to work in fields. Seldom did they have more than this. The average land holding was very less among average peasants and those who had 5-6 Acres were considered to be affluent. Though agriculture was labor intensive but peasants did use technologies that often harnessed cattle energy. For example, the wooden plough, this was light and easily assembled with an iron tip or coulter. Most of the average peasants were engaged in subsistence agriculture but they also sowed vegetables like tomatoes potatoes and chilies etc. which were introduced from the New World at this time. The Mughal state also encouraged peasants to cultivate such crops as they brought in more revenue. Example: Sugarcane, mustard etc. This shows that subsistence and commercial production were closely intertwined in an average peasant?s holding.
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