Question

Discuss why farmers' suicide is a social problem today. Suggest suitable socio-economic measures to support the farmers.

Answer 1

In India, Farmers are a significant percentage of the agrarian workforce. The past decade has witnessed an increasing number of farmer suicide. Farmer suicide is a serious social problem.

Causes of farmer's suicide:

1. In India, we have in recent times seen instances of flooding and drought simultaneously in different parts of the country and also in Maharashtra. Under such situations, crops get completely destroyed and it creates adverse conditions wherein farmers find it extremely difficult to engage in gainful agricultural activity.
2. The impact of globalization has led to increasing in marketization and the resultant rise in consumerism. The dumping of agricultural produce in India due to the free-trade policy has adversely affected the pricing of local products.
3. Farmers who take loans from government agencies, private individuals, or organizations, are often unable to repay loans and their interest if the crops fail for one or more seasons. The impoverished farmers live a life steeped in debt.
4. Farmers may not be aware of new technologies and farming methods. This lack of awareness becomes an impediment to their progress.

The socio-economic measures to support farmers are as follows:

1. Support to farmers in distress: It is necessary to have support systems to help farmers tide over crises caused by failed monsoons, crop failure, indebtedness, etc.
2. Water harvesting: Effective measures for water harvesting and water management are necessary. It will help to use water resources with great discretion.
3. Insurance: Life insurance for distressed farmers and their families as well as crop insurance against crop failure, failure of monsoons, destruction of produce by viruses, etc. should be provided.
4. Multi-cropping: It is an alternative to monoculture. There also needs to be a strong support system to provide training to farmers as well as supply good quality seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides at subsidized rates.
5. Provision for direct sales from farmers to buyers: The middlemen and agents grab a large share of the profits of farming produce leaving a meagre sum, especially for small and marginal farmers. Removal of the middlemen will help to eliminate such exploitation.
6. Role of banks: Banks and Cooperative Credit Societies need to set up their systems in farmer-friendly ways so as to discourage borrowings from private money lenders. Banks can also encourage saving habits among farmers.