43%
of the country’s debt-ridden households depend on farming.
2.61%
growth rate of agriculture in 2000-10 compared to 8.37 in 1960-70
Every 30 minutes
a farmer dies by suicide in India
Only 6%
of the farmers receive Minimum Support Price for their produce.
Do we care about India's farmers? Traders see profits in them, agents see commissions. Parties want votes from them, consumers want cheap food supplies. Nobody cares what they want. It is the height of irony that those who ensure everyone gets food on their plate end up being the ones having to eat poison in the end.
This series is an attempt to understand Indian agriculture's multidimensional crisis and suggest measures to make farming profitable and sustainable at the same time. Beginning with the Green Revolution, the series highlights the different policy interventions that were unable to deliver results, especially in the market system. The latter part of the series moves to discuss reforms in the agricultural level, from the basic level of infrastructure to building sustainable agricultural practices.
Due to natural and anthropogenic factors, domestic policies, international trade policies and market system, farming has become extremely tough and challenging. Since it is directly or indirectly linked to issues like food security, pollution and climate change, it requires urgent attention from the government and the people associated with it to make sure it is a win-win situation for all. Join this conversation and make sure our policymakers hear what you have to say!