Marginalization of the Indian Farmer Essay Example For Students

Marginalization of the Indian Farmer Essay RK Laxman, the famous cartoonist created the daily comic strip You Said It. His cartoons portray Indian life and politics through the eyes of common man  , a silent onlooker in a distinct checked coat who served as a point- of- view character for readers. The above cartoon, evidently addresses the condition of farmers. It is important to briefly go over this issue and highlight the reasons why the Indian farmer is suppressed. The Old Farmer This particular cartoon, speaks volumes. It shows the farmer being completely sidelined in many aspects. He is well versed in his ways of farming. Over the years he has gained tremendous knowledge on soil and fertility, weather conditions, seasonal crops for fruit, vegetable and grain. Hence as seen in the visual, he is quite uninterested in the discussions in progress. He is not consulted in the talks going on. Probably his views will not count at all, in any developments of the farm. He seems to be lost to the current trends. In the past ,India became a nation that thrived on agriculture. Currently the economic contribution of agriculture to Indias GDP is steadily declining. The Improvements Committee for Farming The groups of 4 high level government officials show their theoretical knowledge, with their approach. One has a few files, another seems to study the soil, and a third is giving his input on the latest farming technology. The head of the delegation, is listening to the input very seriousness. In all this the poor farmer is totally neglected. He has only his plough, and innate knowledge to guide him in traditional methods. Lastly R K Laxmans common man, is the wise one, and in the end looks up to the sky, as if in prayer, for good rains, and moderate weather to provide good crops. Stress on Modern Technology Have we forgotten the farmers benefits and concerns, with the onset of latest technology? Reasons for shift to modern technology; irregular rain, increase in population ,Green revolution, industrialization, commercialization,urbanization. All these factors cause a strain on price and demand of land causing farmers to resort to new techniques. Monsanto is a clear example of modern developments. The question is, how are they aiding the farmers? ` In the Vidarbha region of central India,1300 cotton farmers took their own lives in 2006. According to Vandana Shiva (environmental and anti-globalization, activist) every seed that is in the market in cotton today, is linked to one company or another, licensed and controlled by Monsanto. Peasant farmers used to use natural fertilizers and pesticides and they grew and saved their own seeds. In the 70s coaxed by the government and several international aid donor, farmers began to use hybrid seeds bought in the store. These offered the promise of better yields and disease resistance but they required careful management including chemical fertilizer and pesticides. More recently genetically modified,BT cotton seeds were introduced by Monsato,licensed and sold under the names of several Indian seed companies. BT seeds must be bought every year from seed companies ,which market them with film stars and even Hindu deities. Gradually, the farmer realizes that his new crop is not as disease resistance as the AD said. According to Vandana Shiva the innocent farmer is grabbed by the agent, promising him a miracle seed that would perhaps double his income. The farmer is unaware that within 2 weeks he would require pesticide and when his crop start shriveling up, he will be advised to take a tube well loan. The government claims to be committed to increasing the acreage under irrigation, in the region but that inspires little confidence on the ground, according to farm activist Kishore Tiwari. Tiwaris organization tallies and posts pictures of the grim suicide toll in Vidarbha. He says the government priority has been the new urban high-tech based economy. These Dangerous Trends, affect the farmer as well as society. His entire dependency is on the provision of fertilizers, pesticides, less revenue and more expense, thus leading to bankruptcy. Censorship in American Animation EssayOne very glaring error is, identifying the people entitled to subsidized food. The most difficult question is, what are the indicators of poor and who is REALLY poor? The bill expects the state to provide the list of the poor, but every year the concerned officials come up with different numbers. Another blatant error on the list, is the unanswered question about having enough food to cope with the demand created by the bill. What happens when a drought or a flood hits? If this situation prevails and climate change takes place, what is going to happen? n all this, let us not forget the fate of the unfortunate farmer. The very low prices of the subsidized food will distort the market and farmers who cannot sell to the government assured program will lose out on the open market because prices will be forced down. According to the director of the IFPI,the only solution is to help the poorest of the poor, as opposed to targeting 50% of the urban po pulation and 75%of the rural population. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Although this scheme was introduced to eliminate unemployment, but its impact on agriculture is another story. Farmers argue that this scheme is actually driving agriculture into an epic crisis by tightening the rural labour market. Besides pushing up labour costs, this scheme has increased labour scarcity, spoilt the work culture of labour and encouraged farmers to invest in farms. The government did not expect to deprive the farming sector of labor,especially during sowing and harvesting periods. Due to the unavailability of labour,farmers are forced to shift to non labour intensive horticulture crops or leave the land fallow. All this ,trickles down and ultimately affects even the urban segments of society, as this shift has a devastating impact on food production. The Consortium of Indian Farmers Association (CIFA), suggests that the only way this situation can be reversed is, by providing farmers the required labour only when they need them the most so that the laborers can be employed for a longer period in a year. Farmers Loans: farmers are forced to take loans to purchase high tech requirements for their crop, most of the time the farmers are coaxed into taking these loans, unaware of the purpose because they are not literate. So, what caused farmers to shift to completely depending on the government and international companies for sustenance? the main reasons would be, over- population, irregular rainfall, green revolution, modern technology, industrialization, commercialization urbanization, strain on price and demand for land caused the shift. It is evident that the farmer, who was once the Lord of the land is now reduced to a mere voiceless, unrecognized,unthought of, puppet. They are literally driven towards suicide. In most situations in the country, the people in need are neglected. While those in authority, have the upper hand. Solutions are not catering to the current well being and growth of the concerned sections of society. The gap between the rich and poor sections of society is widening and the rich get richer whereas the poor suffer.