'They Feed Us,They Need Us' - Presentation on Farmer suicides.

1. Presentation on Farmer Suicides
Presented by :
N. DIVYA RAVALI
LEKHA.V

2. THEY FEED US, THEY NEED US

3. INDIAN AGRICULTURE
 Agriculture, a critical sector in the Indian economy provides
the principal means of livelihood for over 60% of India’s
population.
 The cultivators who are indulged in farming activities are
farmers.
 Though the farmers feed the nation, their conditions are far
from satisfactory.
 Many social, economic, political, and individual crisis have
forced them to end their lives.

4. P.Sainath
 Rural Affairs Editor of The
Hindu
Born in 1957 in Chennai
Documentary on Farmer
Suicide
Named it – Nero’s Guests

5. Nero’s Guests – P.Sainath
P. Sainath , in his documentary – Nero’s
Guests and draws attention to the insensitivity
of the privileged to the pain and suffering of
the poor (farmers). The responsible
stakeholders should stand by those who feed
us when they need us.

6. He bashes the trickle down economy and talks
of socio- economic injustice
 He uses metaphors of Nero and his guests to
draw attention to the insensitivity of the
privileged to the pain and suffering of the poor
He uses symbols like that of Kasi Vishweshra
Rao, the Progressive Farmer of the Year
awardee
 He discerns how the number of suicides has
skyrocketed in the various districts of
Maharashtra over the years

7. Farmer Suicides- An issue of great concern
 More than 200,000 framers have
taken their lives since 1997
 When farmers commit suicide,
compensation is facilitated to the
farmers’ family
 However, when female farmers
commit suicide, they are not
compensated as they are not
recognised as ‘farmers’

8. Causes for Farmer Suicide
 Indebtedness
 Crop failure
 Inability to sell the crops
grown
 Disappointing realisation
of prices
 Family problems
 Sense of loss & depression

9. After Effects of Suicides
Compensation facilitated to male farmers
Harassment of the family by Money lenders.
Children become Orphans.
Widows burdened with the new responsibility
as the sole breadwinner

10. SUGGESTIONS

11. 1.State Government
 Provide uniform compensations to farmers’ families,
irrespective of gender
 Clear out the ‘meter baddi mafias’
 Spread awareness regarding various agricultural
practices and agricultural schemes of the government.
 And encourage farmers to form formal or informal
groups to unite together in order to help each other.

12. 2.Self-Help Groups
The Self-Help Groups should provide
psychological, social and economic counselling to
farmers in times of distress.
Extend knowledge and information about crops,
soil and sustainable agriculture practices.
Play a pivotal role in aiding negotiation for
interest rates in banks.

13. 3.Panchayats
Panchayats should look into exploitation of
farmers by moneylenders and extend education
to farmers
They should also ensure proper information
flow and implementation of Government
schemes like Soil Health Card Schemes,
Pradhana Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, etc

14. 4.Banks
 Banks should become more welcoming and
approachable to farmer groups.
 They should make farmer groups aware of the
various financial options available for them and
must provide insurance in case of droughts or
other natural calamities.

15. 5.Media
 Media should aim for intensive social media
campaigns concentrating on banks and loan structures,
role of panchayat and on the plight of children – as the
loss of the next generation in lieu of farmer suicides.
 The media should cover real side of the crisis which the
farmers undergo by taking their personal interviews and
put an end to the highlighting of instances of farmer
suicide.

16. 6.General Public
Our stakeholders in general public are the youth.
 They can voice out their opinions and conduct
awareness campaigns and create social media
pages provided they have symmetric information.
 They can also create a web page for people to
donate for farmers’ families.

17. CONCLUSION
• Farmers’ plight and suffering is grievous
• Genocide by Consent
• Moral responsibility of the stakeholders to
empower the farmers
• Annul the suicide epidemic

18. THANK YOU