Does the farm feed the farmer?
It’s strange how humans were suspecting a war amongst each other and ended up in a battlefield against nature. While we all kept ourselves safe under an umbrella, our saviours sweat a gallon instead of a pint to ensure we didn’t go to bed hungry. In reality, he is the one who bore the brunt of the unfortunate situation we’ve stumbled upon. When the world came to a standstill and industries all around the globe stopped functioning, our farmers never took a single day off, they kept agriculture sector going and still aren’t given the appreciation they so deserve.
The Agriculture sector contributed about 4% to world economy and more than 25% in developed nations according to reports projected in 2018. More than 60% of the global population depends upon agriculture for their survival and Agriculture depends upon farmers. The farmers are the ring masters of this sector and without their hard work, there would be no seeds to sow and no crops to harvest. This industry generates employment for around 30% of the population and in some developing countries, more than half of the population is engaged in agriculture. This sector tends to have a varied impact around the globe.
With minimum expectations towards life, farmers spend their day with mediocrity. Whereas on the other hand, our never-ending desires have levelled up, our needs and wants are not basic anymore. Although food remains a necessity here, whenever we eat, we must think about our farmers, and what they do for our society. We can never pay them back for the hardships they go through for providing us grains that puts off our hunger. The least we can do is, respect and thank them for their generosity, hear them when they are raising their voice for help and stand by them when all they are asking for is our support.
It is an undeniable fact that farmers are the backbone of our Indian economy. In a way, our farmers represent us. Like India is cultivated with seeds of diverse cultures, they cultivate seeds of varied kinds. Though the Green Revolution made the country self-sufficient, it ignored the very crux of the same. The sad reality of today is that their cry for help is suppressed and has gone unnoticed. Moreover, the suicide rate of farmers and those associated with this sector is increasing day by day due to many reasons with 10,281 suicides in 2019 which accounts to 7.4% of the total deaths by suicide. The issue being sensitive, we might never know the actual number which could possibly be much higher than the published data. If the wheels keep running at this pace, India being an exporter of grains would soon become an importer.
For once, instead of hanging knives of Bills and laws over their heads, let them decide what’s beneficial for them. For once, let the hands that feed us not beg for morsel worth of food.
Rithika Rao
PGDM
Batch: 2020-2022
Vivekanand Business School