The minuscule system of pricing
First, a farmer must sell the produce at a price wrongly discounted by unscientific calculation. Second, an unholy nexus of many players pushes …
Harvest of losses
Will the loan waiver announced by the Maharashtra government help alleviate farmers' plight?
Farmers propose Bills on loan waiver, fair prices in their own 'parliament'
More than 180 farmer organisations from across the country proposed Bills related to debt waiver and fair crop prices in a mock parliament
India’s agrarian distress: How dissent has been on the rise
At least 50 major protests were reported across 20 Indian states in 9 months between January and September 2020
Government told Supreme Court south India didn't protest new farm laws; How true is that?
The five southern states have recorded at least 26 major protests since September 2020. Of them, December saw the maximum 12 protests.
Cancer-stricken man first to win case against Monsanto’s weed killer
A California court awarded a compensation of $289 million to him as he got cancer from using Monsanto's herbicide
Child labour on farms in Africa: It’s important to make a distinction between what’s harmful, and what isn’t
Reframing the debate about child labour in African agriculture, and how best to address it, is particularly timely
Six killed in Jharkhand after police fire at farmers protesting land acquisition
This is the third time the police have opened fire at the protesting farmers in the area
Sri Lanka’s inorganic transition to organic farming
Sri Lanka's decision to move to organic farming is not behind its food shortage given that a majority of the farmers have not even started the …
Amid protests over agri laws let's look at how some countries support farmers
Every day, 54, mostly developed countries give nearly $2 billion in support to their farmers
Polls won, waivers announced, but govt has no data on farmer suicides
The last NCRB report published in 2016 said a farmer committed suicide every hour in the country
Sunaina Rawat and the dilemma of Bharat
The new government has to focus on the rural population, their aspirations and the economy
Farmyard manure in natural farming leads to higher yield than conventional method: Study
Natural farming was perceived to be more labour intensive & regular monitoring by farmers was required, survey in three states finds
Some 85% districts in India now face arid conditions
At least 196 districts are in the grip of a ‘severe’ degree of dryness and 65 of these are in Uttar Pradesh
Group farming can transform agriculture post - COVID-19
Small and landless farmers are reviving group farming to combat the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Bina Agarwal, professor of …
Budget 2020-21: Experts hope for more funds to boost farm income
They also hope money will be given for irrigation facilities as well as for women and tenant farmers
Use revenue-sharing model for development, land acquisition
Access to village commons improved livelihoods but some recent state policies seek to grab them
Researchers study behavioural aspect of farmer suicides
One of the major causes behind suicidal intent is depression, experts find while studying cases in Punjab, Telangana and Maharashtra
Demonetisation 2.0: cash crunch hits farmers, again
More than creating financial crunch for upcoming sowing season, cash crunch is impacting the prices at which farmers are selling their produce
Cautionary tales
Jean Dreze argues that we should not leave the making of an equitable society to experts alone
Why farmers remain uninformed about pesticides and their use
Manufacturers and state governments have done little to inform farmers about approved uses of pesticides and hazards of using illegal ones
Raising the stakes
Farmers cannot escape the impact of global trade regimes. The lack of a safety net makes it worse
Centre offers to put farm laws on ‘hold’ for a year
Farmers will study proposal and get back; Centre also withdraws pleas against tractor rally
Digital solutions could be key to end hunger in Africa: Report
Digitalisation for agriculture can increase agricultural output, raise employment opportunities
The wise debate
As the world debates the effectiveness of industrialised agriculture, the good-old small farmer emerges victorious