Indian Farmer Suicide Epidemic

                        Farmers are the original environmentalists. As farmers with their families whose livelihood and way of life are very close to land and depend on the environment to creat a healthy place to live as well as the right conditions to grow crops and raise livestock.
                           
                         Agriculture is the backbone of Indian economy. Farmers play a major role in this sector but, Now-a-days many farmers are commiting suicide blaming many socio-economic factors and failure of seasonal cycle.
Reasons behind farmers suicide
          Reports from different districts shows ther is increase in suicides day-by-day

1. Due to prolonged dry spell the crop withered and this made it difficult to comeout of the debt trap for farmers.
2. Suicides are among them who grow commercial crops like maize and cotton.
3. Farmers could not overcome the crop failure and their efforts to salvage the crop didnot fructify
4. Increase in input cost/farm production cost and mechanisation cost forcing them to go into distress with non-availability of market price to their produce.
5. Unable to pay exorbitant intrest amounts to money lenders.
6. Socio-economic factors:

• Non-availability of bank loans.
• Natural calamities like droughts and hail stroms.
• Lack of scientific advice from authorities concerned.
• Lack of knowledge on best practices and profit maximisation approach is needed to be addresses.

Suggestions

•  Agriculture research strategy should be shifted from crop-centric research in irrigated area to location-specific cropping system in drylands,hills and tribal areas.
• Agriculture research should also take climate change into consideration , which continues to be a major area of concern.

Measures

• To help those struck in despairing situations that drive them around them to attempt suicide, Aarogya sri Health care Trust has launched a round-the-clock suicide prevention councelling cell.This will function out of existing 104 call center at koti.
• Mark should be given to the pesticide and seed  inorder not to comprimise the quality.