The farming community is perplexed and frustrated and the farmer is reaching the conclusion that ‘life is not worth living’. He is essentially a farmer knowing his land, water, cultivation techniques, his inputs like seeds, crop protection devices, soil fertility improvement and all related activities. There was a romance about all the agricultural operations which were associated with singing, laughing and enjoyment. From such a happy farming, he landed in a situation which is out of his control. He drills a bore-well – it does not yield him water. He sows a seed that does not germinate. He uses insecticides/pesticides that have ceased to be effective – either due to immunity development in the pests or adulteration in the pesticides. He knows that some thing is going wrong, even seriously wrong, but is not able to assess the reasons. His ability as a farmer who can tame any kind of land and get crop yields is challenged. It is a question of his reason for living. His confidence is shaken. He is accosted by the constant feeling that he is defeated and his life a ‘waste’. It is at this point that the farmer is putting an end to his life. 

It is necessary to analyze the shift in agricultural patterns, practices and attitudes and see if the seeds of catastrophe are contained in the deviations from the practices of the past. These changes were introduced recognizing the need for increasing food production with improved seeds, inputs like fertilizers, insecticides, pesticides mechanization etc which were all part of the ‘Green Revolution’ package. Better returns for farmers were assured and a large extension machinery engaged itself in orienting the farmer towards the new practices.

Prior to all this, agriculture was a way of life for the farmer. He lived it, enjoyed it and it was his everything. It has come to him as a legacy from the earlier generations. It was all an operation of living with nature and respecting the laws of nature. There was integration of all factors of production. Land – water – plant – animal – human being were together and the role of each was respected. Mother ‘Earth’ was worshipped. The cow was worshipped as ‘Gomatha’, trees, birds, snakes and other creatures had their place of respect. They were inter-related and mutually supportive. It was a ‘life based agriculture’. There was no ‘killing’ involved in it. Animals played a great role, birds creatures and every living organism played its role. 

Agriculture was independent. ‘Swavalamban’ or self-reliance was the underlying principle in agriculture. The farmer procured the seeds for the next crop from out of the well grown plants in the present crop. Or there was mutual support from the farmers’ community in meeting their seed requirement. The manure needed to strengthen soil came from the compost of cow dung, crop residues and other bio-waste. He developed several crop protection devices using indigenous techniques. Cow urine was used, neem extract and other plant substances were very effective to keep away pests. Energy requirements were met from animal power – for ploughing and other farming operations including irrigation and transportation. Cowdung smeared containers or pots produced by the local potter were used for storing the produce. Tools came from the local carpenter and blacksmith. It was agriculture of ‘live and let live’.

The production was primarily for himself. The surplus was for the market – that too for getting his other requirements. There was contentment. There was no reference to money as all inputs were more or less from himself. There was purity in his operations and ‘Ahimsa’. It was non-violent agriculture. There was love and compassion. Whoever came home, the farmer gave food. There were strong community bond. All festivals are linked to agricultural operations. There was enjoyment in togetherness.

From such a mindset and operations, a shift was introduced. Greed and desire for accumulation took the place of contentment. We shifted the farmer from contentment to greed, from non-violent agricultural practices to violent modes, from self-reliance and self dependence to dependence. Every input which he produced himself has to be obtained from market today, for a price that is never favorable to him. From swavalamban it has become paravalamban. It was a life based agriculture. "Life" was respected. Today, virtually, a 'killer instinct' has overtaken our farmer. He is killing mother earth, the trees by deforesting, insects and other useful creatures using insecticides, pesticides, cows and other animals by sending them to slaughter houses, (for want of fodder as we shifted to dwarf varieties of plants to have higher yields). Similarly, potters, carpenters and other artisans lost their livelihood because the farmer started getting his requirements from urban markets. From a ‘live and let live’ policy he came to a policy, 'live and let die'. 

We realize the need for increased food production. Advances in science and technology brought in various innovations and possibilities. But can they stretch the limits imposed by nature? Can the new seeds be superior to those traditional seeds which were stabilized by nature over hundreds of years incorporating in them assimilation of climatic, soil, water and other conditions? New seeds subject the farmer to the whims of market. Once he lost his own seeds he lost his ground. You do not know what the new seeds contain. What demands they make. But they assure farmers permanent dependence on the market, as for each crop, seeds have to be procured from the market. 

Use of fertilizers may give increased yields in initial years. But the obligation is to provide food to the masses not only today but tomorrow also. Hence sustainability is important. Chemical fertilizers are known to deplete soil by bringing imbalance in its constituents. It leads to reduction in humus content in soils and hence depletes the water retention capacity of soils. Dependence on fertilizers also led to a feeling that manures are no longer required and hence animals can be dispensed with. 

Similarly use of insecticides and pesticides have played havoc with the ecological balance. They killed even insects which are friendly to farmers like earthworms. 

This shift of playing with nature and its laws is the main cause for the self killings of farmers. Debt can create difficult situations but it will not be enough motive to end life. The farmer realized the futility of living as his land is 'dead', the water sources have dried up, he is left with no other organism to help him in agriculture. He produced his own manure, insecticides, pesticides (rather he had mechanisms of crop protection through biological controls without resorting to killing), seeds, met energy requirements of ploughing, irrigation and other operations using animals, wind etc. Virtually there was no reference to 'money' in what he was doing. Now that all the inputs have to be obtained from the market for a price, he has to play him game in terms of money. There are other seasoned players in the arena - dealers of seeds, fertilizers, insecticides, tractor owners, money lenders, markets etc. that squeezed the farmer from all sides. The farmer needs to be protected from relations that are exploitative and detrimental to his interests. He has to go back to his own agriculture if he has to survive. 

Next Page: Back to Nature

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