2. Significance of Farmers
● Farmers are responsible for all crops and livestock that are needed for us to
survive. Without food, the world would slowly die, and farmers work hard every
day to keep plenty of crops and animal products in the market to keep that from
happening
● A farmer's main goal is to produce a good crop and/or healthy animals in order to
make a living and to feed the population
● A farmer has various responsibilities within their particular field.
● Whether it is the purchasing and planting of seeds on a cash crop farm, the
purchasing of quality breeding stock on an animal husbandry farm, or the diet
and care of a specific type of livestock on an animal production farm, a farmer
needs to have a wide knowledge base of the agricultural industry as a whole.
4. Natural Calamities and Climate change
● Tamil Nadu covers an area of 13, 00,582 kms and has a coastline of about 1,076
kms which is about 15% of the coastline of India
● Change in climate is expected to create both positive as well as negative impact
on rice yield of Tamil Nadu. Impact is more during Kharif season (South west
Monsoon) than in Rabi (Northeast monsoon) season. During Kharif season in
2020, 10 to 15 per cent reduction in rice yield is expected due to increase in
temperature and change in rainfall.
● Jammu and Kashmir is home to several valleys such as the Kashmir Valley, Tawi
Valley, Chenab Valley, Poonch Valley, Sind Valley and Lidder Valley.[28] The
Kashmir valley is 100 km (62 mi) wide and 15,520.3 km2 (5,992.4 sq mi) in area.
● Unseasonal weather has destroyed apples in Kashmir and paddy in Jammu even
as government promises to procure crops have rung hollow.
● Both these areas Jammu and Kashmir and Tamil Nadu are affected due to the
Natural Calamities and Climate changes.
6. Rice in prices of seeds, manure, etc.
● Seed is a critical and basic input for attaining higher crop yields and sustained
growth in agricultural production.
● Distribution of assured quality seed is as critical as the production of such
seeds. Unfortunately, good quality seeds are out of reach of the majority of
farmers, especially small and marginal farmers mainly because of exorbitant
prices of better seeds.
● Indian soils have been used for growing crops over thousands of years without
caring much for replenishing.
● This has led to depletion and exhaustion of soils resulting in their low
productivity. The average yields of almost all the crops are among the lowest in
the world.
● This is a serious problem which can be solved by using more manures and
fertilizers. But farmers are still facing problem with acquiring good manure due
to exorbitant prices of good manure.
7. Social Marginalisation , Low yield and
debt trap
● Social exclusion or social marginalisation is the social disadvantage and
relegation to the fringe of society.
● Social factors such as land ownership and inheritance and type of farming in
practice affect farming.
● The farmer represents the entrepreneur, often bringing in inherited land holding
(or working as a tenant farmer) and traditional knowledge.
● Farmers are more often pushed to take their own lives in their roles as investors,
due to agrarian distress and lack of business viability.
● Farmers are widely affected due to debt trap and low yield after they invest more
on agriculture.
8. Lack of facilities like irrigation, electricity
● Major Problems faced by farmers in India are as follows
● Unavailability of good quality of Seeds
● Lack of Modern Equipment
● Poor irrigation facilities
● Small and Fragmented Holdings of land
● Dealing with local traders and middleman
● Lack of Storage facilities like irrigation and electricity.
● Electricity and Water is very important for agriculture and other processes but in
some cases farmers get affected due to lack of irrigation and electricity.
● This result in crop failure
9. Government Policies and Steps to
resolve problems faced by farmers.
● The Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) is another innovative scheme
to expand cultivated area with assured irrigation, reduce wastage of water and
improve water use efficiency.
● Soil Health Card (SHC) scheme by which the farmers can know the exact nutrient
level available in their soils which will ensure judicious use of fertilizer
application and save money. The balanced use of fertilizer will also enhance
productivity and ensure higher returns to the farmers.
● Neem Coated Urea is being promoted to regulate use urea, enhance its
availability to the crop and cut on cost. The entire quantity of domestically
manufactured is now neem coated.
