Farmers Protests and North South Divide

Context:

This editorial is based on the news “Kisans: North-South divide” which was published in the Times Of India. Recently, more than 250 farmers’ unions under the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and the Samyukta Kisan Morcha have been protesting in Delhi.

Reason For Farmers Protest

• Policy-makers: They see demands of farmers in purely economic terms and lean towards letting the market decide prices to be paid to them.
• Farmers: Their demands are due to severe challenges they face from multiple transformations they’ve experienced. 

Context of Farmers Protests & North South Divide

• Green Revolution: Farmers (especially Punjab and nearby regions) aspire for more comparable incomes. 
  • To Better Income: Response to these farmers aspirations is determined by production patterns generated in the Green Revolution. The irrigated areas benefited much more from the Green Revolution than dry land areas i.e., northern India benefitted more than South. This created a clear divide between regions.
  • Raised Aspirations: The success of the Green Revolution generated a demand for greater returns from agriculture. In regions that the Green Revolution left behind, aspirations are sought to be realized outside agriculture. 
• Comparison to Canada: Canada becoming more open to immigration of farming communities. Farmers of Punjab, having demonstrated their agricultural prowess in the Green Revolution, are an obvious target group. Their aspirations are influenced by what their friends and relatives earn in Canada.
• Global Warming: Climate Change and Global warming is expected to reduce frost in large areas of the northern hemisphere thereby increasing potential for agriculture. 
  • A Government of Canada website speaks of opportunities to grow warmer weather crops taking advantage of longer growing seasons and fewer extreme cold events.

Conclusion

Task of ensuring long-term food security while protecting the interests of individual farmers is by no means an easy one. It is important to recognise the way forward and implement after considering all possible scenarios over farmers who are facing the risks, and opportunities, of multiple transformations.

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