NextBillion.net - Development Through Enterprise - On India's Farms, a Plague of Suicide - Comments

On India's Farms, a Plague of Suicide

Hillman — Sat, 28 Oct 2006 10:10:43 -0400

YOUR question... what was the suicide rate before the economy 'opened up'? how many additional people are alive because businesses have brought in various solutions? I am reminded of a story .. about the efficiency & productivity of a hospital, In the medely of one upmanship, competition etc. the bosses proudly claimed that productivity has increased since the no. of death certificates issued have been more this year than the previous year ! All the problems will be compounded in absence of EQUITABLE access to information and training.

a different perspective

lance durham — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:28:17 -0400

funny, i read the article and thought that their (the farmers') problem was a lack of competition to provide them with products and services.

the article mentions 4 things up front that "global competition" hasn't "given them access to":
-higher prices
-bank loans
-irrigation
-insurance against pests and rain

in regard to these, the article mentions that:
-moneylenders force farmers to agree to sell their harvests at below-market rates when they take out loans
-moneylenders charge 5%/month
-inconsistant rains (droughts and floods) reduce harvests
-only 4% insure their crops

but, it sounds like financial services, for instance, would help with all 4 of these problems.
-competition will reduce a moneylenders' power, so forced sales at lower prices will become fewer
-competition will reduce a moneylenders' power, so usurious lending rates will exist less often
-lenders + manufacturers can work to create irrigation solutions that will provide water during droughts and take it away during floods
-insurers can provide insurance for crop variability (as in the developed world). insurers may also be willing to help with irrigation projects
....none of these are perfect, or a complete solution, but progress always starts small.

questions. what was the suicide rate before the economy 'opened up'?
how many additional people are alive because businesses have brought in various solutions?
monsanto's seed may cost 2X more than regular seed, but it apparantly reduces the need for pesticides; how much does the savings of using less pesticide offset the price increase of the seed? what are the invisible savings to the environment?

I suspect that part of the

Anonymous — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 12:26:11 -0400

I suspect that part of the problem is the decline of funding support to agricultural R+D by the Indian government and the international development community. Farmers should be able to get technology from their ministry of agriculture at little or no cost. The market failed in India. The only reason that agricultural technology markets succeed in Europe, the USA and Japan is because of government subsidies to farmers.

On India's Farms, a Plague of Suicide

Courtland Walker — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 10:24:30 -0400

There is a poignant article in today's New York Times on the alarming rate of suicides amongst India's farmers - more than 17,000 in 2003. Tracing the causes of this epidemic, the article explores a confluence of forces from moneylenders to American multinationals selling genetically modified seed. An excellent article, recommended reading and, in my opinion, an important counterbalance to our frequent praise of market driven development.