An Exploration on Farm Crisis and Suicides in the Cauvery Delta Districts of Tamil Nadu

Abstract

The Cauvery delta is the most productive food bowls in India and which cultivates more than 70 percent of paddy in Tamil Nadu. However, the situation of farmers suicides is alarming and leading to farm suicides manifested from the fragile situation during 2017, since farmer suicides are rare in this region. In this context, this study is taken-up and used descriptive research design with both primary and secondary data source. Empirical data have been collected from the 21 victim farmers’ households of three Cauvery districts of Thanjavur, Thiruvarur, and Nagapattinam. The empirical research found several causes: the scarcity of water and drought are the major causes of the present agrarian crisis. It is reported that every victim farmers of the study area borrowed for crop cultivation and unable to repay the borrowings on time due to crop failure. The victim farmers are disappointed by the crop failure, agriculture policies, and schemes are failed to compensate for their needs. Thus, safety net measures like crop insurance and allowances may be provided as immediate relief from debts. Intensive counseling at the household level is another intervention, which may reduce the suicides immediately. Local educational institutions and their community service wings may be utilized for educating and counseling the distress farmers.