What ’s in Store for Indian Farmers After Cop 28’s Conclusion in Dubai?

Food and Agriculture for Climate Justice action by Climate Action Network International at COP28 Credit: COP28/Neville HopwoodBy Umar Manzoor ShahDUBAI & SRINAGAR, INDIA, Dec 21 2023 (IPS) Durga Das*, a 59-year-old farmer from the Indian state of Maharashtra, committed suicide last year by ingesting a poisonous substance. He was unable to repay the loan he had taken from the bank for the renovation of his single-story house. This year, his 32-year-old son, Pradeep Das, a father of two children, is equally desperate. The family owns half an acre of cultivated land where they grow cotton. The harvest has been devastated due to intense heat waves, leaving farmers like Dass and his son Pradeep in dire straits. The loan the family had taken is yet to be paid, and the land they had mortgaged in the bank is about to be confiscated. This means no crops, no cultivation, no business, and no food. “I would have ended my life long ago, but my kids,” sighs Pradeep. This family is not alone in such a predicament. About 10,000 farmers in India commit suicide every year. This means 27 every day and about one every hour. Suicides in agricultural communities have been a long-standing issue in the country since the 1970s as farmers face an increasing debt crisis. “Every day, we are inching closer to death. The summers are getting hotter, extremely hot, and there are no rains. We were hoping to repay the bank the entire amount. Our house was in dire need of repair. The monsoo...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Asia-Pacific Climate Change Climate Change Finance COP28 Featured Food and Agriculture Headlines Health Humanitarian Emergencies Sustainable Development Goals TerraViva United Nations IPS UN Bureau IPS UN Bureau Report Source Type: news