What are the social roots of farmers sui

  Dec 06, 2016

Indian India, farmers’ suicides have been reported for the last many years from many states like Maharashtra, Karnataka, AP, Telangana etc. They did not drop after Government relief packages. While economic reasons can not be belittled, social reasons are also substantial. Social support systems are crumbling. Social stress is alleviated due to relatives, friends etc. when they give courage and support. The intensity of the stress becomes less. But traditional social support systems are breaking down and due to globalization, commercialization and individualism are coming it.
 
While farming has always been a hard and uncertain work, suicides are taking place on a sizeable scale now. Reasons have to be contemporary. Commercial relations are replacing social relations. Traditional social relations are being eroded in favour of political relations. Rural divides are emerging on a more sharper scale. Traditional occupations have given way to new ones like commercial cropping etc for more profits. Individualism is replacing traditional family ties. Nuclear family is replacing joint family and this the traditional social support and safety is breaking down. Marriages are becoming expensive. Socio-cultural factors such as old age, illness, family tension, etc., further add their urge to take their own lives.

Remedies are in the form of social work. Social worker can do intervention at the micro level individual, family, group and rural community. It can identify and asses the farmers families in stress and crisis in rural community. It can recreate folk songs, dance and such other phenomena that can create relief. New social support systems like self-help groups (SHG) can also be useful.