Question 1(a) · 10 marks · 494 words written
Opening
Contemporary or neo-farmers' movement rise in 1970s era i.e. post green revolution, aiming for prosperity and profit.
Traditional peasant struggles highlighted absolute deprivations and main focus was on tenancy reform and landlessness whereas neo-farmer movement focuses on relative deprivation and shift focus toward such classes of farmers.
Neo-farmer movements mainly include well-off farmers and lack representation of sub-altern section of society.
Medha Patkar argued that in 1970s when peasant movement were linked with broader environmental concerns, it led to emergence of farmers' movement.
Recent farmers' movement witnessed participation of women and persistent use of social media that used to lack in traditional peasant movement.
Traditional peasant movement were provided leadership by communist party. However neo farmers' movement have their own organization. Eg. Bhartiya Kisan Sangathan by Mahendra Tikait against three farm bills.
Contemporary farmers movement lacks ground issue representation and has created multiple classes among farmers. PM Modi said → India's path to development is through rural India.
Green Revolution → launched in 1960s to increase production and productivity of agriculture to solve problem of food crisis.
Hanumantha Rao argued that it increased the production and ensured the food security of nation successfully.
However, it has created several problems, manifested in today's crisis →
| Problems | Recent crisis |
|---|---|
| (1) Dhanagare argued that it led to emergence of huge disparity between farmers as such farmers who can | (1) It is well visible in distorted holdings where 89.2% of small and marginal farmers hold less than 2 hectare |
afford expensive seeds, fertiliser and have big land → able to extract maximum benefit out of it. | of land and face exploitation in form of poverty. |
Body
(2) Green revolution through increased production but doesn't lead to increase in farmers' profits. | (2) It is constantly manifested in struggle for MSP. Even Vandana Shiva in seeds of suicide argues for case of suicide rate due to low incomes. |
(3) Rudolph and Rudolph argued for use of bullock cart capitalist due to green revolution which emerge as new rural bourgeoisie and exploited rural labour class. | High number of landlessness and working in bondage labour is manifestation of such rural bourgeoisie. |
④ Vandana Shiva argued for particular use of seeds led to environmental degradation | ④ such loss of biodiversity and soil fertility has not just reduced farmers' income but led to decline in production. |
⑤ Green revolution tends to focus on specific crop which has created distortion in production | ⑤ Recent MSP issues is linked with production of MSP crops. At same time it declined nutritional intake of child leading to stunting & wasting. |
⑥ Bina Agarwal argued that Green revolution is manifested in focussed on automation form of feminisation and reduced women's participation | ⑥ such phenomenon of agriculture where they work on field but without any ownership control |
Close
M.S Swaminathan suggested for evergreen revolution to tackle emerging agrarian crisis.