Understanding Punjab Farmer Suicides: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The farmer suicide phenomenon in Punjab, India, has been ongoing since the 1980's, which is around the same time Punjab was dealing with the side effects of the green revolution technology implemented by the central government in the 1960s. The products of the Green Revolution include diseased soil, pest-infested crops- waterlogged deserts, and indebted farmers; these effects have put financial hardships on farmers throughout Punjab. Over the years, instead of addressing farmer disparity through policies and programs, the central government decided to implement three farm bills known as the "2020 farm bills,'' which combined open up farmers to a new threat: exploitation from big corporations. This cross-sectional study attempts to investigate the farmer suicide phenomenon in Punjab through qualitative interviews. There is a lack of recent research on this topic, and the research that does exist is primarily quantitative methods. To fill this gap, the participants of this study are related to recent farmer suicides. Eight participants who are connected to someone who has either died or attempted farmer suicide were interviewed centered around the question "what role has the central government played in farmer suicide." The interviews revealed five themes: Patriarchy, The Value of Land, Financial Hardship, Government Failure, and 2020 farm bills. These five themes help explain what factors go into farmers feeling a sense of distress. This study comes promptly, considering the debate and protest surrounding the implementation of the 2020 farm bills. This study provides quotations from those who have suffered from India's history of government policy failures and provides insight into what issues need to be addressed by policymakers.