Farmers’ Suicides in India as an Socio-Economical Phenomenon: A Study of Karnataka State

Abstract

Agriculture is the largest economic sector and plays a significant role in the overall socio economic development of India. More than 80 percent of the farmers working in this sector are marginal and small scale farmers. They depend on loan from private money lenders or from financial institutions for the cultivation of their land. They depend on agricultural income for their family expenses, education and marriage of the children. The agriculture in India is in crises and farmers of various states Karnataka in particular are in distress due to indebtedness, repeated failure of crops, increasing cost of production, poor quality of seeds, impact of globalization, exploitation by money lenders and businessmen and the other factors are the main causes for their distress which lead to suicides. Karnataka is the eight largest state of India having severed agrarian distress since many years. It was in 1997 that the first case of farmers’ suicide due to crop/market failure was reported in Karnataka State. The present study focus on the Socio-Economic profile its impact on suicidal tendencies among farmers of Karnataka State who have committed suicide. This also indicates that the victims tended to suffer within themselves the problems whether economic or social in nature.