"He Was Just Trying to Feed Us" – A Farmer's Final Act

March 4, 2025 Bangalore, India

Farmer in India reaching reflecting on suicide

The Silent Crisis: Why India's Farmers Are Dying, One Suicide at a Time

Late one night, a farmer in rural India stood at the edge of his field, the weight of an entire life’s struggle pressing down on his shoulders. His crops had failed again, his debts spiraled beyond repayment, and the promises of government aid never materialized. The moneylender was knocking on his door again, and this time, he had no more answers. In one final, desperate act, he took his own life. This is the harsh reality for thousands of farmers across India, who are pushed to the brink by an unforgiving system. His story, tragic as it is, is one of many, and it represents a growing crisis in rural India. But what’s driving this desperation, and why are these deaths rising in number?

The Disappearing Dignity of Indian Farmers

The very land that sustained his family for generations had become a graveyard of dreams. Yet, it wasn’t just failing crops or the crushing weight of debt that drove him to the edge; it was a life of relentless disregard from society. Farmers, often deemed the backbone of India, find themselves disrespected, dismissed, and ignored. From the city dwellers to the political elites, the farmers' struggles are seen as distant, irrelevant. As the rich build empires of glass and steel, the very people who nourish the nation are left to beg for survival. And this social chasm continues to widen. But, could the underlying problem be deeper than mere economic failure? Could it be the deliberate erasure of the farmer’s value in the eyes of society?

Can Help Truly Reach the Heart of the Crisis?

Despite the crushing challenges, there is still a flicker of hope—if only we can find a way to deliver real help. Direct funding from NGOs to farmers seems like a possible solution, a lifeline to bypass the corrupt middlemen and provide immediate relief. But even in such an intervention, the obstacles are many: corruption, inefficiency, and a lack of proper distribution networks often turn even the best-intentioned aid into a drop in the ocean. How can the money actually reach the hands of those who need it most? And in regions like Vidarbha and Punjab, where the rates of suicide are highest, will these changes be enough? Could this financial support, paired with a societal shift, finally restore the dignity of those who till the land for us?

Nora Na'am