Between 2004 and 2006, there was a concerning increase in farmer suicides, particularly in Maharashtra. According to NCRB data, in 2006, 17,060 farmers died by suicide in the country, of which 1,427 were from Maharashtra. And 1,065 of these deaths occurred in Vidarbha, the state’s cotton belt.
This deeply disturbed Sharmila Jain Oswal, who was in Canada at that time.
“While I was earning good money, I was not on my own soil. I yearned to return and support the farmers, contributing to my nation’s nutritional security. Growing up in a village, I had seen the plight of farmers and knew their problems firsthand. Sadly, many government initiatives failed to reach them, leading to mounting debts and poor crops,” the 52-year-old tells The Better India.
So, Sharmila decided to quit her job and returned to Pune in 2008. She then embarked on a two-year survey across Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan to understand the problems faced by farmers on the ground.
Soon after,…