Laws of the Land and Them that Follow

We are transported to the times of kings, about 9000 BC. Farmers, the main source of food are high up in the economy table. The Indus valley civilization had technologies that were way ahead of their time, much of which were the building blocks for the technologies we have today, like dams, irrigation facilities etc. The Indus Valley civilization grew an innumerable amount of crops along with cotton grown in summer. They were free to grow and sell crops or other materials like cotton for clothes and other crops for food. This got them more income and were essential for many occupational fields. They had their freedom to do their bidding how they wanted, without any interference from external sources.

Back to present times. Most farmers in India live in poverty. Suicide rates spiking. Crop failures, etc. The government has provided them with many schemes that are supposed to help them with these problems, but the results are yet to be seen. Do programs like Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojana, which promotes organic farming render and propagate the minds of these farmers, who have been practicing agriculture for centuries now? Or do they help these farmers have better yields and gain more income?

Comparing what the Indian government is doing with what the US government does changes your perspective. USA doesn’t have multiple schemes, instead, they provide the farmers with loans, with which they can buy machinery or other technology, land etc., which increases the productivity, income and yield. The farmers there have a better quality of life and better income.

The question we need to ask now is whether providing various schemes to farmers in India actually help them or does it make their perspective falter, leading them to wonder if what they were doing for hundreds of years is right or not. Are they, in some way, being controlled? Do we need to give them their freedom back?