By Prashansa Srivastava
The Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) along with its counterparts in Telangana and Maharashtra and the Psychology Department of the Punjabi University at Patiala have come together to create a ‘stress index’ (SI) for farmers. A training module for village-level volunteers has also been prepared to counsel those on the verge of committing suicide.
How the index works
The exercise is part of a research project titled ‘Addressing Farmer Suicides through Capacity Building of Farming Families, for which the Indian Council of Agricultural Research has released ? 1.35 crore. The project will focus on the psychological and behavioural aspects behind farmer suicides. The target is to survey 1,000 vulnerable farmer households at both stages, before counselling and after counselling, while also training 200 peer support volunteers (PSVs) in Punjab and 100 each in Telangana and Maharashtra. They would identify distressed farmers within their areas and provide about six months of counselling to prevent them from taking any extreme steps.
The statistical testing tools for the creation of a stress index (SI) and a ‘psychological resource index’ (PRI) of farmers have already been finalised. PRI is a measure of their mental balance and resilience to cope with stress. The testing tools to create the SI and PRI, based on farmer household surveys, include a General Health Questionnaire and various scales to measure resilience, depression, self-esteem, susceptibility to suicidal behaviour, and well-being. Distressed farmers would typically exhibit high SI and low PRI. The counselling will then help to reverse the numbers.
Financial stress vs. Psychological stress
Most studies have undertaken a statistical analysis of farmer suicides and the economic factors such as indebtedness, crop damage or non-remunerative prices leading to them. Crop failure, drought, floods and indebtedness have emerged as the most frequently cited factors in the suicides of Indian farmers.
This study, however, based on the premise that more than the financial stress, it is the psychological pressure that is driving farmers to suicide. It thus aims at providing psychological first-aid to farmers and preparing them mentally to endure stress even in a time of agrarian crisis. The study is based on the fact that psychological stress stemming from social evils of dowry and having to spend excessively on marriages and family functions contributes to farmer suicides. The PSVs have thus been trained to listen to farmers and encourage them to follow a “positive path focusing on simple lifestyle and shunning pomp and show in marriages, etc.
What has the government done to protect India’s farmers?
The government till now has taken measures only to lessen the financial duress of farmers. This rationale goes against the Lancet studythe basis for the indexaccording to which the overwhelming cause of suicide is mental stress, not financial stress. Loan waivers and subsidies thus have hardly had any impact on lifting the mental stress of farmers and curbing suicides.
Farming is associated with elevated levels of stress due to the erratic nature of agriculture as an occupation itself. Farmers and their families also often know little about mental health difficulties, with the stigma of mental health problems often posing as a barrier to seeking help. Hence, there is clearly a role for targeted mental health problem strategies. This measure is long-term in nature and unlike loan waivers and subsidies will have a prolonged impact on the well-being of farmers. It will not only increase awareness but also educate the rural community about problems and coping strategies. This will significantly contribute to the de-stigmatization of both the problems themselves and the seeking of help. It will thus cure causes rather than symptoms of farmer suicides.
The governmentwhile focusing on how to increase the productivity of farmersmust also realise the benefits of a sustainable rural mental health. More steps must be taken to implement schemes that instead of being quick-fix measures, actually improve the lives of farmers. All government and non-government organizations associated with both mental health and the farming community have contributions to make.
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