THEVOICEOFFARMERSTOTHEGLOBALSITUATION

BASAVARAJINGIN,INDIA Theglobalsituationinthefarmsectorisnotfarmerfriendly.Sonaturallythefarmer will not have any inclination to accept the situation as they are. The situations in developedandrichcountriesmaybedifferentfromthesituationsinthedeveloping and poor countries. The farm sectors in developed countries is only for more production, more profit making, in other words, commercialisations. Added to this theGovernmentsinthedevelopedcountriesextendsmanysopsincludingdomestic protectionandalsoexportsupport.Whereasthedevelopingcountriesdonothave thesupportofGovernmentequaltothedevelopedcountries.Thereforethefarming indevelopingcountriesisforsustainableagricultureandtofightformaintainingthe livelyhoodofagriculturefamily. The worlds population is growing at the rate of 1,50,000 per day and will continuetogrowforanother40years.Thereforenaturallythefoodproductionwill needtoincreaseby70%tofeedthegrowingpopulation. Thereisanothertruthtobebroneinmindthatthereisenoughfoodtofed theglobalpopulationdespitethespecteroffoodinsecurity.Thesurplusisavailable tothosewhocontrolthoseaccessarablelands,itisnotavailabletoothercountries like India. China is attempting to feed 21% of worlds population with 7% of the worldsarablelandsandIndiaisattemptingtofeed17%ofworldspopulationwitha near2%ofworldsarablelands.Itistoughtasktofulfill. Fewfarmersmaybeselfsufficienttodaybutthatischangingandtheyneed to prepare for more. There has been a predictably rapid rise in starvation, hunger andmalnutritioninpoorerpopulationsaroundtheworld. The reason why an effort is made to mention about the food security in between is the agriculture decline is taking place at the time when international pricesofmajorfoodgrainsaregoingupsteeply,partlyduetotheuseofgrainsfor ethanolproduction. Landforfoodv/sfuelisbecomingamajorissue.International trade is also becoming free but not fare. Recently Dr. Manmohan singh Honranble Prime Minister of India during his address to UN remarked that the liberization, privatizationandglobalizationthoughinitiallyshownlittleproductivitybuttheyhave resultedinnegativedimensionsofglobalizations. To meet the above challenges of increasing productivity and feeding the hungry, caring for earth is an unanswerable question when looked into the developments of the situations. Since the agriculture is turned out to be an

unproductiveandnonremunerativeafarmerisexitingfromthefarmfelidandgoing to the urban centres to more remunerative earnings by doing day to day labour works. The scarcity of land and water has caused a great concern to farmers. Besidesglobalwarminganduncertainseasonalconditionsareanotherchallengeto be faced by the farmers. Added to this the rich and multinationals have started to grab fertile and cultivable land in the guys of creating infrastructure like industry, education,healthetc.Forthisthegovernmentsaregivingmoreprotectionforland acquisitionsacrifingtheinterestingoffarmers. Already there is land rush and fragmentation due to the increase of populationandfragmentationoflandduetodivisionoffamilies.Whentheareaof cultivable and fertile land goes of decreasing the problems of farmers and farm sector and also food security becomes in remunerable. There are genuine fears in thedevelopingcountrieswhereasituationenteringaphaseoffoodimperialism.If such countries including India does not act now the choice will be between food imperialismandtechnologyimperialism. To tackle all this farmer is looking at the public investment not only for creation of infrastructure required for inputs but also assistance of science and technology in providing the non GM high yielding seeds which have the regular germinationcharacterandprovidefacilitiesforimplementingtheguildeniesofFAO andtoachievethegoalUNcommitteeonfoodsecurityforglobalsoilpartnershipfor food security and climate change adaption and mitigation which was launched earlier. Basicallythefarmerislookingforpublicsupportforcontainthemigrationof farmersandexitoffarmersfromfarmfieldtotheurbancentresinsearchofmore remunerativejobs. Thereforeourdialoguewiththegovernmentarebasedonaroundcontaining farmersexitfromthefarmlandsandtochangethemindsetoffarmersandalsoto retainonhisfarmthroughregularcounsellingsothatasortofconfidenceisinjected inhimsothatwemaybuildhiscapacitytoproducemorepoisonfreefoodtobea parttofreethehugryandtocareforearth. Therefore we are now concentrating our dialogue with government on the followingpoints 1. Deurbanization 2. Creationofurbanfacilitiesatruralcenters

3. Tostopforthwithacquisitionofcultivableandfertilelandforanypurpose. 4. Even if the waste and urban land of a farmer was to be acquired for infrastructurethelandshallbealienatedandtransferredtothepersonor organizationforwhomthelandwasneeded.Butthelandshouldbetreated asashareinvestmentofthefarmerandlandshouldcontinueinhisname andalsoheshouldgettheshareoftheactivityforwhichthelandistobe used. 5. Creating off farm employment at rural parts including dairy, animal husbandry, poultry, sheep breeding, piggery, fishery and sericulture and also cottage industries including grading, value addition and processing of agriproduces. 6. Managing our soil and water resources in a sustainable manner with new politicalvision. 7. Decisionsofimportandexportofagriproducestobetakenonlyafteronly aftertakingfarmersintoconfidenceandthattoonlywhenthereisneed. 8. To incentive agri research and extension with the partnership of farmers groups. 9. Tobringaboutmarketreformstreatingthecountryasonezone. 10. Tocreatemorestoragecapacityincludingcoldstoragechain. 11. ReorientMGNREGAforencouragingproductivitybuilding. 12. To incentivise majors for mechanisation of all agriculture activities especiallybasedontheneedsofsmallandmarginalfarmers 13. Toincentivisealliedsectorsofanimalhusbandry,dairyandaqua. 14. To decentralize agriculture planning empowering and making direct allocationtopanchayatandfarmergroupsbytheplanningcommissions. 15. ToestablishnationalfarmersAdvisoryCouncil 16. Morepublicsupport(government)forproductivityandmarketingincluding exportonparwithdevelopedcountries. 17. Totackle theuncertaintiesoftheseasonalconditionsintroduce individual farmbasedinsurance. 18. Farmer should have right to fix the price of agri commodity and not the marketorgovernment. 19. Women farmer should have the legal rights of properties especially of all agriculturerelatedproperties. 20. AsfarasIndiaisconcernedwenowdemandforimmediateimplementation of the national farmers commissions report submitted by Dr. M S swaminathanandtillafinalshapeofrighttofixpriceofagricommoditiesis introduced the price should be based on the recommdations of national farmerscommissionsreport. 21. Tohaveprogramsforcapacitybuildingofyoungandwomenfarmers.

On the whole the farmer who is looking eargerly to the global situtations which are not productive and remunerative to him for policy reforms to be modified at an earliest as farmer friendly and farmers to have better and honorable lively hood through the policy reforms introduced by the InternationalyearofFamilyFarming.