ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with the questions whether the genesis of farmers’ suicides is beyond comprehension for any likely solutions; whether behind it are the side effects of opening up the Indian economy to the global economy; or whether it is the consequence of a disastrous policy non-concern. It also dwells on the issue whether the resurgence in farmers’ suicides since 2014 is really a case of increase or whether the suicide trend has persisted without any abatement ever since it started in 1995. It debates whether the National Policy on Farmers 2007 and the 4% agricultural growth solution were failures. The chapter talks about various misconceptions prevalent in farmers’ suicides and their causes and the overconcern of academics and policymakers on the issues of definitions of farmers and the tendency to make up an artificial differentiation between farming-related causes and non-farming-related causes of social and institutional nature. It also asks why India ended up with the dubious distinction of becoming a leading location of farmers dying by suicide.
