Social and Economic Consequences of Farmer Suicides in Karnataka: Impacts on Rural Communities and Beyond

In this research paper, an attempt has been made to overview the present scenario of farmer suicides in Karnataka, India, is given in the abstract, along with a focus on the disastrous social and economic effects of this phenomenon. In fact, there were 3,515 farmers committed suicide between 2013 and 2018, with small and marginal farmers who owned less than 5 acres of land being the bulk of these deaths. The main causes of these suicides were debt, crop failure, and limited access to institutional funding. Farmers who commit suicide have far-reaching effects on society in addition to the agricultural community. Declining agricultural output, rural-to-urban population mobility, and the breakdown of social structures are all problems facing rural communities. Reduced agricultural output, a loss of revenue for farming households, and an increase in the demand on government resources for relief operations are of the economic effects. The social consequences include a rise in domestic violence, mental health issues, and alcoholism in rural areas. The summary highlights how farmer suicides have an impact on metropolitan people who rely on agricultural goods for their sustenance, in addition to remote rural communities. The Karnataka government has launched programs including loan waivers, crop insurance policies, and irrigation projects to prevent farmer suicides. To address the root reasons of farmer suicides, further work must be done. This work should focus on supporting sustainable farming practices, increasing institutional funding availability, and offering mental health services to farming communities.