Indian Farmers Movement against agricultural reforms is turning into a global cause

ByAna Benoliel Coutinho

Indian Farmers Movement against agricultural reforms is turning into a global cause

 

While the entire world is focused on addressing the pandemic, there is ‘history in the making’ in India right now. Since November 2020, hundreds of millions of Indian farmers have been staging large-scale rallies to protest against agricultural reforms that the country’s government-enforced without first consulting local farmers. Despite the lack of water, blocked social network accounts, and other measures taken by the Indian authorities to force the farmers to retreat, the protests have not only continued but also seem to have gained popularity worldwide. This article looks at the reasons for this unexpected solidarity with Indian farmers coming from a wide range of countries.

What happened

In September 2020, the Indian parliament passed three laws apparently aimed at liberalizing the agricultural market. While the government says that the laws are meant to reform the agricultural sector and increase farmers’ revenues, farmers fear that they will help large corporations to take control of food chains in the country and will significantly decrease the minimum support price ensured by the government so far.

In a country where 50% of the population is involved in farming, the move prompted a 24-hour strike of 250 million people across India on 26 November 2020, some calling this one of the largest protests of the past decades. Protests have been staged ever since. In late January, hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets in the historic center of Delhi, many driving tractors. The rally ended in violence and one protester died. Throughout the protests, farmers have insisted that the government should repeal the laws and further guarantee the minimum support price for agri-food products.

Worldwide support

Indian farmers view the three laws as seeking to waive state-regulated marketplaces and the minimum support price, thus creating an opportunity for corporations to totally grab the market share, wiping small producers off the map. Such a scenario is a déjà vu experienced by farmers in other countries such as the United Kingdom, France, Indonesia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka to name just a few.

“It is so inspiring to see Indian farmers standing up against the deregulation of their sector that threatens their livelihoods. They are resisting the kind of market-based reforms that have led to such a tough and precarious situation for farmers here in Britain,” told Humphrey Lloyd, a UK farmer to The Federal.

The rising wave of solidarity in the UK, France, and other countries is imbued with the bitter experience of farmers who have been through similar reforms. According to Land Workers Alliance, these led to the intensification of farming practices, an aspect of conventional agriculture that is highly destructive to the land and represents risks for food safety. Furthermore, they de facto squeezed many small farmers off the land.

See the article: Can high yields today feed us in 10 years?

While farmers in India are demanding a full retraction of these reforms, the same fight is going on far beyond India’s borders. Small and medium farm holders are those at the forefront of this movement. They are also the ones who can help to transform agricultural systems – the systems that feed people.

See the article: Re-evaluating rural people as healthy and safe agri-food producers

From this perspective, the Indian Farmers Movement can be seen as a Global Farmers Movement and, if this is the case, then a victory for Indian farmers would mean to some extent a victory for farmers worldwide.