Socio-economic, psychological and situational causes of suicides of farmers in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra

摘要

Study was undertaken for identification of various causes of suicides of farmers in highly suicide prone six districts of Vidarbha with exploratory design of social research. Total 200 victims were selected by proportionate method of random sampling. It covered 178 villages and 34 tahsils of six districts of Vidarbha. Results showed that low education level, large to medium family size with nuclear type of families, small and marginal rainfed holding with no source to access the irrigation, low productivity due to monsoon vagaries, low annual income, indebtedness, low socio-economic status, inability to fulfill important family responsibilities due to poor economic condition, alcohol drinking habit, personal and family members’ health problems, disputes, all these were the identified causes of suicides with the farmers of Vidarbha. All these causes are interrelated and they feed into each other and aggravate each other. All these identified causes were not common in all victims, but overall it reflected the poor socio-economic condition of the deceased farmers of Vidarbha due to non profitable farming business. For improving this situation, policy makers have to think critically about improving economic condition of the farmers of Vidarbha.