Serving Farmers and Saving Farming, 2006: Year of Agricultural Renewal – Third Report

The eight-member National Commission on Farmers (NCF), chaired by Prof. M.S. Swaminathan, was set up in 2004 by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government to assess the extent of India’s agrarian crisis. It produced five reports (the fifth in two volumes). This third report discusses ‘2006-07: Year of Agricultural Renewal’, a programme to increase farm productivity and profitability without any ecological harm. It also records the NCF team’s observations from field trips to two important agricultural locations – Punjab and Maharashtra. It highlights the role of technology and says that the effective implementation of research could help achieve a much more successful agrarian economy. As in its earlier reports, the Commission acknowledges the important contribution of women in all agricultural processes and suggests ways in which they can be empowered.