Shocking Farmer Suicide Epidemic

"India's shocking farmer suicide epidemic. Falling into a debt-trap and besieged by bad weather, thousands of farmers are taking their own lives each year. "

"In the last 20 years, nearly 300,000 farmers have ended their lives by ingesting pesticides or by hanging themselves. Maharashtra state - with 60,000 farmer suicides - tops the list."
http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2015/05/india-shocking-farmer-suicide-epidemic-150513121717412.html

Bhagwan Datatery said his father was under tremendous financial pressure before killing himself [Baba Umar/Al Jazeera]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farmers'_suicides_in_India

In 2014, the National Crime Records Bureau of India reported 5,650 farmer suicides.^[1] The highest number of farmer suicides were recorded in 2004 when 18,241 farmers committed suicide.^[2] The farmers suicide rate in India has ranged between 1.4 to 1.8 per 100,000 total population, over a 10-year period through 2005.^[3]

India is an agrarian country with around 60% of its people depending directly or indirectly upon agriculture. Farmer suicides account for 11.2% of all suicides in India.^[1] Activists and scholars have offered a number of conflicting reasons for farmer suicides, such as monsoon failure, high debt burdens, genetically modified crops, government policies, public mental health, personal issues and family problems.^[4][5][6] There are also accusation of states fudging the data on farmer suicides.^[7]

Related Links:
http://www.thehindu.com/data/over-3000-farmers-committed-suicide-in-the-last-3-years/article7130686.ece
http://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/indias-suicide-problem/



Posted on the video from 2011
National Crime Records Bureau says over 200,00 farmers in Punjab have committed suicide since 1997 due to the fact that they are heavily in debt and unable to repay their lenders. 

Punjabi farmers are also going through a water crisis in which the Indian government has restricted water rights for irrigation, making it extremely inefficient and expensive for farmers to maintain their crops and land.

The Government has also allowed for the usage of unregulated pesticides and fertilizers to counterbalance the low productivity resulting in major health problems in the people of Punjab.
Saint Soldier &; Sukhraj have written and performed this track in hopes of raising global awareness of this issue.


http://www.SaintSoldierMusic.com
http://www.SukhrajMusic.com
http://www.Facebook.com/ManiDProductions
http://www.StillwaterFilms.ca
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Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention

suicideprevention.ca/

Jan 7, 2016 - The Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP) provides information and resources to reduce the suicide rate and minimize the ...

‎Preventing - ‎Thinking About Suicide? - ‎Coping & Intervening - ‎Warning Signs

 

Suicide Prevention – Find A Crisis Centre

suicideprevention.ca/thinking-about-suicide/find-a-crisis-centre/

May 28, 2014 - Crisis Centres are located across Canada in communities of all sizes. Many offer telephone support 24 hours a day, and most are associated 

 

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Mental health in Canada: Where to get help

http://www.ctvnews.ca/mental-health-in-canada-where-to-get-help-1.704877 

 

British Columbia
CMHA British Columbia division

• http://www.cmha.bc.ca/
• 604 688 3234 or toll free in B.C. at 1 800 555 8222 FREE

Crisis Centre

• http://www.crisiscentre.bc.ca/about-us/contact-us/
• Toll free in B.C. at 1 800 SUICIDE

Here To Help

• http://heretohelp.bc.ca/publications/factsheets/suicide
• Toll free in B.C. at 1 800 661 2121 FREE

Youth In B.C.

• http://www.youthinbc.com/
• Greater Vancouver area: 614 872 3311 or Howe Sound and Sunshine Coast: 1 866 872 0113 FREE

Counselling B.C.

• http://www.counsellingbc.com/

 

Request for Proposals- Sustainable Food Systems

Tweet
Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2011
Mar 13/2011

http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com

Found this on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/SustenanceFestival

http://www.mcconnellfoundation.ca/en/granting/sustainable-food-systems

Request for Proposals
Sustainable Food Systems

To strengthen regional food economies in Canada

While the global industrial food system can be credited with providing low cost food to large numbers of consumers, it has serious drawbacks and vulnerabilities. Obesity rates are escalating, and dependence on food banks is growing.

Roughly 30% of all greenhouse gas emissions are generated by food production, processing, and distribution; and major watersheds are being harmed by intensive agriculture.

The current supply of inexpensive imported food is threatened by rising energy costs and climate change-related declines in crop yields.

Canadians increasingly understand that a resilient and sustainable food system must address not only the economic wellbeing of producers and consumers, but also environmental impacts and human health outcomes.

Local, diverse, and ecologically sustainable food initiatives are multiplying across the country, including eco-certification, regionally focussed restaurants and food markets, and healthy supply chain strategies that link informed consumers to local producers.

In order to assist this work, the McConnell Foundation is launching an initiative to strengthen regional food economies in Canada. 

We envision a food system that links growers and consumers in supply chains that incorporate shared values around sustainability, health, and resilience. Read More Here http://www.mcconnellfoundation.ca/en/granting/sustainable-food-systems


Examples of projects which this initiative could support include:

-certification programs that support local and sustainable food

-projects that influence institutional procurement policies

-healthy supply chains” that enable intermediaries to link farmers to markets

-dissemination of programs that provide fresh local food for schools

-food “hubs” that link local producers, processors, consumers, and civil society organizations

The deadline for submissions of proposals is April 15, 2011.

Submit a Proposal

Edibles Advocate Alliance

Tweet
Blog post by Tina Winterlik © 2011
March 12/2011

http://tinawinterlik.blogspot.com

Edibles Advocate Alliance

Came across this on Linkedin in my Four Years. Go Group.  
Edibles Advocate Alliance. http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/ Wonderful site that is just so full of really valuable info. I've been putting lot thought into the short film I want to make for the Four Years. Go "Possible Futures" Contest.

Thinking about my future, how I want to live, how I would like the world would be. How to "Green" my lifestyle and really make it sustainable. I have lots of ideas, and this site really helps has lots of advice on how I can make it happen. Check it out!

What Is A Local Food Web?

A Food Web consists of the links between farmers and growers, processors, suppliers, local food shops, as well as other local food providers such as farmers markets, box schemes, community supported agriculture and food cooperatives, through to consumers.

A thriving Local Food Web benefits people, places and communities by:

• Creating new jobs and small businesses,
• Keeping local money in the local economy,
• Generating fewer food miles and less waste,
• Securing thriving business models for farmers and producers,
• Increasing access to fresh, healthy, affordable food, and
• Expanding consumer choice of where to shop and what to buy locally produced items.

Visit the website to learn more about the following:

What is a Food System?

What is a Community or Regional Food System?

 What Is A Sustainable Community Food System?

The word sustainable is often associated with the sustainable agriculture movement, which had its beginnings in North America in the 1980s. This period was characterized by a wave of bank foreclosures of farm operations, particularly small and family-owned farms.

Many were unable to compete with the large national and international farming corporations and were forced to sell their farms and go out of business. Globalization, through international trade agreements, were also viewed by some in the agriculture community as another reason for the demise of many small and family-owned farms.

Misuse and overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides contributed heavily to the degradation of many farms and waterways throughout the United States, Canada, and other developing countries.

Out of this "farm crisis" came national and international institutions and organizations of concerned citizens, producers, community organizations, business like the Edibles Advocate Alliance, and environmental groups.

We advocate for the creation of policies and laws that supported new environmentally safe approaches to producing food that would ensure the livelihood of farmers, vibrant economically-sound communities, and local living economies.

Thus, a Sustainable Community Food System is a self-reliant system that sustains people as well as the land. Read More Here http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/

Why Are Sustainable Community Food Systems Important?

A Sustainable Community Food System, whether it is local or regional, is a Local Food Web that brings food producers closer to consumers by producing fruits and vegetables or raising livestock or fish closer to the places they are sold.

Emily Brooks and the Edibles Advocate Alliance believe that when it comes to food security and economic development, the closer producers are to homes and neighborhoods, the greater the access to more nutritious and affordable food and the more we are able to steward and protect our environment.

A Sustainable Community Food System supports long-term connections between farmers and consumers while meeting the economic, social, health, and environmental needs of the communities within a region. Read More Here http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/

More Interesting Links
Sustainable Water Solutions
http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/sustainable-water-solutions/ 

Animal Waste Treatment Systems
http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/animal-waste-treatment-systems/

Edible Advocate Alliances- Blogs

The Local Food & Agriculture Business Blog nurtures marketing and strategic business education for local food and agricultural businesses, organizations, and sustainable food systems. 

http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/local-food---agriculture-business-blog/



The Sustainable Learning Journey Blog ties together health information, ecological advocacy, green living, environmental awareness, and sustainable food and agricultural knowledge into a cross-spectrum of learning opportunities.
http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/sustainable-learning-journey-blog/

Emily Brooks is the revolutionary new face of the local food and sustainable agricultural advocacy.  The Harvesting CT Blog is an in-depth tour of all of Connecticut's bounty.  Meet farmers, visit farmstands, and tour farm markets in our video postings.  Follow along with us through our Socialight road map.  Participate in the writing of Connecticut Farmer & Feast- Emily's innovative new book highlighting CT's farmers and producers.  Participate in supporting local agriculture throughout Connecticut as we launch SharedHarvest CT - an interactive website that fosters the buying, selling, bartering, and donation of locally produced food.  http://www.ediblesadvocatealliance.org/harvesting-ct-blog/

New Book- Farmer & Feast