Dr. Parveen Kumar
Let me start with the concept of ‘Social Justice’. Although the term has been defined and redefined many times, but a comprehensive and inclusive approach about social justice put forth by the John Lewis Institute for Social Justice includes,‘a communal effort dedicated to creating and sustaining a fair and equal society in which each person and all groups are valued and affirmed. It encompasses efforts to end systemic violence and racism and all systems that devalue the dignity and humanity of any person. It recognizes that the legacy of past injustices remains all around us, so therefore promotes efforts to empower individual and communal action in support of restorative justice and the full implementation of human and civil rights’. It aims at promoting a society which is just and equitable, valuing diversity and providing equal opportunities to all its members, irrespective of their caste, creed, colour, affiliation, ethnicity or gender. It ensures fair allocation of resources and support for their human rights. At the core of social justice is the principle of equity. It’s important to keep in mind that seeking equity in our communities and social institutions is different from equality.
Equality is when we make sure that every person has the same number of things/commodities regardless of their circumstances or needs. Equity is when you take a person’s circumstances into account and make sure they have what they need to do their own to get those things/commodities that they does not own. Equity is not about giving or redistributing wealth, it’s about creating pathways for success through fair access to the sources of wealth.
Agriculture as all of us know is a major source of livelihood and also has a vital role in creating job opportunities and shaping economies of different countries. Another characteristic of the sector is that it is dominated by marginal and small farms. When it comes to access to various resources, this dominant section is still at a disadvantage. Social justice still eludes them. They are still not able to avail the benefits of various government schemes, are still exploited at the hands of middlemen and commission agents, cannot decide on the price of their produce and face deprivation. Although they produce nutritious food for all of us yet they and their families are the ones adversely affected by nutritional deficiencies.Their children are stunted and wasted, women and girls are anemic and they cannot afford to send their children to study in educational institutes of their choice. It will thus not wrong to say that somewhere our agriculture related policies and programmes of the past were responsible for the present mess. Let me take the era of green revolution in the country. The phenomenal growth in the country in 1960 although made us a self sufficient country, but its negative effects on our ecosystem came two decades later. The excessive use of chemical fertilizers and plant protection chemicals to increase yield was a catastrophe. All the deadly chemicals reached our water bodies ultimately entering our food chain and making us prone to deadly diseases. It started a chain of multifaceted related problems not only on the health of the masses but also on their education, employment, rehabilitation, industry and environment. According to the FAO, there are 570 million farms worldwide. Nine out of Ten of these 570 million farms are managed by families. Family farms produce about 80% of the world’s food. In fact, 72% of the world’s farm is less than 1 hectare, which for most cases it means their productivity is based on unpaid labour done by family members. That is the production model that feeds the world.
In order to be sustainable the global food system should be equitable and meet the needs of present and future generations in its products, services and outcomes while ensuring profitability, environmental, social and economic equity, and justice. The world needs a growth and development model which is based on social justice and this type of growth cannot be achieved without focusing on agriculture. Infact the route to achieve social justice passes through agriculture. Investment in sustainable agriculture practices, empowerment of the farming communities, skill development of the youths and farm women are the keys to creating a society based on social justice. There are numerous examples where countries have invested in agriculture to achieve a range of benefits. Through investments in indigenous land management activities in Australia, there have been a range of benefits including improved health outcomes (e.g., lowered risk of diabetes and heart attack) that have saved an estimated USD 260,000 annually in one community’s health care costs, reduced welfare payments and increased tax revenue, and environmental benefits such as lower rates of weed infestation and healthier fire regimes Sustainable farming practices through organic and natural farming have the potential to reverse the harms of chemical intensive agriculture. While on the one hand, these reduce the cost of cultivation of different crops, they also come with the advantage of good income. The products of the natural farming are healthier and fetch remunerative price. They have the potential to reduce the income disparities and increase household incomes.
Climate smart farming also addresses the challenges of hunger and malnutrition. The development of climate resilient practices, technologies and bio-fortified varieties has the potential to solve many problems which the agriculture sector is facing today. As already discussed in this article, family farm is a predominant form of agriculture and hence a crucial agent of change to achieving sustainable food security and eradicating hunger with social justice prevailing everywhere. At the same time it is also crucial that government policies and programmes should also ensure that these favour the poor and marginalized resource poor farmers’. If we are to succeed in achieving social justice through agriculture we must have also to focus on critical aspects such as access to credit and various social security schemes that hold relevance for farming community, land reforms and land rights, education regarding safe and sustainable agriculture practices as education provides us with various opportunities of producing healthy food in a respectful manner for all.
The government of India has also come up with many programmes and policies that have shown results on the ground. It worked on a mission mode to ensure that income of farmers doubles in seven years. Towards financial support to the farmers, PMKISAN provides them with rupees six thousand in a year in three equal installments of rupees 2,000 each to cover up their input and other costs during the three seasons prevailing in the country. To provide them marketing support and to save them from the clutches of the middlemen, e-NAM is there where the farmers can register and sell their produce directly to any corner of the country even without their physical presence. To promote soil health, Soil Health Card scheme has been started. For increasing water efficiency PM Kisan Sinchai Yojana (PMKSY) has been launched. The largely static farming community is now being mobilized through formation of collective associations like Farmer Producer Organizations/Companies. Income and employment generation opportunities are being created in allied sectors through various schemes. PM Matsaya Sampada Yojana (PMMSY) aims to develop fisheries as an industry. PM Formalization of Micro Enterprises (PMFME) focuses on strengthening and rejuvenating micro food enterprises and entrepreneurs in the country. Startups in agriculture and allied sectors have also emerged as the most promising employment opportunities. Youths are now being skilled in different agriculture related enterprises and an enabling startup ecosystem in the country has led to many young innovative minds setting up their own ventures creating employment opportunities for many others. The business as usual approach in agriculture is now a thing of distant past and agriculture is now traversing a path with equity, dignity and respect for all stakeholders.
The world day of Social Justice celebrated every year on February 20 reminds all of us to work towards building fairer and more equitable societies.Agriculture is the most potent tool and potential sector which can ensure that the societies become inclusive and equitable.
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