India's Cotton Growers

Tonight Emery and I watched PBS's Wide Angle. The show was about the "The Dying Fields" of India's cotton farms in Vidarbha, India's Cotton belt. In 2006, 1,044 suicides were reported in Vidarbha alone - that's one suicide every eight hours. To find out why this is happening, read this article http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/vidarbha/index.html I had no idea this was happening. We live in a world of instant communication, a world made small by technology, yet this has been a relatively unknown issue to most of us. The solution to this situation can be had for a small price compared to what we spend on luxuries in this country.
Most of this story can be viewed here http://www.pbs.org/wnet/wideangle/shows/vidarbha/video_feature.html Knowing about such issues should birth within our hearts a level of compassion that brings about change.
Frontline did a great job of reporting this story, the sad story of the "Seeds of Suicide" http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/rough/2005/07/seeds_of_suicid.html
American companies ship Genetically Modified seeds for these small farmers to grow, yet they have no irrigation and at the end of the season, no seeds to plant for the next year. They end up taking loans they cannot repay for more seed. In shame they commit suicide rather than see their land taken from them.
Makes my life seem so abundant by comparison.

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