Political messaging on farm laws needs to take demographics into account
The package of three farm laws passed by Parliament in 2020 was both politically and economically consequential. However, over a year later it remains in abeyance. Advocates of the package often portray protesting farmers as people motivated by vested interests. However, recent research suggests that the messaging in support of the farm laws may not have taken demographic trends in agriculture into account.Economist Vidya Mahambare, along with two co-authors, has used GoI’s annual employment data to study the demographic trends among farmers. Studying the percentage of population working in agriculture according to age groups, the study found that it was highest in the 50-59 age group (31.5% of the population) and lowest in the 20-29 age group (14.4%). The average age of farm workers in 2018-19 is almost 40 years, considerably higher than the median age in the country.
Separately, GoI’s answers in the Parliament show that extreme weather events in India have increased over the last two decades. In other words, operational risks in agriculture have increased.
The combination of demographics and higher operational risks suggest that the political messaging to support the farm laws may be misplaced. Ground realities make the target group likely to be relatively risk averse. Addressing it is essential to break the current logjam.
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