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Effects of Drought and Flood on Farmer Suicides in Indian States: An Empirical Analysis

Author

Listed:
  • Yashobanta Parida

    (Jawaharlal Nehru University)

  • Devi Prasad Dash

    (Indian Institute of Technology Ropar)

  • Parul Bhardwaj
  • Joyita Roy Chowdhury

    (University of Utah)

Abstract

The study examines the effects of drought and flood on farmer suicides using state-level panel data from 17 Indian states for the period 1995–2011. The empirical estimates based on unconditional fixed effect Negative Binomial model show that while drought significantly increases farmer suicides, flood has no direct impact on the same. The results also show that incidence of farmer suicides is higher in cotton producing states of India because these states experience frequent drought conditions. Furthermore, our findings reveal that states with high levels of rural poverty experience a higher number of farmer suicides as a result of frequent occurrence of droughts and moderate floods. To obtain robust results, fixed effect Poisson model has been used in the study. Overall, the findings are consistent with unconditional fixed effect Negative Binomial model. Hence, in light of the results obtained by this study, it is important for the government to devise suitable policies such as loan waiver for poor farmers, compulsory crop insurance scheme, improving farm income through revamping of agricultural marketing policies, creating public awareness among farmers and providing micro-irrigation facilities as well as introducing alternative cropping pattern in the drought prone areas in order to reduce the occurrence of farmer suicides.

Suggested Citation

  • Yashobanta Parida & Devi Prasad Dash & Parul Bhardwaj & Joyita Roy Chowdhury, 2018. "Effects of Drought and Flood on Farmer Suicides in Indian States: An Empirical Analysis," Economics of Disasters and Climate Change, Springer, vol. 2(2), pages 159-180, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ediscc:v:2:y:2018:i:2:d:10.1007_s41885-018-0023-8
    DOI: 10.1007/s41885-018-0023-8
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    Cited by:

    1. Yang, Jie & Huang, Yijing & Takeuchi, Kenji, 2022. "Does drought increase carbon emissions? Evidence from Southwestern China," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 201(C).
    2. Yashobanta Parida & Swati Saini & Joyita Roy Chowdhury, 2021. "Economic growth in the aftermath of floods in Indian states," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(1), pages 535-561, January.
    3. Parida, Yashobanta & Roy Chowdhury, Joyita, 2021. "An empirical analysis of the effect of floods on rural agricultural wages across Indian states," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 23(C).
    4. Sonal Barve & K.S. Kavi Kumar & Brinda Viswanathan, 2019. "Weather Shocks, Agricultural Productivity and Farmer Suicides in India," Working Papers 2019-185, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    5. Young, Sera L., 2021. "Viewpoint: The measurement of water access and use is key for more effective food and nutrition policy," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 104(C).
    6. Bertinelli, Luisito & Mahé, Clotilde & Strobl, Eric, 2023. "Earthquakes and mental health," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 169(C).
    7. Mahambare, Vidya & Dhanaraj, Sowmya & Mittal, Pragati, 2022. "The political budget cycles in the presence of a fiscal rule: The case of farm debt waivers in India," Journal of Policy Modeling, Elsevier, vol. 44(3), pages 701-721.
    8. Vanishree Pabalkar & Rashmy Morey & Shivanand Rai, 2020. "Purchasing power of farmers - Challenges and opportunities in Indian Agriculture," Asian Journal of Agriculture and rural Development, Asian Economic and Social Society, vol. 10(1), pages 311-320, June.
    9. Roy Chowdhury, Joyita & Parida, Yashobanta & Agarwal Goel, Prarthna, 2021. "Does inequality-adjusted human development reduce the impact of natural disasters? A gendered perspective," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 141(C).
    10. Yashobanta Parida & Prarthna Agarwal Goel & Joyita Roy Chowdhury & Prakash Kumar Sahoo & Tapaswini Nayak, 2021. "Do economic development and disaster adaptation measures reduce the impact of natural disasters? A district-level analysis, Odisha, India," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 23(3), pages 3487-3519, March.
    11. Raju Guntukula & Phanindra Goyari, 2020. "Climate Change Effects on the Crop Yield and Its Variability in Telangana, India," Studies in Microeconomics, , vol. 8(1), pages 119-148, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Farmer suicides; Natural disaster; Rural poverty; Count model; Indian states;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • Q10 - Agricultural and Natural Resource Economics; Environmental and Ecological Economics - - Agriculture - - - General
    • C39 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Multiple or Simultaneous Equation Models; Multiple Variables - - - Other
    • I32 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Welfare, Well-Being, and Poverty - - - Measurement and Analysis of Poverty

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