#5SmartReads - December 1, 2020

On India's farmers, grief + the holidays, and stimulus

India’s Farmers Come Out in Force Against Modi (Foreign Policy)

I’m a little ashamed to admit how little I knew about Modi’s new agriculture laws and the protests that followed from Indian farmers. And if you are as well, here’s a quick catchup.

First - over 600M Indians are employed by the agricultural sector, contributing nearly half a trillion dollars annually. However, the sector is plagued by climate change and growing debt and driving people to suicide.

Modi’s bills were meant to streamline a bureaucratic system, improve storage conditions, and attract outside investment.

The reality? Farmers have taken to the streets to protest these laws, as they fear losing their land and amassing more debt to keep up with these changes.

This article is an excellent primer on this issue, and worthy of your time.