The United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, adopted in 2015 with a total of 17 objectives to be achieved by 2030, primarily aim to ensure the well-being of all people, particularly those in rural areas who are experiencing accelerated marginalization. The goal of ensuring happiness has become increasingly important as a result. In order to attain happiness for disadvantaged communities, it is crucial to provide a guaranteed income, basic health and hygiene, minimal education, and social security. Happiness is a universal aspiration and every farmer in India desires it.
However, farmers in India are often portrayed as mere food producers who work for wages or income. Unfortunately, wages and income for small and marginal farmers are unpredictable, making it challenging for them to achieve a happy and prosperous life. The Indian farming sector is under constant stress due to unpredictable markets and fragile income, which makes it difficult for farmers to lead a happy life. India's position on the global happiness index is close to the bottom.
This book examines the conceptual heterogeneity of happiness and its importance for the physical and mental well-being of farmers. The well-being of farmers is crucial for sustaining food security and economic growth. The book is fascinating and insightful, providing a comprehensive analysis of the causes and consequences of farmer's unhappiness. Through a large sample of farmer respondents, the book examines their level of happiness and provides compelling evidence to support its arguments.
The UN declaration on sustainable goals on 2015, seventeen by count, to be achieved by 2030, certainly focuses on ensuring well being of people, especially of rural populace reeling under faster marginalization process. That is why and how the issues of ensuring happiness have earned humongous importance over others. The happiness for deprived class is attainable by ensuring a dedicated income, health and hygiene, minimal level of learning and social security. Happiness is the most adored goal for everyone on this planet and unquestionably every farmer in India. Farmers are wrongly portrayed as a human machine for producing food against some wages or income. Both wages and income are so uncertain for a small and marginal farmer, a happy return remains illusory and a far away dream per se.
Happiness is the barest minimum to any person for survival and moving with a humble vision and mission either. Unfortunately, our farmers are denied to a glow of happiness, and mantled with clouds of agony, depression and confusuion. They are supposed to ensure food security to all, but themselves have to deal with extreme food insecurity, market uncertainty, undulating income, erosion of natural resources and stereotypes of farming occupation. That is how there has been a sharp rise in the migration from farm to off farm occupation. This is the need of the hour to estimate their happiness. Agriculture is India’s backbone, employing half the country’s population. However, it has been confronting with several issues, including unfair and non-remunerative market prices, an unstructured supply chain, disaster driven crop failure, and so on. However, an alarming trend in our country shows that farmers are desiring to quit agriculture by large number, 45-60 per cent, and are committing suicides; this is a threat to our long-term a gri-development. Do they cultivate because they desire to, or because they have got no other choices either?
This chapter is an extensive survey of all past studies relevant to the field of investigation which gives knowledge of what others have found out in the related field of study. In any scientific investigation or research, a comprehensive presentation of the review of literature is a statutory requirement. Its main functions are to develop a better understanding of the problem to be investigated, delineate a new area of study and avoid unnecessary duplication, decide on the tools and techniques to be adopted including developing some new ones, also to relate the present study with the previous ones by finding out the areas of agreement and disagreement. The review of literature of the present study is based on the major concepts related to the field of investigation. As direct references on the entire item are not in abundance, certain specific references along with some indirect references have been incorporated in this chapter for the purpose of meaningful use.
This chapter deals with some important terms and their concepts related to the study which are essential to convey the ideas of the study effectively and also to provide a theoretical base for the empirical investigation and guidance for the selection of relevant predictor variables. 3.1 Human Happiness and Estimation A state of mental or emotional wellbeing known as happiness is characterized by pleasant or good emotions, which can range from contentment to ecstatic delight. Happy emotions can also be a reflection of how someone feels about their general well-being.
4.1 Research Setting In any social science research, it is hardly possible to conceptualize and perceive the data and interpret the data more accurately until and unless a clear understanding of the characteristics in the area and attitude or the behavior of people is at commending by the interpreter who intends to unveil an understanding of the implication and behavioral complexes of the individual who lives in the area under reference and form a representative part of the larger community. The socio-demographic background of the local people in a rural setting has been critically administered in this section. A research setting is a surrounding in which input and elements of research are contextually imbibed, interactive, and mutually contributive to the system performance. The research setting is immensely important in the sense because it is characterizing and influencing the interplays of different factors and components.
Research methodology is a detailed plan of investigation and the blueprint of procedure for carrying out the research. In this chapter, a discussion on the methodology has been made to understand the concepts, methods, and techniques, which are utilized to design the study, collect information, analyze data and interpret the findings for the revelation of truth and formulation of theories. The entire chapter has been broken up under the following sub-heads for easy understanding: Locale of research Sampling design Pilot study Variables and their measurements Methods of data collection Statistical tools used for the analysis of data
The chapter deals with the Results and discussion of the study, whose purpose is to provide sufficient information so as to arrive at a valid conclusion. Tables and Figures are commonly used in this chapter to support and supplement textual materials. Discussion helps to interpret the Results of the study from a proper perspective and to relate them with other relevant studies. Table 6.1. Descriptive Statistics of Variable with respect to Minimum, Maximum, Mean, Standard Deviation of Values, Variance, and Coefficient of Variance:
The present study has been conducted in one of the agro-ecological zones of the state of West Bengal, New alluvial zone. Four villages from Haringhata block in Nadia district were selected from the new alluvial agro- ecological zone to conduct the study. One hundred farmers were selected from the villages of Dalilpur, Mitrapur, Fatehpur, 25 respondents from each. The primary data were collected with the help of structured interview schedule by following the personal interview method. The secondary data were collected from our departmental library, internet, Department of Agriculture, West Bengal, Bidhan Chandra krishi Viswavidyalaya, etc. for establishing the conceptual framework of the study.
Future scope of the Research The present study has been conducted by driving the insights deeper into the nature, intensity and character of the problems creating barrier against the farmers happiness and there mental health. The present study thus leaves behind the following domains to be researched out in future: The study can be extrapolated to other domains of mental health and happiness:
Andrews, F. M., and Crandall, R. (1976). The validity of measures of self-reported well- being. Soc. Indic. Res., 3(1): 1-19. Berg, A. O., Baird, M. A., Botkin, J. R., Driscoll, D. A., Fishman, P. A., Guarino, P. D., and Williams, J. K. (2009). National Institutes of Health State-of-the-Science Conference Statement: family history and improving health. Ann.Intern. Med., 151(12): 872-877. Berry, H. L., Hogan, A., Owen, J., Rickwood, D., and Fragar, L. (2011). Climate change and farmers’ mental health: risks and responses. A.P.J.P.H, 23(2_suppl): 119S-132S.
