Places like Pavagada in Karnataka are at the centre of India’s solar dreams. Around the year 2016 the government started leasing lands from farmers in this region, who had started finding farming unviable given the unpredictability of rains. Today the second largest solar power park in India is located here. While it might have looked like a win-win situation for everyone, what about the long-term impact?
“Very similar to Pavagada, a solar power project has been set up in Challakere. These projects in the name of ‘green’ initiatives are not only taking away land from farmers but are pushing them to migrate elsewhere... years from now Challakere and many other such rural places that fall under these ‘green’ initiatives will be nothing but lands filled with industrial waste,” says researcher and educator Bhargavi Rao.
She was speaking at a panel discussion on “Impact of climate change on rural livelihood” held as part of Uttariya, a five-day series of events at Bangalore International Centre, Domlur, organised by Charaka Women’s Co-operative Society in collaboration with Desi Trust and Ragi Kana.
The seminars organised as part of the event saw experts criticising some of the “green” initiatives like solar projects leading to increased unemployment and deteriorating living conditions in rural areas, economic inequality, insufficient land for sustainable farming, the impact of infrastructural development on wildlife and human habitation, and the need for government support for organic farming and traditional textiles to combat exploitation in the textile industry.
Seminar on ‘Sustainable Choices and Rural Livelihoods in the era of Climate Change’ by Charaka Women’s Co-operative Society in collaboration with Desi Trust and Ragi Kana. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
Impact of climate change
Throwing light on several projects emerging under “green” initiatives, Rao cited a Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report which showed that the unemployment rate of youth has increased by 7.5% in 2023 in these regions, in addition to the deterioration of health, food security and good living conditions. Land, which is a critical element of livelihood and employment in the rural areas, was being taken away, she said.
Panelists also threw light on the huge income inequality in the country. Noting that even two acres of land in rural areas are not enough to have a sustainable income for a family, anthropologist Dr. A.R. Vasavi said, “There is great economic inequality in our country. As many as 100 families own 40% of the GDP, with access to huge assets and natural resources.”
“For example, the average income of someone in a rural area is ₹240 per day, but businessman Gautam Adani’s income per day is about ₹200 crore. Even two acres of land in rural areas is not enough to have a sustainable income for a family. With fluctuating rainfall, increasing temperature, degradation of natural resources like soil, seed, water bodies and economic inequality, we see many people leaving the agriculture sector and huge agri-lands getting abandoned,” she said.
Human-animal conflicts
Conservationist Vinod Krishnan highlighted the effects of infrastructural developments on both wildlife and human habitation in the rural areas.
“In India only 5% of land falls under protected areas for wildlife. Habitat fragmentation is happening in forests because of infrastructural development, so eventually animals in the wild tend to find a new place, and they end up close to human habitation. As they get close to human habitation, they damage crops and estates of several farmers, which again is a huge loss for the farmers.”
Karnataka is one of the states which has been paying dearly for human-animal conflicts. According to data from the Karnataka Forest Department, between April and December 2023, the State witnessed five human deaths, 4,625 cases of crop damage and 685 cattle deaths in such instances.
“We have newer challenges, like in the Northeast, the community forests are on the verge of becoming plantations for palm oil cultivation and solar parks are being set up in the name of renewable energy. Under all these projects we end up losing a lot of biodiversity. With an annual central government budget of just ₹3,600 crores allocated for the environment and a whopping ₹11 lakh crore allocated for infrastructure, the priorities of the government are clear, and it is going to be very difficult to address environmental crisis,” Krishnan said.
Sustainable choices
According to data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 11,290 cases of suicide deaths of people involved in farming was recorded in the year 2022. Many of them had been cotton farmers, points out Ananthoo, co-founder of Tula, speaking at a panel discussion on “sustainable choices and ethical market.”
Addressing the issues in the textile industry, he said that intervention of institutions and government agencies in the promotion and support for organic farming, use of Khadi and handlooms was essential.
“80% of textile dying for West is done in eastern countries. It is not limited to natural resource exploitation, but also human labour and pushing them to work under toxic environment at every level.”
“Farmers who commit suicide are predominantly cotton growers as they are at loss or cannot meet the demands of the industry. It is important to note that only 5% of the agricultural land in India is used to grow cotton, but 55% of pesticides produced in the country is used for cotton cultivation. The textile industry is very similar to the food industry - like how we consume chemicals in our food, we also wear them through the textile industries. Individual personal lifestyle choices are not enough, institutions and government agencies must intervene in the promotion, consumption and support of organic farming, Khadi and handlooms,” he said.
Artisans hardly benefit
Fashion stylist and choreographer Prasad Bidapa pointed out that although popular designers have been opting to use Khadi and other traditional textile, it is the middlemen who are benefiting from it and not the artisans.
“As per recent records by Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC), Khadi and other such products have good share in the industry. In India, we are sitting on a treasure of textiles like Ikat, Banarasi, Kanchivaram, Muslin and more; Our country’s artisans have centuries of knowledge, we must bring them to the centre stage.”
“Many popular designers like David Abraham, Rakesh Thakore, and others are using Khadi in their designs, which is great. But the issue is that the benefits are taken away by the middlemen and sometimes the designers themselves. The artisans do not get the benefits for their work. We need to price the handmade goods at what it is worth for and eliminate middlemen,” he said.
Uttariya is an exhibition cum sale of handlooms and handmade products. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRAGEMENT
Long-term plans
Uttariya also featured an exhibition-cum-sale of handloom and handmade products. It had a three-day exhibition of paintings by several artists, titled “People’s Art” as well. The proceeds from the sale of paintings will be donated to Grama Swaraj Nidhi, a rural livelihood fund that will be set up to help artisans and organisations working towards ensuring sustainable livelihoods for rural enterprises.
