National policy for Farmers

The National Policy for farmers has defined the term “FARMER” as a person actively engaged in the economic and/or livelihood activity of growing crops and producing other primary agricultural commodities. It also includes all agricultural operational holders, cultivators, agricultural labourers, sharecroppers, tenants, poultry and livestock rearers, fish-growers, beekeepers, gardeners, pastoralists, non-corporate planters and planting labourers, as well as persons engaged in various farming related occupations such as sericulture, vermiculture, and agro-forestry. Apart from this, the term also includes tribal families/persons engaged in shifting cultivation and in the collection, use and sale of minor and non-timber forest produce.

The Indian government has approved the "National Policy for Farmers, 2007" based on recommendations developed by an independent commission in 2004. The independent commission was chaired by 1987 World Food Prize Laureate M.S. Swaminathan. 

The new policy aims to improve the net income of Indian farmers and includes a number of different provisions. The policy states that there is a need for an "Evergreen Revolution" in India that would use biotechnology and other new technologies to improve crop productivity without harming the environment. The policy also calls for the establishment of a National Agricultural Bio-security System and the creation of a Cabinet Committee on Food Security. India's Department of Agriculture & Cooperation is charged with developing a plan to bring the new policy into action.

Important provisions and features incorporated in the National Policy for Farmers, 2007 include: 

a) Human Dimension: Focus to be on the economic well-being of the farmers than merely on production and productivity.
b) Definition of Farmer: Expanded to include all categories of persons engaged in the sector so that they can be extended the benefits of the Policy. 
c) Asset Reforms: To ensure that every man and woman, particularly the poor in villages, either possesses or has access to a productive asset. 
d) Income per unit of Water: The concept of maximizing yield and income per unit of water would be adopted in all crop production programmes and, stress will be given on awareness and efficiency of water use. 
e) Drought Code, Flood Code and Good Weather Code: To be introduced in drought prone areas, flood prone areas and in arid areas, respectively so as to maximize the benefits of monsoon and to aid preparedness for likely contingencies. 
f) Use of Technology: New technologies which can help in enhancing productivity per unit of land and water are sought for. Biotechnology, information and communication technology (ICT), renewable energy technology, space applications and nano-technology will be used to provide opportunities for launching an "Evergreen Revolution" capable of improving productivity in perpetuity without harming the ecology. 
g) National Agricultural Bio-security System: To be set up to organize a coordinated agricultural bio-security programme. 
h) Inputs and services-Soil Health: Good quality seeds, disease free planting material including in-vitro cultured propagules and Soil health enhancement hold the key to raising productivity of small farms. Every farmer family will be issued with a Soil Health Passbook. 
i) Support Services for women: When women work in fields and forests the whole day, they need appropriate support services like crèches, child care centers and adequate nutrition. 
j) Gyan Chaupals to be established in as many villages as possible to harness the help of Information and Communication Technology. 
k) Credit & Insurance: Credit counseling centers to be established where severely indebted farmers can be provided a debt rescue package to help them out of debt trap. To cater to the needs for both credit and insurance literacy in villages, Gyan Chaupals will help in the task. 
l) Setting up of Farm Schools: These will be set up in the fields of outstanding farmers to promote farmer to farmer learning and to strengthen extension services. 
m) A comprehensive National Social Security Scheme will be launched for the farmers for ensuring livelihood security by taking care of insurance needs on account of illness, old age, etc. 
n) Minimum Support Price (MSP) mechanisms to be implemented effectively across the country so as to ensure remunerative prices for agricultural produce. 
o) Market Intervention Scheme to be strengthened to respond speedily to exigencies, specific crops to be identified. 
p) Community Food Grain Banks: To be promoted to help in the marketing of unutilized crops. 
q) Single National Market: To develop a Single National Market by relaxing internal restrictions and controls. 
r) Expanding Food Security Basket to include nutritious crops like bajra, jowar, ragi and millets mostly grown in dryland farming areas. 
s) Farmers of the future: Farmers may adopt cooperative farming, create service cooperatives, undertake group farming through self-help groups, establish small holders' estates, adopt contract farming and create farmers' companies. This is expected to increase productivity, efficiency of small farmers and would create multiple livelihood opportunities through crop-livestock integrated farming systems as well as agro processing.