More than 50 per cent of marginal farmers reported losing at least half of their standing crops due to extreme weather conditions, according to a recent survey. Extreme weather events include excessive or unseasonal rains, prolonged winter conditions, droughts, and floods.

The findings are part of the second Annual Survey on the ‘State of Marginal Farmers of India 2024’ by the Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), a collaborative enterprise of Sambodhi Research and Transform Rural India Foundation (TRIF). The survey was commissioned by the Forum of Enterprises for Equitable Development (FEED), an organization dedicated to advocating for marginal farmers.

A total of 6,615 marginal farmers participated in the study. They were selected from a large pan-India panel of farmers.