Farmers Distress Index

Facts for Prelims

Farmers Distress Index

News: Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), an institution under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) has developed an early warning system called ‘farmers distress index’.

What is Farmers Distress Index?
• The Farmers Distress Index is a tool that measures the level of hardship and suffering faced by farmers due to various factors such as climate change, crop failure, price volatility, and income loss.
• It is developed by the Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (CRIDA), an institution under the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).
• The index is based on a survey of farmers using 21 questions that cover seven indicators of distress, such as exposure to droughts, floods, pest attacks, debt, adaptive capacity, triggers for immediate distress, and socio-psychological factors.
• The index will help in identifying the degree of distress in different regions and providing timely preventive measures and support packages for farmers in need. The index is currently being worked out in the form of a mobile or desktop application.

How is the index calculated?
•  The index is calculated by assigning weights to the seven indicators of distress based on their relative importance and aggregating them to form a composite score for each farmer and sub-district.
• The index ranges from 0 to 1, where 0 indicates no distress and 1 indicates extreme distress.