Mi Aahe

Farmers are an integral part of India’s economy and also contributing to our country’s basic daily needs. Agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihoods in India. 70 percent of India’s rural households still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood, with 82 percent of farmers being small and marginal.

India has witnessed farmer suicides since 1970. In more than 5 decades we are unable to find a holistic approach towards preventing our famers from committing suicide.
After studying various village interventions and Indian Government’s SAGY (Saansad Adarsh Gram Yojana launched on 11th October, 2014) model, World Chamber For Social Business has initiated a fresh approach which has never been implemented towards preserving our farmers and building resilience by taking care of their behavorial needs. It is ironical, that the word “health” in a farmer’s dictionary exists only for his yields or livestock but not for him.

World Chamber for Social Business is the world’s first chamber constituted for social businesses around the world, has started to change the narrative in a “Building Resilience” from the perspective of our farmers. WCSB believes in #LeaveNoFarmerBehind should be a focus of the multi-lateral agri stakeholders for the next 5 years for make our farmers stronger mentally to tackle the other problems which co-exist in agriculture.

WCSB’s initiatve Jan Vikalp is an arm which works to solve issues the state is facing through social business by involving international stakeholders whose vision is to have a sustainable planet. Jan Vikalp ensures that the most pressing problems faced by our people are solved by social businesses which would also help in achieving the 17 Global Goals by the UN. Jan Vikalp is a nonprofit initiative which brings our citizens as
stakeholders to solve a problem.

Jan Vikalp is launching a Farmer Wellness Task Force for building Farmer Resilience, called Mi Aahe which means “I am here for you”. The essence of the initiative will be giving back the dignity of our farmer by expressing communication, various activities and interventions that we citizens stand by you in spirit while you work hard for us.

“Mi Aahe is an initiative WCSB will involve citizen participation to make the farmer feel he is part of us apart from being counselled and resolve financial crises faced by farmers who are on the verge of a socio economic and emotional breakdown.

The Farmer Wellness Task Force (Mi Aahe) brings together the knowledge of agriculture and evidence-based approaches in behavioral health to help better equip farmers, their families, and the agricultural community with tools and resources to help in time of need. This will help farmers learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stress and suicide, effectively communicate with people under stress, reduce stigma related to mental health concerns, and connect farmers to make them feel inclusive.