Kastakar: Farmers of Vidarbha

The Vidarbha region of Maharashtra consists of eleven districts: Akola,
Amravati, Washim, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Wardha, Buldhana, Chandrapur,
Bhandara, Gadchiroli and Gondia. As of 2012, 65% of the population living
in this region was dependent on agriculture and allied activities for their livelihood

Largely being an agrarian economy, Vidarbha is infamous for one of the
highest farmer suicide rates in the country. This region contributes to almost half of the farmer suicide cases in the entire state of Maharashtra. The Visual Storyboards team at the Centre for New Economics Studies spoke to the residents, farmers – and activists from the Yavatmal and Wardha districts to understand this crisis and the reasons for the poor agridevelopment of Vidarbha.