I've just read a fine post from the excellent Women's eNews network, covering the aftermath of the (usually male) farmer suicides. Unfortunately, they're a little restrictive on copyright at Women's eNews so I can't post the entire article here, but under the principles of Fair Use and common sense, here's a snippet.

Kharif--the first crop after the monsoon season spanning from July to October--has mainly been harvested and the second crop is now coming along.
As many farm widows do what they can to keep up with these demands, they and their families are apprehensive about the debts their deceased relatives left behind. Many don't know the size of those debts or even who will come to collect or when. ... read more »

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Ch.2. Farmers | gender | India | suicides | Vidarbha

Posted on 16 January, 2007 - 18:23

The despair and suicide of indebted farmers are tragic and recurring themes. In India, their epicenter lies in Vidarbha, in Maharashtra, where farmers grow genetically modified cotton. The tragedy, for the families and communities left behind, has been caught by photographer Johann Rousselot, at Oeil Public. He shows the body of Praveen Vijay Bhakamwar, whose accumulated debts of Rs 40,000 - less than US$ 900 - pushed him to suicide. Bhakamwar leaves behind three daughters and a son. ... read more »

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Posted on 15 January, 2007 - 20:14