Farmers and Stress Management during Covid-19

Farmers in India depend on various factors and climates for a regular income.Due to this, they are prone to many risks which create stress in them.In India, for the last three decades we witnessed many farmers' committing suicide for various reasons.The review of literature shows that not only farmers in India are prone to stress but it is the same in other countries as well.The corona-virus crisis has led to a situation where farmers faced additional stress due to unavailability and non-movement of labour, inter-state transport bottlenecks, shortage of raw materials due to closure of mandis, and unavailability of transport and markets.This has induced more stress and anxiety to the farmers and farm women than the usual conditions leading to suicides.The need of the hour is to conduct stress management practices among farmers and farm women.Yoga is the most perfect health and wellness strategy as it is comprehensive and holistic in nature.Hence, Yogic and meditative strategies are best means according to Indian tradition for the management of stress.Keeping this in view the present study was conducted to assess and develop strategies to overcome stress, anxiety and depression by farmers during COVID-19.The study was conducted in Karnataka state.At the irst satge survey was conducted with a sample of 150 farmers and 150 farm women.In the second stage pre-post test experimental design was used to test the effectiveness on 60 farmers and 60 farm women.Yogic and meditative strategies were developed to manage the stress level and tested for its effectiveness by experimenting on selected farmers and farm women.But the challenge was to convince the farmers to understand the importance of yoga and make them attend the one month training session regularly.The researchers thus held few group discussions and convinced the selected farmers and farm women to attend one month yoga training.The results of the study indicate a positive impact of the developed strategies on reducing stress among farmers and farm women.Thus, yogic practices (pranayama, asanas and meditation) can be an effective strategy for managing the stress levels of farmers and farm women.