Effect of COVID 19 Lockdown on Farm Income and Problems Faced by Farmers

In response to the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Government of India imposed the largest lockdown in history: There is no doubt that this lockdown disproportionately affected the poor and daily wage earners (Ahmed Mushfiq Mobarak, 2020; Cash and Patel, 2020), including rural farmers. Understanding this impact has important implications for preparing for upcoming agricultural seasons, informing the targeted provision of emergency food rations to those most in need, and re-building a more resilient, sustainable, and equitable agri-food system. Previous studies have highlighted potentially major impacts on agricultural production and food security as a result of the COVID-19 lockdown in India. The aim of this study was to know the effect of the COVID-19 lockdown on loss of income due to corona and problems faced by the farmers in carrying out their regular farm related activities. The study was conducted during September–October 2020 after six months of first lockdown due to COVID 19. The study was conducted in three districts of Northern Karnataka viz; Dharwad, Belgaum and Sirsi. Information was collected through personal interviews from randomly selected 20 farmers from each district. Thus the total sample for the study was 60 farmers. The study clearly shows that the farmers have faced many problems on their field as well as in marketing and have incurred loss along with other problems due to COVID 19 lockdown.