The National Commission on Farmers, 17 Years On

Professor M. S. Swaminathan was Chairman of the National Commission on Farmers (NCF), a position of the rank of a Cabinet Minister of the Government of India. The NCF was constituted by the Government of India for a two-year term (2004–06). It had a Chairman, two full-time members, a member-secretary, four part-time members, and elaborate terms of reference. There had been commissions on aspects of agriculture earlier; this was the first time, however, that the “farmer” was the centre of focus. Popularly known as the Swaminathan Commission, the NCF submitted five reports under the generic title, “Serving Farmers and Saving Farming,” and a separate draft national policy for farmers. I worked in the NCF as Officer on Special Duty (Technical) to the Chairperson. This paper discusses some of the significant recommendations of the NCF.