Climate change hikes risk of Indian farmers' suicide

On a small farm in India's Maharashtra state, Mirabai Khindkar said the only thing her land grew was debt, after crops failed in drought and her husband killed himself.

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Farmer suicides have a long history in India, where many are one crop failure away from disaster, but extreme weather caused by climate change is adding fresh pressure.

Dwindling yields due to water shortages, floods, rising temperatures and erratic rainfall, coupled with crippling debt, have taken a heavy toll on a sector that employs 45 per cent of India's 1.4 billion people.

Mirabhai's husband Amol was left with debts to loan sharks worth hundreds of times their farm’s annual income, after the one-hectare soybean, millet and cotton plot withered in scorching heat.

He swallowed poison last year.

"When he was in the hospital, I prayed to all the gods to save him," said 30-year-old Mirabai, her voice breaking.

Amol died a week later, leaving behind Mirabai and three children. Her last conversation with him was about debt.

Their personal tragedy is replicated daily across Marathwada, a region in Maharashtra of 18 million, once known for fertile farmland.