It's been blocked for weeks.

它已經被封鎖了幾個星期。

Tens of thousands of farmers from the northern states of India

印度北部各邦的數萬名農民

have marched to the capital city to protest farming reforms.

已經遊行到首都，抗議農業改革。

They've covered at least five major highways around the city.

他們至少已經覆蓋了城市周邊的五條主要公路。

The police met them with tear gas and water cannons.

警察用催淚瓦斯和水炮迎接他們。

But they made it through and have now set up camp in and around Delhi.

但他們還是挺過來了，現在已經在德里及其周邊地區建立了營地。

This is all happening because Prime Minister Modi's government

這一切的發生都是因為莫迪總理的政府

has passed new farming laws that will change how the agricultural industry

已經通過了新的農業法，將改變農業產業的發展方式。

has worked for decades.

幾十年來一直在工作。

And in a country of 1.4 billion people, where agricultural workers make-up half of the labor force,

而在一個擁有14億人口的國家，農業工人佔勞動力的一半。

the repercussions of those laws could be devastating.

這些法律的影響可能是毀滅性的。

In the 1960s India, a recently independent country,

在20世紀60年代，印度這個剛剛獨立的國家。

was struggling to produce enough food for its citizens.

正在努力為其公民生產足夠的糧食。

A string of droughts made things worse causing devastating famines.

一連串的乾旱使事情變得更糟，造成毀滅性的饑荒。

So the government stepped in to modernize farming

於是，政府出面，實現農業現代化。

and increase the food supply

並增加糧食供應

in what was called the "Green Revolution".

在被稱為 "綠色革命 "的。

They brought in U.S. advisors to help boost the production of rice and wheat.

他們請來了美國顧問，幫助提高水稻和小麥的產量。

Together they ended up overusing chemical fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation

最後他們一起過度使用化肥、農藥和灌溉。

causing large plots of land to become infertile.

導致大塊土地不孕不育。

Many crops suffered. Some nearly disappeared.

許多農作物受到影響。有些幾乎消失了。

But rice and wheat production soared.

但水稻和小麥產量猛增。

And soon, India went from having a food crisis to having a food surplus.

而很快，印度就從糧食危機變成了糧食過剩。

It was in this context that India also developed a nationwide food marketing system to ensure fair prices.

正是在這種情況下，印度還建立了全國性的糧食銷售體系，以確保價格公平。

It's a complex system and it differs from state to state but here's one way to understand it.

這是一個複雜的系統，每個州都不一樣，但這裡有一種方法可以理解。

It starts with farmers bringing their crops here to wholesale markets locally known as "mandis."

首先是農民把他們的農作物帶到這裡的批發市場，當地稱為 "曼迪斯"。

The farmers then sell those crops to traders through open auctions with transparent pricing.

然後，農民通過公開拍賣，以透明的價格將這些作物賣給貿易商。

Prices can also be informed by the Minimum Support Price or MSP.

價格還可以通過最低支持價格或MSP來了解。

A government price for crops like rice, cotton, wheat...

稻穀、棉花、小麥等農作物的政府定價......

The government only buys a couple of crops at these prices in certain states

政府只在某些州以這種價格收購一兩樣農作物。

but those prices can still serve as a benchmark.

但這些價格仍然可以作為一個基準。

The crops then go to a secondary market or are stored by the buyers

然後，這些作物進入二級市場或由買方儲存。

before they are sent out for future sales.

在它們被髮出去用於未來的銷售之前。

It's not a perfect system though.

雖然這不是一個完美的系統。

Local traders do end up colluding with each other the auctions actually are not competitive bidding.

當地商戶最後確實是相互勾結拍賣，其實不是競價。

But for the most part the system works on a large scale because there's oversight that

但在大多數情況下，這個系統是大規模運作的，因為有監督的存在

aims to protect farmers by giving them market standards.

旨在保護農民，給他們提供市場標準。

They've been designed keeping in mind the fact that farmers are the weakest link and

它們的設計考慮到了農民是最薄弱的環節，而且也是最重要的。

they can be exploited in numerous ways.

它們可以在許多方面被利用。

Over the years, state reforms have gradually redefined and regulated markets

多年來，國家改革逐步對市場進行了重新界定和規範

in different ways across India.

在印度各地以不同的方式。

In Punjab and Haryana, for example, they have become a vital part of the industry

例如，在旁遮普邦和哈里亞納邦，它們已成為該行業的重要組成部分。

and farmers here have the highest incomes in the country.

而這裡的農民收入是全國最高的。

But in the state of Bihar markets were eliminated in 2006

但在比哈爾邦，市場在2006年被取消了。

and the farmers here are still the poorest in India by income.

而這裡的農民收入仍然是印度最窮的。

And all of this is happening while there's a bigger farming crisis.

而這一切的發生，而有一個更大的農業危機。

The money in farming is disappearing.

養殖業的錢正在消失。

Since the days of the "Green Revolution", agriculture has gone from accounting for nearly

自 "綠色革命 "以來，農業已從佔近

50 percent of the economy to just 15.

50%的經濟比例降到只有15。

Meaning millions of farmers already have trouble making ends meet in this shrinking economy.

意味著數以百萬計的農民在這個萎縮的經濟中已經難以維持生計。

More than half of India's farming households are in debt.

印度一半以上的農戶負債累累。

And this debt has contributed to a suicide crisis.

而這筆債務也造成了自殺危機。

In the last two years, more than 20,000 farmers have died by suicide.

近兩年來，已有2萬多農民自殺身亡。

Because of this economic hardship farmers have been asking for reforms for decades.

由於這種經濟困難，農民幾十年來一直要求改革。

But this year instead of providing more protections for this vulnerable community,

但今年卻沒有為這個弱勢群體提供更多的保護。

the central government went in the opposite direction.

中央政府反其道而行之。

And farmers fear that the direction in which the reforms are happening are actually a direction

而農民擔心改革的方向，其實是一個方向。

of dismantling of the MSP.

拆除締約國會議的。

So let's take a look at these three farming acts that sparked the protest.

那麼我們就來看看這三種引發抗議的養殖行為。

Each of them deregulates a different part of the system.

每一個人都會放鬆對系統的不同部分的管制。

The first act creates free unregulated trade spaces outside the markets.

第一個行為在市場之外創造了自由的、不受管制的貿易空間。

The laws in these spaces would override wholesale market rules.

這些空間的法律將凌駕於批發市場規則之上。

and although a lot of trade takes place outside already

雖然很多貿易已經在外面進行了

what happens in the markets remains a benchmark across the industry.

市場上發生的事情仍然是整個行業的標杆。

But this act will create two parallel markets with very different rules.

但這一行為將形成兩個規則迥異的平行市場。

One with oversight and another that creates room for big corporate players to come in unregulated.

一個是有監督，另一個是給大企業玩家創造空間，讓他們不受監管地進來。

And in this dual market structure, the players in the regulated markets are

而在這種雙重市場結構中，規範市場的參與者是

bound to move out and operate in the deregulated spaces.

必然會搬出來，在放松管制的空間裡經營。

And that is where farmers are going to lose out.

而這正是農民要吃虧的地方。

When these traditional spaces collapse onto themselves.

當這些傳統空間坍塌到自己身上時。

The second act creates a framework for contract farming deals.

第二項法案建立了農業承包交易的框架。

Any business agreements would be strictly between farmers and traders with little oversight,

任何商業協議都將嚴格在農民和商人之間進行，幾乎沒有監督。

giving farmers few options to fight bad deals.

讓農民很少有選擇地與不良交易作鬥爭。

As these agreements increase outside of wholesale markets

隨著這些協議在批發市場之外的增加

they could further fragment the market and leave small farmers

它們可能會進一步分割市場，使小農戶陷入困境。

dependent on terms set by big corporations

依靠大公司的條件

or be cut out of the industry altogether

或被淘汰出局

The third act affects a different part of the chain.

第三種行為影響的是鏈條的不同部分。

It eliminates the storage limits previously set by the government to control prices.

它取消了以前政府為控制價格而設置的存儲限制。

Unlimited storage means that anyone with enough money can stock up.

無限存儲意味著任何人只要有足夠的資金就可以囤貨。

The problem is without oversight they can also start dictating prices.

問題是沒有監督，他們也可以開始支配價格。

Altogether the three acts invite big players into a fragmented and deregulated market

這三種行為共同邀請大公司進入一個分散和放松管制的市場。

that could lead to volatile prices for farmers.

這可能導致農民的價格波動。

And by deregulating the markets the government has also put out a message in the same breath

而政府放鬆對市場的管制，也順勢放出了一個資訊。

essentially saying that they think farmers don't need any protection anymore from the government.

基本上說，他們認為農民不需要政府的任何保護了。

On June 3rd, 2020, when the government announced the farming reforms, it didn't take long

2020年6月3日，當政府宣佈農業改革的時候，沒過多久

for the impact to be felt on the ground.

以便在地面上感受到影響。

Wholesale markets around the country have already seen fewer crops arrive in their market yards.

全國各地的批發市場已經有較少的農作物到達市場貨場。

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, more than 40 markets have lost business.

在中央邦，有40多個市場失去了生意。

Trading has moved out of regulated market spaces and it is not as though good prices

交易已經走出了規範的市場空間，並不是說好的價格就可以了。

are being fetched by farmers.

正在被農民取。

And this is the context in which the farmer's anger has to be understood

而這就是要理解農民憤怒的背景

They didn't get what they wanted and what was thrust down upon them

他們沒有得到他們想要的東西，他們被強加給他們的東西。

is very different from what they were asking for.

與他們的要求大相徑庭。