Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²Ê¿ª½±½á¹ûÏÖ³¡Ö±²¥

The film follows Manjusha, whose father was one of the quarter-millionÌýfarmers who have committed suicide in India in the last 16 years.

Farmers become trapped in a cycle of debt trying to make a living growingÌýMonsanto's genetically engineered Bt cotton. They always live close to theÌýedge, but one season's ruined crop can dash hopes of ever paying back theirÌýloans, much less enabling their families to get ahead. Manjusha's father,Ìýlike many other suicide victims, killed himself by drinking the pesticide heÌýspreads on his crops.

Monsanto began selling Bt cotton in India in 2004, after a U.S. challenge atÌýthe WTO forced India to adopt seed patenting, effectively allowing MonsantoÌýto monopolize the market. Bt cotton seeds were - and still are - advertisedÌýheavily to illiterate Indian farmers, who have bought the company's promises of high yields and the material wealth they bring.

What the farmers didn't know until it was too late is those seeds require anÌýexpensive regimen of pesticides, and must be fertilized and wateredÌýaccording to precise timetables. And since these farmers lack irrigationÌýsystems, and must instead depend on not-always-predictable rainfall, it'sÌýincredibly difficult to control the success or failure of any year's crops.ÌýNow it's virtually impossible to buy anything but Monsanto's seed.

Manjusha, the film's protagonist, goes looking for answers after her fatherÌýcommits suicide.

To pay for seeds, pesticides, and fertilizer, farmers must take out loans,Ìýbut most banks refuse to deal with them, so instead they turn toÌýmoneylenders, who charge exorbitant interest rates. Many farmers haveÌýnothing to offer as collateral besides their land. If a crop fails and theyÌýcan't pay back the loans, they lose everything.
Ìý