In the recent past, the global agrarian economy experienced volatility in various dimensions. The symptoms of food shortages have casted apprehensions on food security and efforts of hunger eradication. On the other hand, the economic condition of large number of farmers, mainly the small and marginal ones, continues to be fragile and not insulated to the adverse impacts of natural adversities as well as market uncertainties. The structural constraints associated with the farm sector, particularly in the developing economies, continue to impinge upon the livelihood and well being of its dependent population. Against this background, stability and sustainability of agricultural growth, along with the improvement in living conditions of the farming community is required to be the integral part of development policy. The availability of data and statistics on the diverse agrarian aspects becomes the backbone of such endeavour. This becomes a challenging task for the statistical system since the required data may not be readily available.
In the context of Indian agriculture, the core issues of the farm sector distress and related problems, with focus on small and marginal farmers are addressed in the contemporary development agenda and the first ever National Policy for Farmers was unveiled in the year 2007. As a precursor to this, specific statistical indicators on the socio economic aspects of farming were generated through a first of its kind nation-wide survey, the “Situation Assessment Survey of Farmers” conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation in its 59th round(Jan – Dec 2003). The survey aimed to generate indicators on status of Indian farming to facilitate the policy synthesis. The paper delves into the distinctive features of Situation Assessment Survey, its genesis and its role in policy formulation.