kisan

Kisan is a term used in the Hindi and Urdu languages to refer to a farmer or peasant. It typically denotes someone engaged in agricultural production, often on small to medium landholdings, and is widely used across the Indian subcontinent to describe rural farming communities.

Origin and usage: The word kisān (Hindi: किसान, Urdu: کِسان) is rooted in the region's vernacular linguistic traditions and is cognate with terms in related Indo-Iranian languages. The term is commonly used in everyday speech, media, and policy discussions to refer to farmers collectively.

Social and political context: Kisans form a major segment of rural society and have organized historically into farmer unions and federations, such as Kisan Sabhas, to advocate for land reform, crop prices, irrigation, and credit access. In recent decades, the term has also entered national political discourse in India, where agrarian movements and government schemes frequently use the word to address farmers as a group. Government programs that use the term include Kisan Samman Nidhi (a targeted income support scheme) and Kisan Credit Card schemes aimed at improving access to credit.

Geography: The term is widely used in India and Pakistan, and is understood in Bangladesh and among Urdu- and Hindi-speaking communities across the region.

See also: Kisan Sabha; Kisan Credit Card; Kisan Samman Nidhi.