Dear Friends,

What do Punjab and Iowa have in common? Tonight on The Fallon Forum, we welcome Rasil Basu to the show to discuss her recent documentary, “Harvest of Grief.” The film had its North American premiere last night to a packed house at The Fleur Cinema in Des Moines. It focuses on suicides among farmers in Punjab, India.

Much of the blame for the over 40,000 suicides in the past 20 years is linked to the “Green Revolution,” which brought poor farmers biotech crops, chemical pesticides and false promises of a better future. Now, the agricultural crisis in Punjab threatens not only local self-reliance but the very survival of small- and mid-size family farms.

Survival of family farms? That should sound familiar. While the scale and specifics are different, Iowa farmers face similar pressure from the demands of industrialization and biotechnology. Today, we don’t see the staggering suicide rates afflicting Punjabi farmers. But many of us remember the disturbing frequency of rural suicides during the farm crisis of the 1980s.  [Note from BFIA:  Sorry we didn't get this posted in time, but if you missed Monday's program, you can still podcast the show here]

Tuesday, we get back to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Every day, there’s a new angle to this monstrous catastrophe, and we’ll tackle at least one, maybe two such angles.  [BFIA Note:  President Obama will address the nation about the spill tonight at 7 pm central]

Wednesday and Thursday, well, we’re still trying to decide which of several pressing issues to feature. But you can be sure that whatever we choose to discuss will be thought-provoking.

Also, if you don’t receive our Fallon Forum Daily Notice and would like a brief reminder each day about the evening’s show, let us know and we’ll add you to the list.