<p>No national occupational group in the world contains more people, or more poor people, than India’s agricultural sector, which is now being shaken by massive farmers’ protests against three pieces of legislation recently passed by the Indian government. In this invited opinion piece, I examine the grounds of the farmers' fears and show the way toward a more democratic path of reform that would be sensitive to the concerns, needs and vulnerabilities of India’s smallholders and landless agricultural workers.</p>