Despite decades of policy interventions, most Indian farmers have not seen their incomes rise, nor have they been able to increase farm productivity. Farmers are prey to indebtedness, a lack of choice in inputs, and underdeveloped warehousing and processing facilities. Our research finds that the distress in the sector primarily results from farmers having little or no control over their enterprise, and Indian agricultural policies provide a cautionary tale of distorting the market process. Our research looks at the impact of trade restrictions, land restrictions, and input choice restrictions. We provide recommendations for reform that would grant farmers more autonomy and dignity.