CSE’s organic experiment: Challenge starts with procuring right seeds
Local shops and India’s premier research institute failed to provide organic seeds of vegetable
Hidden hunger?
There is a rush to cash in on micronutrient deficiency in India through fortification of food
Costly largesse
US unveils safety net for its farmers, shackling global free trade and posing a threat to environment
Lumpy skin disease: Indian vaccine awaiting approval for 10 months even as more cattle fall prey
From January 2022 to May 2023, 165,000 cattle died
Cotton conundrum
The powers that be are hanging fire on Bt cotton despite long and intensive research. Indira Khurana delves into the baffling issue
Assam to revist Kharif crop calendar to counter effects of erratic monsoon
Yield of rice, the state's major crop, has been affected by unpredictable rainfall patterns
Africa's big little anti-GM revolution
Burkina Faso's farmers have thrown out Monsanto's Bt cotton and returned to conventional seeds, with a little help from India.
Biotech industry has a new patron
Department of Biotechnology is playing venture capitalist to private companies to push biotech research in agriculture
India Organics Inc
The Indian farmer is 'naturally' organic. But without support and premium for 'green' crops, there is no alternative but to take the chemical route
"Subsidy culture has killed local agriculture"
Thupstan Chhewang, Chief Executive Councillor and chairperson of the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Council (LAHDC) speaks to Down To Earth.
Ladakh on the move
Ladakh is the one region in India where sustainable development is the only way ahead. Dry toilets, water efficient crops, cooperative farming, a …
Rejoinder: ‘One CGIAR won’t alter international germplasm collections’
The One CGIAR transition process was born of a recognition that the evolving, interconnected global challenges facing our food systems require a …
Human excreta can make good fertiliser, but prejudice and laws stand in way
There is a need for tests and experiments to validate the efficacy of human excreta derived fertilisers, suggests a research by UK scientists
How scientists contained a deadly tomato pest that travelled across the world
Though tomato is the primary host, Tuta absoluta attacks other vegetable crops as well. If not properly managed, the leaf-miner can cause 100 per …
Agricultural biotechnolgies a boon for family farmers, say experts
A range of biotechnologies can help bring about high yields, improve nutrition quality and add value to the productivity of crops, livestock,…
Bt brinjal controversy hots up in Bangladesh
Bt Brinjal farmers divided between green activists opposing GM crops and government which claims the crop experiment was fairly suiccessful
Untapped Potential
Lack of lagislation and certification undermines the potential of organic farming in India
Crisis brewing
Collapse of the former Soviet market and an indifferent attitude to quality clips Nilgiris tea industry
On slippery peel: Can India’s banana cultivation face Panama wilt
Panama wilt infection has ruined banana plantations across the world for 50 years now. While scientists are trying to find solutions in natural …
Budget 2020-21: Local level adaptation may be focus vis-à-vis climate change
Funds might be allocated to Panchayati Raj ministry, IMD, other institutions to minimise impact of extreme weather
GEAC approves field studies of GM mustard on honey bee
Similar approvals for Genetically Modified mustard were also given in March this year by the Genetic Engineering Approval Committee
'We are unable to produce quality seeds'
India is facing a shortage of pulses. Untimely rains have caused their prices to rise by up to 64 per cent in 2014-15. Experts say we need to …
Indian research can help cut nitrogen fertiliser waste
Indian scientists manage to identify phenotypes, visibly identifiable features that determine the efficiency with which cultivars use nitrogen
Public–private partnerships can help achieve sustainable agricultural development goals
Public–private partnerships in agriculture have the potential to modernise the sector and provide numerous benefits to smallholder farmers
Thirty Million, a documentary on Bangladesh and that sinking feeling
This documentary by Daniel Price and Adrien Taylor explores the adverse impact of climate change on Bangladesh' landscape, food security and …