The global food system still benefits the rich at the expense of the poor
Global food system issues can be traced to colonial history. It's time food production became more sustainable so that it meets the needs of …
Can farming mean a permanent renewal of life?
For the past three decades, the practice of permaculture has found acceptance from not just rural communities in India but also from urbanites …
Rs 1,402,680,000,000: India's agrarian import bill for 2015-16
This is India's agrarian import bill for 2015-16. More than three times of India's annual agriculture budget, this money could have been …
Cattle can no longer be traded for the purposes of slaughter: Centre
Sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets banned; now cattle can only be sold for ‘agricultural purposes’
Droughts getting intense, more frequent in southern states
Be it temple tanks or rainwater harvesting structures, South India had set the standard in water conservation. Now they are just forgotten traditions
In the Parliament on March 15, 2016
Here’s a round-up of today’s debates and reports on environmental and developmental issues
'Indigenous Rice Seeds' central to sustainable farming in India
Changing climate and erratic weather events have forced agriculturists to revisit traditional rice varities that had once lost their popularity …
Creepy-crawlies on my plate
The writer tasted creepy crawly creatures during a conference on indigenous food in Shillong, Meghalaya
'Agricultural censuses can monitor environmental changes'
From providing agricultural information for specific countries to identifying trends in the sector, censuses serve a variety of purpose
Biotechnology assures leap in production
Tissue culture can change the face of agriculture, asserts Ajit Thomas, who heads a firm that has gone in a big way for biotechnology …
Beware of the developers
In its bid to get out of poverty, the Bihar government has finalised a plan to drain out lakes and convert them to farmlands. But it seems to be …
Environment for change
Shifting over to sustainable agriculture requires a new climate for convincing and aiding farmers to change the existing practices
Ungreening the revolution
A programme initiated with much drum-beating, the green revolution has not just backfired but even eroded traditional systems of farming. Farmers …
"All idiot farmers commit suicide"
Shubhranshu Choudhary finds out why farmers’ suicide is such a touchy subject in Chhattisgarh
Food Systems Summit: How government is robbing billions of dollars from farmers
India’s policies block farmers’ earning in order to keep food cost low for consumers, according to the latest UN report
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 …
Maharashtra rejects more agri insurance claims even as farm suicides double
No data on suicides across India since 2015; number of claim rejections far exceeded number of cases approved in 2016-18
India’s time to lead at the WTO
USA’s price suppression and market distortions in cotton is threatening Indian and African producers
Nano fertilisers: Parliamentary report suggests close audit of field trials to see long-term effects
An audit by Department of Fertilisers found 25-50% variation in saving nitrogen use after applying nano urea
Bring law to guarantee minimum support price: Bharatiya Kisan Sangh
RSS organ voices opposition to provisions of recent farm laws after farmers across spectrum hit streets in protest
Wars, speeches and land
On May 6, 2011 three employees of the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation were held hostage by villagers from Bhatta and Parsual in …
Food Miles: Here is how we can reduce them
Small efforts like reducing personal vehicular use for buying groceries, eating at farm-to-fork restaurants or growing one’s own vegetable …
At least 420 million hectares forest lost since 1990: Survey
Impact of agricultural expansion on global deforestation almost 90%, says FRA remote-sensing survey
Simply Put: What makes farmers so firm in protest
Thousands of farmers have thronged the borders of Delhi to have their say against laws that would affect their lives and livelihood.
Farmers and smartphone politics
Can pre-poll sops like giving smart phones with internet connectivity to farmers increase farm income?