How safe is your food. Not much it seems
Contaminated food leads to the death of 2 million people around the globe annually and is responsible for more than 200 types of diseases
New web-based platform to help with micro irrigation
Researchers have come up with a web-based application that helps design customised micro-irrigation systems for individual agricultural fields
India’s cow crisis: A rebuttal to Sunita Narain
Down To Earth's Editor wrote how it is brutal to kill India’s ancient Uber economy: PETA India director offers a counter-point
India's Cow Crisis Part 2: Threat of decline looms over livestock economy after 35 years’ growth
The circular economy of cattle has ruptured, threatening livelihoods of India’s poorest. The value output of the livestock economy is Rs 9.…
European wheat not prepared for climate change
A group of European researchers found that the current breeding programmes and cultivar selection practices are not sufficiently resilient to the …
MGNREGA’s information system flawed, misguiding
The scheme's Management Information System destroys local accountability, promotes centralisation and administrative control and gives out wrong data
Gujarat declares drought after months of delay
While other states had declared drought months ago, Gujarat govt kept calling it a “scarcity of water”
You may pay a steep price but does the farmer make any money?
A farming household of five earns Rs 221/day, less than a person’s daily minimum wage
It's time we shift farmers' economic burden
Assured net income, including assured minimum support price for crops, can put an end to farmer suicide cases in India
The zero budget farming discord
There is unease over the crusader of natural farming, Subhash Palekar, for renaming the technique after himself
Scientists develop transgenic rice that can grow under high salinity, drought
A team of Indian and international scientists hit upon the idea while studying a wild rice variety, Pokkali, grown in coastal regions of Kerala
'Achieving zero hunger requires agriculture to be sustainable, climate smart'
FAO India representative Tomio Shichiri talks to Down To Earth on whether current government policies are effective to achieve the Zero Hunger …
Kisan Kranti Yatra: Another farmers’ protest goes awry
Around 30,000 farmers, who had been walking to the national capital for 10 days, were welcomed with lathis, water cannons and tear gas shells
Early sowing can increase cotton yield: study
It was found, through simulations, that early sowing (mid May) always yielded better cotton production as compared to late sowing (June)
‘Rationalising subsidies, improving infrastructure could revive agri-sector’
For every million rupees spent on agricultural research, 328 people are pulled out of poverty. In contrast, the same amount spent on power …
Climate change leads to bonded labour in Bangladesh
Farmers shift from paddy to mango as water dwindles and heat rises, forcing now-redundant farm labour to borrow for survival and go into bondage
India bans 18 pesticides, has many more to go
The ban is delayed and addresses only a part of the problem of toxic pesticides in India
Supporting local food systems can prevent conflict
Conflict is one of the main driving factors of hunger; strengthening sustaianble agriculture can promote peace, says the UN Food and Agricultural …
Ethanol, other biofuels will see reduced demand in 10 years
Declining demand for transport fuel will lead to reduced demand for ethanol in the US and EU—main markets for ethanol
Sugarcane farmers' crisis: bumper harvest turns bane
Thanks to a high yield sugarcane variety, India witnessed bumper harvests in the last 3 seasons, but sugar prices have fallen and sugarcane …
Climate change will make rice less nutritious, putting millions of the world's poor at risk
As atmospheric carbon dioxide levels rise, rice plants produce fewer vitamins and other key nutrients
Centre’s crop insurance scheme not good enough; Bihar launches its own plan for farmers
Bihar State Crop Assistance Scheme will ensure that farmers have enough money for next crop cycle if their current crop is destroyed by natural …
Navara rice controversy: Plant Variety Act doesn’t protect farmers’ interests, say experts
A farmer’s plea to register a traditional rice variety has once again raised concerns about loopholes in the Protection of Plant …
Smart device developed for precise use of herbicides
Indian and American researchers have developed a weed removal device for precise application of herbicide that can reduce crop damage and …
13 new agricultural heritage landscapes designated by FAO
The new sites are in China, Japan, Egypt, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Portugal, Spain and Sri Lanka