Book Digest: Mapping immigration as hope, chasing world-class urbanism and more
From accounts of urban history to state of Indian agriculture, DTE tracks new, contemporary books on environment and development from leading …
‘Chinese food is so entrenched in our lives; COVID-19 can’t change that’
Down To Earth talks to Miranda Brown, historian of premodern Chinese food and medicine and University of Michigan professor, about Chinese …
FDA approves marketing of 8 smokeless tobacco products in US
Using General Snus instead of tobacco cigarettes can cut risk of mouth cancer, heart disease, lung cancer, stroke, emphysema, and chronic …
Johnson & Johnson recalls 33,000 talcum powder bottles after asbestos traces found
The multinational corporation says it will conduct an investigation parallel to the one being conducted by US FDA
Why colistin should be banned in food-animal production sector in India
Action against the drug, used as a growth promoter in food animals, is imperative to curb antimicrobial resistance in humans
Lactalis to milk more in India. Why that may worry some
French dairy giant has been in the news for allegedly cheating farmers back home, for its secretive business model and for the quality of its products
As climate changes, Himalayan farmers return to traditional crops
Traditional crops and new innovations are offering farmers in the Himalayan region a way to deal with the challenges of climate change, but there …
Boom in farm produce not reason enough to celebrate
Farmers are in distress owing to low farm prices, poor logistics for transport and government-assured purchases
FAO focuses on heat stress protection measures for agriculture, forestry workers
Emphasising that dehydration leads to productivity declines, a report urges workers and employers to drink several litres of water throughout the day
‘Millets can solve our food needs as climate changes’
Experts and policy makers say millets are what we need to adapt to climate change as they can even grow in drought conditions
We can no longer outrun antibiotic resistance. So, here’s what we need to do instead
Researchers are tackling the problem of antibiotic resistance head on — by hunting for the genes that enable bacteria to become resistant …
New database finds 960 new ‘druggable’ components in Indian medicinal plants
The database was created by the Institute of Mathematical Sciences (IMSc), Chennai, to facilitate drug discovery
CSE slams Indian poultry industry for using its name to misrepresent facts
Industry is misguiding the nation on antibiotic misuse in the sector and its contribution to the growing crisis of antibiotic resistance in India,…
UN plans to double farmers’ income in Africa in three years
Combating climate shocks and food insecurity with the help of climate-smart agriculture has been identified as a priority
A flower which can treat skin cancer and prevent greying of hair
Used for worship and hair colouring, modern entrepreneurs have found new uses for the hibiscus flower
World lost 2.3 million sq km of forested land to drought in last three decades
Successive droughts lead to a substantial and unsustainable expansion of cropland at the expense of forested lands
Health ministers in G20 Summit commit to address antimicrobial resistance
Through Berlin Declaration, the health ministers emphasised the need for combating AMR through appropriate monitoring and surveillance
New tool tracks water usage in agriculture
There is a direct relationship between water and food security. In order to be sustainable, agriculture must adapt to the impacts of climate …
Health Ministry asks Railway Board to not allow junk food, tobacco ads
Indirect advertising of such products can increase the risk of non-communicable diseases, the health ministry says
Why I would not advocate vegetarianism
Meat eating is not the key issue, it is the amount that is consumed and the manner in which it is produced. This is where India differs.
Wastewater should be considered a resource
As water demand is increasing across the globe, the quantity of wastewater produced as a result of various human activities is also growing, a UN …
Phosphorus is vital for life on Earth – and we’re running low
The fact that more than 70 per cent of the global phosphorus supply comes from a single location is problematic
Nigeria hunger crisis deepens, spills over into Lake Chad Basin
Some 7.1 million people are now severely food insecure across Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria
Women key players in ending hunger, poverty
As rural women are an integral part of the agrarian economy, they are important in the effort to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals
Bacteria resistant to 'last resort' antibiotic isolated from swine farm
Scientists in US isolate bacteria of the family Enterobacteriaceae, resistant to carbapenems in the farm environment