Fast-spreading banana fungus poses major threat to African food security
High risk as same banana strain grown in most plantations; Staple food for millions can be affected
Simmering discontent over tea
The newfound success of brand Darjeeling is fuelling suspicion between planters and workers. Sayantan Bera reports
Plantation land for tourism
President's assent to Kerala Land Reforms Act amendment legalises resorts on plantations, which mostly border sanctuaries
Crushed and torn
Closed tea gardens of West Bengal are enclaves of death and destitution. Speculative ownership and a callous government have prolonged the crisis,…
Help Kerala’s rubber sector recover from crisis, urges state finance minister
In the run up to Union Budget 2015, M Suchitra speaks to Kerala Finance Minister K M Mani to draw up a list of the state’s expectations …
Nobody's children
A plantation economy, land grabbing and migrations from neighbouring states have forced Gudalur's tribals into destitution
Tamil Nadu must sustainably manage its rattans
The plants have seen huge commercial exploitation in the state and need restoration to safeguard their survival
EU biofuel targets fuelling inflation: study
Land meant for food crops being used to grow biofuel crops; may push up food prices by 36 per cent by 2020
Probing a pesticide tragedy
Laboratory tests nail the Plantation Corporation of Kerala. The state government sets up an inquiry committee
Which forests can be felled for oil palm plantations?
Palm oil companies undertake their own study to decide the magic carbon threshold number
Toxic tales from God's own country
As deformity cases swell in Kerala's Kasaragod district, the silent screams of the victims fall on the deaf ears of the government
Vidarbha experiment with desi cotton to be extended to 10 states
CICR says it got yields as high as 25 to 30 quintals per acre using high density plantation of non-Bt cotton varieties
Children of endosulfan
Several unusual diseases afflict a Kerala village. Residents blame aerial spraying of the pesticide endosulfan by the Plantation Corporation of …
Pollinator Week: Economic impact of pollination cannot be underestimated
Annual market value of crop production directly linked to pollination was $235-$577 billion, says report
Just like a forest
Analog forestry mimics a forest to create an economically productive and ecologically diverse landscape
Pollinator Week: How climate change disrupts flower growth, puts bees at risk
Habitat loss, nutritional deficiencies and lack of varied diet of pollinators is impacting plant and flower growth
Pollinator Week: How well-pollinated crops are important for agriculture
Pollination by bees, birds, flies holds a lot of significance: They affect 35% of world’s crop production
Rules and renegades
Pesticide regulations in India are lax. The industry has exploited the loopholes to corrupt the system. And the government has turned a blind eye …
Industry's Nemesis
A report by the National Institute of Occupational Health nails endosulfan. Is that why the pesticide establishment wants to keep it under wraps?
Beyond a green thumb: Green India Mission needs a fresh agenda to meet Nationally Determined Contribution targets
At present, GIM communication is limited to the number of saplings and survival rates, which is not enough
West Bengal labour department's tea garden survey kept under wraps
Excerpts and recommendations from the unpublished survey report of all tea gardens in the state that reveals miserable living conditions of …
Lost in plantation
Millions of growers and workers are in distress in Kerala, the plantation capital of India, as domestic and international prices of cash crops …