Three sides to every story

Arthur Dunkel's legacy of proposals on patent, science and investment laws continues to be perceived differently. Even in individual countries, …

Don't need subsidies, give us the right price

For most Indians, Mahendra Singh Tikait is the man who brought Delhi to its knees in 1988 with a rally that brought the national capital face to …

Everyone is stealing germplasm

When agronomist Ralladoddi Hampaiah was advisor to the Russian government, he discovered how easy it was to take genetic resources out of India. …

Private sector is profiting from vacuum left by ICAR

In the agriculture research hierarchy, Swapan Kumar Datta occupies the second rung, one of eight deputy director generals (DDGs) in the Indian …

Organic thread

Even as Bt cotton invaded Indian fields in the past few years, some farmer groups kept pushing for organic cotton. In 2009-10, production in …

Kernel power: Why the seeds of tamarind, the ‘date of India’, pack a punch

The small, brown seeds of tamarind are not just a rich source of protein but also versatile in use beyond food items 

Why farmers in Uttarakhand prefer indigenous seeds over hybrids

In Uttarakhand, farmers are slowly shifting away from hybrid seeds to traditional varieties.  They find the traditional seeds better …

Why companies are lobbying to push for hybrid paddy seeds in India

Most of India still cultivates rice from pure-bred seeds, something which prevents companies backed by multinationals from expanding their market

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 …

Bayer-Monsanto deal likely to create another agribusiness giant

If cleared by regulators, such big-ticket consolidations will dominate the world’s seed and pesticide sales

Seed money: Corporations attempt to take over Africa’s seed economy

The complete Down To Earth ocver story on what a slew of government regulations can mean

How governments across Africa defend troubling seeds regulations

Governments in African countries justify rush to formalise the seed sector citing acute food scarcity in the continent

How Brazil can beat the odds and restore a huge swathe of the Amazon

Native seed cultivation could represent a valuable source of income for local communities, boosting both conservation and the local economy

Organic farming will suffer a setback without certification, availability of breeder seeds

Although seed saving is a profitable enterprise, it’s the government’s responsibility to produce seeds and distribute them among …

What changed when Ugandan farmers rated input quality and local vendor services

Should farmers buy commercial maize seeds from agro-input shops or just plant seeds from previous harvest?

The Seed Supremo

The Beej Bachao Andolan boasts of a collection of native seed varieties that could put any genebank to shame

Does India really need GM Mustard?

Botanists say that pests and insects may grow resistant to the transgenic crop after a decade or so, triggering the need for newer versions of …

Have scientists stumbled upon the brain of a plant?

Scientists have shown how a 'decision making centre' of a plant that assesses environmental conditions and determine when seeds will germinate

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 …

Promoting climate resilient seeds for stable yields: Swati Nayak, recipient of food security award, shares experience

‘Currently, we are focusing on multi-stress tolerant rice varieties designed to withstand multiple stresses of drought, flood, salinity, …

Jamun: A healthy way to welcome the monsoon rains

The jamun fruit has a host of therapeutic properties and the best time to eat it is during the monsoon, when the tree is fruiting

The seed banker: This Nuapatna farmer strives to save traditional paddy varieties

Bijaya Jhankar grows nine traditional varieties of paddy that have a longer harvest duration of 130-150 days

Programmed to kill

Farmers of the world are under attack. A new technology threatens to make them totally dependent on multinational corporations

Suicidal growth

The debate over 'terminator technology' takes a new turn with the discovery of 36 sterility patent claims by public and private institutes the …

There are ample facts to support biotechnology

CLIVE JAMES, chairperson, International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications gives T V JAYAN and CLIFFORD POLYCARP his …