Breach of trust
The world’s premier rice research institute tilts towards intellectual property rights
Food safety
In the wake of genetically-modified food flooding the Indian markets, 25 farmers' groups call for a 10-year moratorium on such food
Beware the modified wolf
Will bureaucrats choose to throw farmers and ecology to the mercy of multinational corporations by preparing the way for cultivation of …
INEVITABLE TRAGEDY
SOPAN JOSHI travels through Andhra Pradesh, only to find that beyond the immediate crisis of state-wide farmers' suicide lies one decade of …
Experts slam trial for new Bt brinjal variety, cite regulatory lapses
The Event 142 variety of genetically modified brinjal was quietly approved for field trials without any data in the public domain, claim experts
Farmers in tech trap
Cotton cultivators are on a seed and pesticide treadmill that is draining them of traditional skills
Maharashtra bans Bt cotton seeds of Mahyco Monsanto Biotech
Move follows complaints against the company of providing inferior seeds, cheating and creating shortages
Monsanto does it again
The biotech seed giant sues a farmer for planting unbranded commodity seeds bought in the open market for patent infringement
Crazy GM patent system
The Brazilian lawsuit against Monsanto’s royalty on soybean seeds exposes the irrational way in which laws apply to GM crops
Getting more with less
System of crop intensification, specially in rice, has shown sizeable savings in water and seed usage. Yet its adoption has not spread despite …
The new Money plant
The seeds of a plant called jatropha yield oil that, after processing, makes biodiesel. It can reduce India's burgeoning oil import bill. And …
Idea of farmer wisdom is relentlessly manipulated
As a visiting American academic, Glenn Davis Stone has put in over 60 weeks of field research on the impact of Bt cotton on farmers in Andhra …
COVER STORY: Why are governments across Africa on a legislation spree to regulate seeds market
Countries and economic blocs across Africa are on a legislating spree to regulate the continent’s seed markets, ostensibly to overcome …
Technology needs stewardship
Keshav Raj Kranthi, an entomologist by training, is director of the Central Institute for Cotton Research, Nagpur. He has developed an extensive …
Echinochloa Frumentacea: Barnyard Millet
Also known as vari or sama, this millet is a good choice for the upma recipe because the size and consistency of the grain is somewhere between …
Panicum sumatrense: Kutki Millet
Also called little millet, it has very small seeds which are covered with an indigestible husk that needs to be removed before the grain can be …
Seed extraordinaire: Sabja are rich in fibre, lends to a variety of recipes
Basil seeds are good food that have antimicrobial qualities
Seeds of hope
GM technology overcomes its main drawback
Food: Open sesame
The til can enhance the nutritional value and flavour of many dishes
Earth is for all
Experts urge promotion of decentralised seed systems in rain-fed areas
Indigenous seeds work best in areas without irrigation benefits
Net to aid
Twitter>> Crop diversity ÔÇó Russia
Anti-afforestation ants
Seed crisis
A scoop
Geopolitics of oil, circa 2025