Water: The clock is ticking

Day Zero has been postponed to next year for Capetonians. When is your turn? Are you ready?

Indonesia's ancestral community embraces drones, computers while preserving traditions

Indonesia’s Ciptagelar community, 130 km southwest of Indonesia’s capital, Jakarta, is in many ways both a model smart village …

Delightful appearance

For tribal people, the thrill of food lies in the knowledge and awareness about picking the right food at the right time

Root unearthed

Gandrayani is a root used widely in Uttarakhand to enhance the flavour of dishes. But there is hardly any research on the health benefits of this …

Divine relish

Solanum torvum or the Turkey berry is known for its spiritual, medicinal and curative properties

So long, Suvin

The finest and longest staple cotton in the world, and part of India's cotton heritage, is on the verge of disappearing

Rice from dry river

Farmers in an arid Andhra Pradesh district revive traditional irrigation system to tide over drought

Pitfalls of a uniform food regime

In face of drought and rising food prices, attention shifts to local diet and food diversity

A treasure too good to lose

Mexicans are fighting hard to save their traditional maize from the onslaught of GM hybrids and US exports

Growing fences

Burgeoning population and agricultural encroachment in the last half century have erected artificial walls within the Gond tribes. These ethnic …

Fixing old houses on Himalaya

German architect Andre Alexander has been restoring old buildings in the Tibetan capital Lhasa for 15 years now. Over the past few years he has …

Out of favour

Focus on Alphonso has resulted in neglect of native mango varieties grown in the Western Ghats, some of which are on the brink of extinction

Japanese biopiracy of our Ballia barley

Japan’s Sapporo brewery patents Indian barley gene without giving benefit to farmers

The wisdom of indigenous healers

Medicinal Plants of India - Vols I & II S K Jain and Robert A DeFillips Publisher: Reference Publications Price: US $94.95

URBAN WATER HARVESTING SINGAPORE

Rain in a concrete jungle Short of water, Singapore harvests the rain that falls on most of its land despite industrialisation. The city has …

Holding water

The EK Panch Ek Talaab movement has ushered in a new era for the people of Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol and Mandsaur districts

RURAL WATER HARVESTING MADHYA PRADESH

1 + 1 = 11 People have responded overwhelmingly with money and voluntary labour to a government call to renovate water harvesting structures. …

Where are the tapovans?

Both India and China are ancient civilisations possessing characteristic indigenous knowledge of conservation of natural ecosystems. The Chinese …

Healthy kya?

Why are companies across all product categories 'nutracising' their brands? Obviously, to catch a huge market -- growing by the day -- for health …

Huts of knowledge: These tribal women in Odisha teach their next generation about forests through ‘kutir’ meetings

Apart from sharing traditional knowledge, the women at these meetings also spread awareness on ownership rights

Plant treaty: Ways to benefit custodians of agricultural biodiversity in focus

Treaty calls on nations to protect, promote their rights to save and use traditional seeds

Anang Tal: Why this traditional water tank’s restoration could give wings to Delhi’s water security

It could potentially have a beneficial effect on the local micro-economy apart from beneficial effects on the micro-climate, groundwater recharge,…

Mountains of Sanjeevani

The Uttarakhand government's initiative to spend Rs 25 crore on an elusive mythical herb should trigger a wider quest to identify, document and …

Kolkata artist’s project aims to inculcate environmental awareness in rural areas

It aims to make people question popular notions of development at the cost of the environment

Soybean expressions

The culinary adaptation of soybeans has produced some delectable and nutritional recipes