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analysis

Veggies delight
April 15, 2013 | 8

Demand for vegetables brings cheer to small farmers but the government is still not looking beyond Green Revolution

Organic thread
February 28, 2013 | 3

Organic cotton production has reached an all-time high, despite Bt cotton having taken over cotton fields in India. But with meagre government support going organic remains a challenge for Indian farmers

Maize Mania
August 15, 2011 | 6

Multinational seed companies and states are luring farmers to grow hybrid maize with promises of high yields and high returns. The cereal is overtaking farms growing millets and other staples. Is it a threat to India’s food security? Down To Earth team finds out

Who is watching GM crops?
May 31, 2011 | 6

Centre approves field trials of 14 genetically modified crops. But some states refuse trials, saying safety regulations are too lax. With politicians joining activists, the issue is likely to take a politically volatile turn. Latha Jishnu and Jyotika Sood report

Paan loses flavour
March 31, 2011 | 1

Paan is losing its appeal. Its trade has dipped 40-50 per cent in the past decade, while consumption of chewing tobacco, especially gutkha, increased during the period. Farmers now prefer other crops, DTE team reports

Saving rice
December 31, 2010 | 5

As India prepares to launch the second Green Revolution in the eastern states with focus on rice, Down To Earth examines whether tilting towards resource- intensive, expensive hybrid rice is the right option for small and marginal farmers

High cost of fodder led milk price hike
June 30, 2010 | 12

The market is showing increasing prices of milk. It is not just increasing demand—rising fodder cost has made milk production unviable. It’s a greater problem for milk producers than consumers

Low Pulse
February 28, 2010

Skyrocketing prices of pulses point to India’s increasing insufficieny in pulse production. Pulses are disappearing from the table because farmers have lost interest in them. How did it happen? What are the likely consequences?

Test tube brinjal
April 15, 2009

Indian regulators are keen to clear Bt brinjal for commercial cultivation. This would be India’s first genetically modified food crop. If Indian consumers do not want GM food, they would have no way to tell if the brinjals they buy are transgenic or not

Made it
January 15, 2009

561,220 hectares of agricultural land in Andhra Pradesh is now free of synthetic pesticides. About 340,000 farmers in 3,000 villages find profits in not using those chemicals. In these villages, indebtedness is down. This in a state that symbolized agrarian distress

Don't need subsidies, give us the right price
October 15, 2008

Rising input prices have almost sounded the death knell for the farmer. Is there a way out?

Rising popularity of artificial vanilla puts Kerala farmers in distress
August 15, 2007

Vanilla flavour is associated with all things nice. However, this is a view that most vanilla farmers in Kerala will disagree with. Once a profitable venture, cultivation has taken a dip. The crop is labour-intensive, and takes time to flower. But what has been worrying farmers most is the use of synthetic vanillin -- an artificial extract, which has copied the smell and flavour of vanilla -- in food, beverages and cosmetics.

India must focus on rainfed farming
July 31, 2007

Farmers in rainfed areas live in uncertainty. They are dependent on the monsoons for decent crop yeilds, and have no access to irrigation. Moreover, state support is hard to come by. To make matters worse, policies and markets favour water intensive crops like wheat and paddy, forcing farmers in rainfed areas to switch to these. With foodgrain production stagnating in irrigated zones, rainfed areas now need to be the centre of India's agricultural revival.

No pesticides
May 31, 2006

Non-pesticidal agriculture, makes economic sense to farmers in Andhra Pradesh. But government scientists refuse to take it seriously

Long yarn
March 31, 2006

A discriminatory global trade regime and mindless national policies are giving farmers a bad time. But the textile industry is looking forward to boom time

Askew
August 31, 2005

This legislation touches the core of Indian society: its farmers. But does it not cater to them. Can the bill be re-evaluated before it becomes an Act?

Disconnect
October 31, 2004

Farm mechanisation is today considered inevitable. So how is it that neither the market nor government policy cater to the needs of the small farmer? What should the small farmer do? Buy small tractors, or rely on animal power?

The precarious geopolitics of phosphorous
June 30, 2004

While phosphorous is a much-fought-over global resource, the world is fighting to plug the nitrogen deluge

GM crops: Here to stay
September 30, 2003

What’s India’s policy on it?

Field day
January 31, 2003

Is it too late to save India’s soils?

Untapped Potential
September 15, 2001

Lack of legislation and certification undermines the potential of organic farming in India

Old as the hills
May 31, 2001

Shifting agriculture to manage the hills

Grain of truth
May 15, 2001

Policies to promote rice and wheat are weeding out nutritious millets, preparing India for an era of food scarcity

Fabled Fruits!
August 31, 1998

Countless varieties of fruits native to India are facing extinction. But the government is not doing anything to conserve its fruit wealth

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