Ecocare

the Union government's consultative group on land and water care has launched a land care movement for fostering community-centred food and water security system in nine states. This is a follow up to the land resources management resolution adopted at the International Conference on Land Resources Management held in New Delhi during November 2000. The movement has been launched in Orissa, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh and Uttaranchal. "The objective of the movement is to conserve soil and water through sustainable use. Activities like water harvesting would also be encouraged under the aegis of the movement," said M S Swaminathan, chairperson of the Chennai-based MSSwaminathan Research Foundation. He says that such a movement is important in context of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation of world economies.