90 years of desertification

More than 75 per cent of Earth's land area is already degraded and some 418 million hectares, or half of the size of the European Union, is …

Trees in dry zone need protection

Arid and semi-arid zone trees, especially those belonging to the genera prosopis, have become threatened species.

The karma of AD Negi

AD Negi is a retired bureaucrat. He has voluntarily planted and nurtured 65 hectares of lush green forest in a cold desert area of Kinnaur in …

Year-long tenancies deter soil conservation

The present land tenure laws do not encourage the conservation of agricultural land and lead to fallow patches, as is evident from the condition …

Wet regions may behave like drylands: Study blames heatwaves, droughts

Europe, US might see desert-like changes due to current heatwaves, authors suggest

Meet the Telangana Dalit women working to preserve millet biodiversity for 30 years

While the money these women make might not be as much as cash crops like sugarcane or wheat, they have managed to end hunger and ensure food …

Farmers in this Nepal district struggle to cope with crop raiding by wild animals

Almost all farmers in Aiddhungra, Budechaur and Bagargot villages have abandoned maize and millet farming due to increasing incursions by wild animals

Some 85% districts in India now face arid conditions

At least 196 districts are in the grip of a ‘severe’ degree of dryness and 65 of these are in Uttar Pradesh

Indian scientists develop technology for harvesting water from dew

A suitably designed dew-cum-rainwater harvesting plant can potentially harvest 320- 325 mm of rainwater and atmospheric moisture during a year

African dryland trees store less carbon than believed earlier, finds study

Study by team including NASA scientists estimates carbon stocks of trees in semi-arid sub-Saharan Africa; calculates 840 million …

Desertification in India: Canal, tubewells make saline Jaisalmer green

Increasing agricultural activity reversed soil erosion in the district

Punjab's marginalised communities struggle for their right to cultivate common lands

People from the scheduled caste have once protested against big landlords who have taken control of fertile common lands and they are all set to …

Lessons from semi-arid regions on how to adapt to climate change

Building on local experience and having access to current and expected climate trends is crucial to adapting to climate change for …

Community-managed pond offers sustainable solutions to arid Barmer village

Rajasthan is prone to water insecurity during heat waves and heavy rainfall, where ponds and lakes dry up and groundwater gets over-exploited

Arid Americas: Are Pantanal, Colorado in a ‘post-drought’ stage

The Pantanal wetland in South America and the Colorado river basin in North America have experienced extreme drought in the last few years, which …

Poor August rainfall makes way for arid conditions in India

As many as 638 out of 733 districts experienced ‘mild’ to ‘severe’ arid conditions in the country 

Desertification in India: Ananthapuramu in Andhra is so sandy it draws filmmakers to shoot

Dwindling rainfall, dependence on borewell for water-guzzling horticulture increase soil aridity

Blowing in the wind

Answers to why dust storms  are on the rise in East Asia  

In favour of wetlands

Benefits from upstream irrigation projects cannot replace those derived from natural floodplains

Burden of beast

Mounting economic pressures cast a dark shadow on the future of camels and their traditional breeders in Rajasthan