Farmers give silver lining to famine clouds

A country where millions have died of starvation can now hope to achieve self-sufficiency in food, with the UN predicting record harvests of …

Ground realities

Foodgrain production will have to increase by 5 million tonnes every year to meet rising demand

Arid conditions in 78% of India; may affect summer crops

 Southwest monsoon season in Kerala expected around June 4; 80% chance of El Niño event in May-June-July  

Why experts want GM freeze

Say regulatory system has grave deficiencies; challenge agriculture ministry’s claims

MSP calculations still continue with old formula & not on comprehensive cost

If the recommendations were followed, the MSP of the six crops would be higher

Under attack

Mile-a-minute solution

Fungus to weed out the plague of India's tea plantations

Pigeonpea now smiles

Virus causing disease in a crop identified

Short-duration paddy cultivation can help solve Punjab and Haryana’s stubble burning problem

Along with in situ incorporation of stubble into soil is an effective solution for both air pollution and groundwater conservation

Why did the Maya civilisation collapse? We don’t know yet, but drought was likely not the cause: Study

The Maya people could have turned to chaya and cassava to meet their carbohydrates and protein needs

Andhra Floods: Farmers on month-long march, demand compensation for crops

Recent floods in Andhra Pradesh a sign of climate change effects visible since 2012, say experts

Bihar to give subsidy to farmers who could not cultivate crops due to waterlogging

It has approved Rs 550 crore for farmers whose standing crop was damaged this monsoon season

Last straw to stubble burning

Straw can be converted into fuel for use in vehicles. It can also replace coal in old power plants, reducing …

Untimely rains wreak havoc on rabi crops in Bihar

Total rainfall recorded in April was 110 mm against the normal of 15-25 mm, according to an official

Wrong to say Bt cotton successful in India: Environmental activists

The GM crop traditionally modified to repel pests has instead induced new pests that can greatly disrupt the ecological balance

300 million sub-Saharan Africans could go hungry due to Fall Armyworm

A pest that feeds on sorghum, millet and maize will cause severe destruction to crops if left unchecked, warns the Food and Agriculture Organization

Pollution in news on May 2

Here’s a round-up of today’s news reports and developments on pollution

'New GMO directive provides necessary legal framework to complex issue'

The European Commission says that with the directive, it has listened to the concerns of many European citizens, reflected in the positions …

Deserted Delicacies

Abundant, nutritious and tasty. Yet, traditional desert food is gradually losing out to commercially grown crops

THERE IS NO JUSTICE

E VIJAYALAKSHMI and RUHANI KAUR travel around Padre village, Kasargod district, Kerala and find what living with endosulfan has done to the area …

COVID-19: Bihar farmers suffer labour crunch, despite govt guidelines

Labourers fear getting punished for leaving homes to work

Persistent in folly

Rice and wheat fetch a secure price and subsidies on farm inputs. Coarse grains have no place in the public distribution system, although their …

Rice: the real cost

It is said the future wars would be fought over the issue of water, not land. Yet Indian government promotes rice, which consumes water, over …

Cereal killer

By promotong rice over coarse grains, the government is promoting food scarcity and defeciency of micronutrients among India's most malnourished …

GE cotton: Three states refuse NOC for field trials

GEAC demands Telangana, Gujarat state reasons for declining, will take decision if Maharashtra doesn't reply on time