Let the wind chase fire

Soligas of BR Hills say litter fire is the only way to salvage the sanctuary

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 …

Living with lions

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

Barriers under pestle

There is an urgent need to rationalise traditional medicinal systems to stop unscrupulous use

History and our notions of ideal and modern

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. …

Healthy kya?

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

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

Springing back to life

Two villages in Uttarakhand take lessons in hydrogeology to revive dry springs, end water conflict

Japanese biopiracy of our Ballia barley

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

Where are the tapovans?

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

Goa's disappearing khazan farms dying a slow death

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

EU to stop import of herbal products

By May 2003, the European Council was supposed to have reached a consensus on a directive that seeks to regulate the supply of herbal products in …

Crazy for GI? Think again

The protection of Geographical Indication is not a guarantee that the artisan or producer will benefit; traders can corner the premium

Farmers in tech trap

Cotton cultivators are on a seed and pesticide treadmill that is draining them of traditional skills  

Colours of Nature

An organisation in Mumbai documents the presence of dyeing pigments in microbes and plants

The inside story

Bad health is good business. The pharmaceutical industry knows that. But now bad health is turning out to be good business for the food industry …

Legislation for a few

Benefits of the Act that encourages conservation of plants reach few farmers