Two technologies that shape our future

Battery and meters are two widely used technologies, yet no one stops to think how they work. They determine our future. They dictate how we …

Clash over ‘Green Gold’: Chhattisgarh tribals to file FIR against forest official over tendu leaf collection

The official had seized tendu leaves collected by tribals which they wanted to sell on their own instead of to the government  

Kendu leaves: 29 Odisha villages win complete autonomy, but still a long way to go

Most villagers earned more than Rs 15,000 this year, over seven times their past earnings

India has registered a global first of a plant fungus infecting humans

Fungal infections are expected to pose a more significant threat to human beings in the years to come due to climate change, and reasons such as …

Kendu leaf trade: Stringent laws needed to keep children out

The news of children working at kendu leaf collection centres often trickle in during April-May every year. Children are mostly engaged in …

Fani damaged betel vineyards in Odisha

The natural disaster, which claimed over 40 lives, has caused huge losses to around 8,000 paan farmers across Odisha’s …

COVID-19: Odisha allows collection of non-timber forest produce

Experts had been demanding NTFPs’ exemption from the lockdown as they are a vital part of India’s tribal economy

Despite having forest rights titles, two Kalahandi villages denied transit permit

The forest department has been misusing the transit permit, which is essential to sell kendu leaf, a lucrative Minor Forest Produce

Why do you like paan?

Passersby at the PVR Saket market in New Delhi, India explain why they do or do not like paan.

COVID-19: Kendu leaf procurement hits roadblock in Odisha

State forest officials deter Kalahandi district’s village to procure kendu leaves through gram sabha   

India has registered a global first of a plant fungus infecting humans; climate change, AMR will exacerbate it

Fungi can now evade the process by which the body defends itself; global warming, which narrows the thermal difference between humans and their …

Loss of a legacy: Mahoba’s Desawari variety betel leaf could disappear in three to four years; here is why

Extreme weather events, rising input costs have made betel leaf cultivation unviable in Mahoba, nearly destroying its unique Desawari variety …

16 heatwaves in Odisha this summer rob its tribal women of livelihood

Soaring mercury levels make it difficult for them to spend much time in the jungle & collect forest produce such as leaves of kendu and siali,…

LEAF Coalition’s proposal is a step forward in saving forests, indigenous peoples

The implementation of the coalition’s plan will help pump in fresh rigour among developing countries like India, that are reluctant to …

The bizarre demand for a Banarasi paan GI

Geographical Indication tag continues to be handed out without examining the scientific basis or the integrity of such claims

How the size and shape of dried leaves can turn small flames into colossal bushfires

At the beginning of a fire or under mild conditions, differences in litter characteristics may strongly influence how that fire spreads

Odisha tribals to sell kendu leaves and exercise their forest rights

The state’s forest department has not allowed sale of the leaves to anyone other than the goverment 

Warming temperatures can mean mass leaf deaths in tropical forests

Some percentage of leaves from tropical forests are already exposed to such temperatures that prevent their normal functioning  

Six villages in Odisha can now sell tendu leaves

These villages were earlier denied their right to sell this minor forest produce to any other buyer apart from the state's forest department

COVID-19: Maharashtra exempts non-timber forest produce from lockdown

Income from collecting tendu leaves keeps small farmers in Maharashtra from depending on loans

Mango leaf extract can prevent steel from corroding: Study

In a bid to develop a ‘green’ alternative, researchers from the National Institute for Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, …

COVID-19 lockdown deals blow to Rajasthan’s tendu leaf economy

Demand for tendu patta has been declining over the years, mainly due to decreasing consumption of bidis

Canada’s new food guide promotes plant-based proteins, instead of meat

The latest food guide came after cardiovascular disease became the second cause of death for Canadians

Climate change is playing spoilsport in kendu leaf collection across eastern India; here’s how

Rains, instead of heat and dust storms during April and May, have led to a proliferation of flies which are bothering collectors

After Mahanadi floods, Odisha farmers at mercy of Sitrang

Farmers harvest immature standing crops in fear of greater losses due to cyclonic storm