Agriculture is egocentric

Norman Uphoff, professor emeritus of government and international agriculture at Cornell University, US, likes to say that the system of rice …

Profiting from disaster

Zoramthanga , the chief minister of Mizoram, has many reasons to reminisce the birth of his party, the Mizo National Front, an insurgent group …

SUBSIDISED KILLING

They may survive the drought. But they cannot survive government policies. When people have to abandon their livestock, they are reduced to misery,…

Is the joyride over ?

There was fear in the 1960s. Would India continue to wait for food imports to feed itself? The scientific community came up with an answer that …

Lost in plantation

Millions of growers and workers are in distress in Kerala, the plantation capital of India, as domestic and international prices of cash crops …

Eye on the storm

Cyclone Phailin has not taken many lives but has left behind a trail of destruction that severely cripples people’s livelihood. What did it …

India’s agrarian distress: Can we revive our fatigued soils

Intensive cultivation and improper nutrient replenishment have affected soil fertility. Stagnating or declining yields are the telltales

World Soil Day: A third of it is degraded. Here’s the solution countries should adopt

Soil erosion mitigation through the application of sustainable soil management is critical for protecting our soil

What is soil erosion and how to combat it

It's estimated that one billion tons of valuable nutrients in topsoil are lost to erosion every year.

Black soil in red: Climate change threatens world’s food basket

FAO report finds most black soils moderate to severely eroded due to land-use change, unsustainable practices 

‘Deficiency in micronutrients in soil linked to health of children and women’

Districts with an increased proportion of soil zinc samples had significantly lower rates of child stunting and underweight

Policies must be aimed at building capacity of soils, not promoting agrochemicals: experts

Scientists and practitioners deliberate on how to reverse soil degradation by taking cognizance of principal causes and policy gaps

New method developed to measure soil erosion

This method can help monitor the effects of soil erosion and effectiveness of soil conservation strategies

World Soil Day: Tackle soil pollution and do away with food insecurity, says FAO

The UN agency says that addressing this issue will also help bring down soil degradation, stem rural migration and adapt to climate change

A new programme aims at increasing Africa's soil productivity by 30%

Poor soil fertility is a major constraint to improving farm productivity and farmer livelihoods in Africa

Combating soil pollution vital for addressing climate change

Soil pollution refers to the presence of chemicals in soils that are either out of place or at higher-than-normal concentrations

Learning from lasagne

Porous layers of slurry, zapped with electricity, may revolutionise the treatment of contaminated clay soils

Desertification in India: Soiled Dhule land is shallow, unfit for plantation

This Maharashtra district, one of India’s land degradation hotspots, struggles with soil erosion coupled with low forest cover, illegal …

Study zeroes in on target plant hormone to improve potassium deficiency in rice

Plants deficient in Potassium more susceptible to salt, drought, chilling and other stresses

Consultation on African Soil Partnership focuses on sustainable soil management

The Food and Agriculture Organization has implemented a number of projects related to sustainable production and better soil management

Excess nitrogen fertilisers hamper germination, root growth in rice: study

Indian scientists have now identified rice varieties that are efficient in nitrogen use

Healthy soil is the real key to feeding the world

Conventional wisdom says we need industrial agriculture to feed the world. Not so, says the writer. Practices that focus on creating healthy soil …

For a terra firma

Earth, the cradle of all lifeforms, should not be transformed into a graveyard for want of serious monitoring of soil degradation all over India …

The good earth

SOIL CONSERVATION EXTENSION: FROM CONCEPTS TO ADOPTION· Edited by S Sombatpanit, M A Zobisch et al·Oxford and IBH Publishing …

Beyond conservation, why our natural ecosystems need restoration

Significant strides have been made in both the science and practice of restoration over the last three decades, with specialisation across …