The fire-fighting children of the Khasi Hills and the decline of traditional farming in north-east India

In North-east India, children of the Khasi Hills (Meghalaya) learn slash and burn cultivation, an intergenerational yet controversial indigenous …

These 9 smart foods are often overlooked

They are good for human and environmental health but have been ignored due to a lack of awareness, research, policy support and market oppurtunities

Rice for kings

Black rice is indigenous to the Northeast, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha. In Manipur, it is considered food as well as part of traditional …

Natural embrace

Are we ecological serial killers or benevolent conservationists? Muriel Kakani narrates some refreshing perspectives of camel herders in Rajasthan

The Kani learning

How benefit-sharing between a research institute and the Kani tribe went awry

The loss of our breeds

Buy an Indian breed from Australia

Born Again

A rural organisation breathes life into the listless people of Melaghar village

Solo Performances

Besides the communities who have done exemplary work in the field of environment, several individuals are making a difference in the lives of …

Above All Differences

A caste-ridden society transforms the depleted forests into a green haven

Hamlets reborn

Although Bhaonta-Kolyala village walked away with the Down To Earth-Joseph C John Award, the judges came across several such communities worthy …

Working women

In Guraiya village , it's women empowerment all the way

Awarded : Bhaonta-Kolyala

... for reviving the Arvari river, for showing that a healthy ecology and good water management mean prosperity, for proving that drought is a myth

NEEDED: A WAKE-UP CALL

Foresters need to throw away their blinkers. Scientists need to prioritise areas of research

TRAMPLED DESTINIES

What happens if conservation is based on half-baked knowledge? Ask a person rendered homeless by wildlife managers "No conservation strategy …

WORKING IN ISOLATION

A mutual lack of trust and understanding between forest officials and wildlife scientists may be responsible for the mismanagement of India's …

CONSERVATION TO DEATH

Misguided conservation efforts are leading to depletion of biodiversity and exploitation of poor people

The secret garden

Want to know about a lost variety of rice or a cure to asthma? Answers lie in the notebooks of schoolchildren and women of the Sundarbans and …

Give native knowledge its due place

Drugged by chicken

Antibiotics in meat make disease-causing bacteria resistant to cures

We must explore India’s forgotten recipes, switch to good food culture: experts

In an era of convenience food and TV dinner, it’s a challenge to rediscover our traditional foods

Paan loses flavour

Iconic paan no more appeals to farmers, traders and common people. They say the contagious spread of chewing tobacco, especially gutkha, is fast …

The Monsanto way

How the US multinational won state governments and influenced policy

Paying farmers for ecological services

A belief in tradition

It was a unique ceremony for a unique award given to a unique rural community of India. In what is perhaps the first ceremony of its kind, …

Back in f(l)avour

Entry of high yielding hybrid rice has spelt doom for traditional diversity in the Konkan belt. Thanks to a science academy, the ancient legacy …