Landless dalits and adivasis have occupied parts of a corporate rubber plantation at Chengara in Kerala for five years. Despite being pressurised in various ways, they have held out, sticking to their demand of land for them to pursue livelihoods. None of the agreements so far reached with the state government has been satisfactorily implemented. Yet, the issues raised by the Chengara struggle have a social and economic significance that no government can afford to ignore.

India is the largest tea-producing country in the world and contributes 33% of the global tea production. Much of this tea
comes from the biodiversity hotspots in the northeastern regions and the Western Ghats. Due to market fluctuations,
increasing costs of production and lease expiry, many coffee, tea and cardamom plantations have become unviable for
active management, resulting in labour unrest. In Thiruvananthapuram division of Kerala alone, 536 ha (55%) of the

Biodiversity is a commonly used word to describe the variety of life on earth. It refers to the wide range of living organisms: microbes, plants, animals and their habitats. Biodiversity on organic farms accounts for efficient nutrient recycling and effective insect management. An organic farm is a balanced system where the problem of insects is well taken care of by their natural
predators. Therefore, most farms rich in biodiversity possess greater resilience and are able to recover more readily from stress such
as drought, pests, diseases, epidemics, etc.

Prosperity of nation depends on status of its women, as they not only constitute nearly half of its population, but also positively influence growth of remaining half of population. Hence, a study was conducted to study personal profile of women farmers, per formance of women in tea cu ltivation, potato cultivation and livestock activities. Physiological assessment was done in terms of RPE and REBA. By simple random sampling, 30 women were selected in Nilgiri district. Seventy percent were 30 years of age and educated up to high school.

With the declining competitiveness of tea estates, smallholdings have emerged as a major producer of tea in Assam. Yet despite higher productivity and lower outsourced labour costs, and regardless of market conditions, tea smallholdings remain at the mercy of estate processing factories in price determination. The Sri Lankan model of price fixation and regulatory support can prove useful in this sector, but the current acreage defi nition for smallholdings needs to be lowered.

Once the domain of uppity, horseback riding British sahibs, tea cultivation is now being taken up by those who had worked on plantations as labour. In the process, women are brewing a fresh story by cashing in on their experience and traditional knowledge, and becoming entrepreneurs.