The IMF’s April 2025 Regional Economic Outlook for Sub-Saharan Africa presents a clear warning: regional growth is slowing, debt pressures are mounting, and donor assistance is declining. Yet the report outlines critical opportunities particularly in domestic revenue mobilization, structural reform, and private sector activation that can shape a more resilient …
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 …
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 …
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.
Ambassador of Argentina Rodolfo J Martin-Saravia on Wednesday offered technical assistance in agriculture sector, particularly for plantation of soybean in Pakistan. While speaking at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) here on Wednesday, he said Argentina is the biggest soybean grower while Pakistan is the largest consumer of …
It’s afternoon and wisps of clouds have already enveloped the Sora Muni shrine that keeps watch over Sri Lanka’s Horton Plains massif. Here, Tamil workers of the Thotulagalla tea estate in Haputale offer a sacrificial goat to the deity following the annual pruning of tea bushes. It is ironic to …
Tea grown on the steep slopes of Darjeeling hills, connoisseurs swear, is unlike anywhere else in the world. Epicures use a plethora of adjectives to describe the “champagne of teas”: brisk, flowery, round, mellow and sparkling. Brewed properly, the Darjeeling tea leaves yield a thin-bodied, light-coloured liquor with a floral …
Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar is rooting for endosulfan just before the fifth Conference of Parties (COP) of the Stockholm Convention meets in Geneva India softens its stand on endosulfan Day 5- April 29: The last day of the Stockholm Convention, ushered some good news for all those crusading against …
Day 5: April 29 The last day of the Stockholm Convention, ushered some good news for all those crusading against endosulfan in India. Endosulfan has finally been brought under the Annex A of the Stockholm Convention, which means that Endosulfan should be banned globally. Endosulfan: meet in Geneva begins, India …
In the present study, we surveyed the primate species in the Highwavy Mountains of Tamil Nadu, India. Five primate species, including Nilgiri langur, Hanuman langur, bonnet macaque, lion-tailed macaque and slender loris were recorded in the region. Coffee and cardamom plantations in the hill system still hold the population of …
What’s really in your cuppa? - A special investigation into the hidden costs of tea, milk and sugar. http://files.theecologist.org/Pdfs/Whats_in_your_cuppa.pdf
It has been more than a dozen years since health professionals in north Kerala started noticing unusual health disorders in the tracts where there had been aerial spraying of the pesticide endosulfan on cashew plantations. Surveys, studies and countless media reports have brought out the burden of endosulfan. The Government …
This study analyses the impact of the asean-India Preferential Trade Agreement on plantation commodities – coffee, tea and pepper – using the smart and gravity models. This reveals that the agreement may cause a significant increase in India’s imports of plantation commodities from the asean countries, which is mostly driven …
Only when farming is based upon "natural principles" can it be truly sustainable. Ecological farming is based on nurturing and nourishing the soils. Emphasizing soil conservation and building up organic matter are key to maintain these natural ecological balances in crop ecosystems. Mojo plantation is one such attempt.
Endosulfan poisoning in Kasaragod district has made the Kerala government cautious in its approach to use of pesticides. Agriculture minister M Retnakaran recently announced that the ban on extremely and moderately hazardous pesticides in Kasaragod will be extended to Idukki district. The news augurs well for Idukki, known for its …
Kodagu district produces 2% of the world’s coffee, in complex, multistoried agroforestry systems. The forests of the district harbour a large population of the Asian elephant (Elephas maximus). The combined effects of high elephant density and major landscape changes due to the expansion of coffee cultivation are the cause of …
After a long and herculean struggle, the people of Kasaragod district succeeded in getting the Kerala government to ban the deadly pesticide Endosulfan. In the meantime, 400 lives have been lost according to government figures, hundreds have been maimed and a much greater number are bedridden.So imagine our surprise when …
Kerala government has been pressing the Centre to impose a country-wide ban on endosulfan. But its own track reocrd hasn't been impressive. The ban on endosulfan in Kerala has proved ineffective and the pesticide is being smuggled in the state. A recent survey shows more children are falling victim, Down …
It is called the mango city. But of late, Muthalamada panchayat in Kerala’s Palakkad district has gained notoriety for excessive use of endosulfan in its mango orchards. Its effect is showing on people living there. When seven-year-old Sharanya was born, her parents Rukmini and Chandran were relieved the baby was …
