The World Meteorological Organization’s State of the Climate in Asia 2024 report warns that the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, driving more extreme weather and posing serious threats to lives, ecosystems, and economies. In 2024, Asia experienced its warmest or second warmest year on …
the growing demand for biofuels could lead to a shortage of food. Studies show biofuel plantations will eat up cropland, and trigger food and water crisis in many parts of the globe, especially in India and China. There is also evidence to show biofuels will not help in carbon emission …
Ethnobotanist and director-general of Amity Foundation's Institute of Biotechnology at Thiruvananthapuram, Palpu Pushpangadan, tells P R J Pradeep that India can learn a lot from China about making native knowledge the basis of development Why do you say that India needs to learn a lot from China? The Chinese primarily …
In February this year, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar announced that the country could export wheat in the near future. "If the current weather persists and the country's wheat production exceeds 72.5 million tonnes, I will allow exports,' he said. But the minister seems to have done a volte-face on …
If India wants total food security, farming must be remunerative. Developing channels for farmers to sell wherever they get the best price is key ANJANI SINHA RECENTLY, THE government allocated Rs 48.82 billion for the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) to raise the production of rice, wheat and pulses during …
The Union ministry of environment and forests (moef) says India's vast gene pool in agriculture and livestock has been widely ignored, creating a food security risk in the country Measures to conserve its rich biodiversity have not been sufficient. Despite many laws in place (Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Forest (Conservation …
To protect the country's food supply, the Chinese government has suspended a plan to convert farmland into forest. The move is to meet its pledge to keep at least 120 million hectares (ha) of arable land reserved by 2010. Currently, the country has 122.07 million ha of farmland. The State …
Zea mays has become the very emblem of plenty, with rich golden cobs of corn (maize) overspilling from some of the most effectively farmed arable lands on the planet. Jatropha curcas, on the other hand, is an unprepossessing and indeed toxic plant, better suited to scrubland and hedges. Yet in …
World Development Report 2008 calls for greater investment in agriculture in developing countries.The report warns that the sector must be placed at the center of the development agenda if the goals of halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015 are to be realized.
Underlying objective of food security programme in India is to ensure the availability of foodgrains to the common people at an affordable price. The PDS system in India is based on the wheat and rice model, which in many areas were never the staple grains for household consumption. It was …
After a four-day-long summit of the 14-nation South African Development Community (sadc) in Lusaka, Zambia, the region's leaders have said: "We feel the problem in Zimbabwe has been exaggerated; Zimbabweans are quite adept at solving their economic problems.' The country is facing the worst economic crisis with the highest inflation …
the Udaipur administration recently announced its plans to go ahead with allotment of land for jatropha plantation. The move, made under the recently notified Rajasthan Land Revenue (Allotment of waste land for bio-fuel plantation and bio-fuel based Industrial and processing unit) Rules, 2007, has sparked several protests. Under the new …
Agriculture is the key sector in India's economy, which has not been subject to the economic reforms. The continuous decline in the growth of output in agriculture sector, has recently invited attention of the government which has come out with a plan for development. Agricultural development is an essential condition …
Aquatic vegetation is generally considered as nuisance plant communities which cause hindrance to aquaculture practice, resulting in the loss of aquaculture yields. Despite all these disadvantages, the importance of freshwater vegetation and their resources to human welfare can not be neglected rather invites attention too.
there has been a long-standing debate on whether organic agriculture can ensure global food security. Even some advocates of organic are not sure about this. A recent study claims organic farming can produce as much food as chemicals-based farming does. The study says organic methods of food production can contribute …
Mizoram has recently sought central aid to check the fallout of an increasing rodent population in the state. The state disaster management and rehabilitation department (dmrd) recently submitted a memorandum to an inter-ministerial central team led by u k s Chauhan, joint secretary of agriculture. Following the gregarious flowering of …
Kalavati Barai of Raipur Tea Estate in Jalpaiguri has been watching the consistent deterioration of her family of six over the past four years. In March this year, her husband succumbed to severe anaemia and related complications. "I couldn't feed him, so he died,' she states simply. Since the tea …
India's Targeted Public Distribution System (tpds) gives subsidised essential commodities to economically weaker households. Till 1997, the system had supplied subsidised commodities to all Households under tpds are classed as Below Poverty Line (bpl) and Above Poverty Line (apl) groups based on income. bpl is further divided into bpl and …
the central government's food assistance schemes haven't worked. The 61st round of the National Sample Survey Organisation (nsso) report on Public Distribution System and Other Sources of Household Consumption, 2004-05, shows that only 28 per cent of the rural poor have benefited from any such scheme. For urban areas, the …
sampat Lal is not the protagonist of a typical Down To Earth story. He's the treasurer of a cooperative that runs a fair price shop in a Rajasthan village. Quite successfully, in fact. Lal belongs to a cooperative of mine workers. There are quite a few such cooperatives in Rajasthan …
