Malawi'’s agricultural sector is critical to its economy, employing around 77% of the population and accounting for 23% of gross domestic product (GDP). The majority of workers in agriculture are smallholder farmers, many of whom cultivate less than one hectare of land. Despite its importance, the sector faces significant challenges, …
Smallholder farmers constitute the largest contingent of the poor and yet they produce more than 80 per cent of the world's food, in value terms. Though there are marked differences by country and region in the average size of small farms, it is estimated that more than 90 per cent …
MGNREGA Sameeksha II is proposed as a continuation of the objective of nurturing a discourse around MGNREGA which is open, scientific, critical and constructive. It reviews research studies carried out and published over the last two years (2012–14) to foster reflection and understanding about MGNREGA and its impact. It is …
Women too vulnerable; five among victims As many as 18 farmers and landless labourers have committed suicide in the Sangrur-Mansa belt during the past two months. “We will submit a report to Deputy Commissioner, Sangrur, in a few days,” said Inderjeet Singh Jaijee, who has been working on suicides cases …
With the help of a new training guide developed by FAO and the International Labour Organization (ILO), extension workers in Africa and elsewhere are engaging with rural communities to reduce children's exposure to toxic pesticides used in farming. Nearly 100 million boys and girls between 5 and 17 years old …
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is approaching eight years of implementation. Since 2006, it has offered up to 100 days per year of guaranteed public works employment to tens of millions of rural Indian households. It is intended to augment the purchasing power of the rural …
Farmers in State’s rice bowl take to other lucrative crops Though Palakkad district continues to be the traditional rice bowl of Kerala, having the largest acreage under paddy cultivation, there has been an alarming trend of rice growers gradually moving to cultivation of other crops that promise instant returns. As …
If the figures presented by AHIVF & Infertility Research Centre, Ranchi are to be believed then rural males associated with agriculture are facing the risk of becoming infertile due to their exposure to pesticides. The situation calls for attention as a large number of rural males are directly dependent on …
Punjab -- famed as the granary of the country -- continues to be troubled by suicides in the agriculture sector. The latest to join the victims was one Jugraj Singh of Hassanpur village near Budhlada in Mansa district. His brother, who is admitted to a hospital at Mansa, also made …
Malihabad: Voter consciousness and power of democracy came to the fore at Jankinagar village of Malihabad area where none of the 378 voters exercised franchise to protest apathy of leaders. About 38 km from Hazratganj, the heart of the state capital and on the border of the city off ring …
Focus on the Global South, with the support of the Rosa Luxemburg Stiftung (RLS), has started a collaborative programme to bring out educational materials and other publications focusing on the small and marginal farmers. These will highlight their concerns, and attempt to grasp the various governance issues that have made …
The 1.7 million farm labourers in Chhattisgarh have reason to smile on former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s birthday today. The state government launched a scheme that will provide them insurance cover. Soon after taking over as the chief minister of Chhattisgarh for the third term in a row, Raman …
States that increase minimum wage will have to bear extra cost from their own resources A committee set up by the Ministry of Rural Development to revise wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has offered suggestions that are likely to iron out long-standing issues relating …
For years, mysterious epidemics of kidney disease have been simmering within agricultural hotspots in the developing world, from tropical El Salvador to the South Asian highlands of Sri Lanka and India. The deadly string of chronic kidney disease (CKD) outbreaks have barely made the news since it first struck farmers …
Only 18% Have All 3 Facilities; Fall In Agriculture’s GDP Share: Report One in five rural households has none of three basic facilities — drinking water, electricity and sanitation — while only about 18% have access to all three. The India Rural Development Report 2012-13 released by Jairam Ramesh on …
With the ambitious National Food Security Bill getting the nod of the Lok Sabha, another big ticket legislation — Land Acquisition Bill — will come up for discussion in the lower House on Thursday. The two legislations have been the key promises of the Congress to the people and are …
Contrary to tall claims by both state and central governments about reining in the suicide trend among farmers and agriculture labourers of Punjab, a survey conducted by state's universities revealed that the number of suicides in the past decade either remained largely unchanged or increased. Data pertaining to the worst …
The majority of chronically poor people are economically active but the poor quality of that work, including its low-pay, dangerous conditions, insecurity and irregularity means that this work frequently maintains people in poverty rather than enabling poverty escapes. This Policy Guide focuses on chronically poor workers in informal wage employment …
Relative to other developing regions, developing Asia has experienced a slower decline in employment share in agriculture, compared to its output share; a rapid growth in labor and land productivity; and a shift from agricultural output from traditional to high-value products. The most successful Asian economies have pursued an agricultural …
Panel submits draft policy for agriculture development The draft agriculture development policy, submitted to the Chief Minister by the drafting committee chaired by K. Krishnankutty on Thursday, proposes that purchase of farmlands should be restricted to farmers and farming purposes only. “The farmlands are to be protected and should not …
Protest against land acquisition for a bypass on National Highway 8D After protests by farmers against a Nirma cement plant in Saurashtra, the proposed special investment region (SIR) near Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar corridor and the Mirthi Virdi Nuclear Power Station, anger is now brewing against land acquisition for a bypass for National …
