Burning of agricultural biomass residue, or Crop Residue Burning (CRB) has been identified as a major health hazard. In addition to causing exposure to extremely high levels of Particulate Matter concentration to people in the immediate vicinity, it is also a major regional source of pollution, contributing between 12 and 60 per cent of PM […]
The central government has initiated various schemes to promote organic farming keeping in view the benefits if value addition and its importance in fighting the menace of climate change, Union Minister of Agriculture Radha Mohan Singh said. The minister said the government has initiated Paramparagat Krishi Vikas Yojna & Organic Value Added Development (OVCDNER) ‘schemes’, […]
Since the onset of globalisation, liberalisation and privatisation in 1991, traditional agricultural practices and the native/ collective wisdom of peasants and farmers are under continuous attack and their symbiotic relationship with land, water bodies, seeds, commons and other natural resources have been severed and uprooted across the World. Food sovereignty is eroded and the right […]
With the cost of all farm inputs, including chemical fertilisers and pesticides, going up year after year without any corresponding increase in productivity or market price, farmers either quit the profession altogether or are forced to end their lives unable to cope with mounting debts. Time-tested traditional farming is the new buzzword for such growers […]
India holds a unique position among 172 countries practising organic agriculture: it has 6,50,000 organic producers, 699 processors, 669 exporters and 7,20,000 hectares under cultivation. But, with merely 0.4 per cent of total agricultural land under organic cultivation, the industry has a long journey ahead. Last year, the Indian organic export and domestic market grew […]
The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the commercial release of Genetically Modified (GM) variety of Mustard till October 17 after a petition was filed arguing such a release may have severe consequences on the environment and human health. The petition, filed a day earlier by Aruna Rodriguez, had sought a moratorium on open-field trials and […]
Aiming to double farmers’ income by 2022, Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh today said the government will promote the idea of ‘yogic’ farming to increase the country’s farm production. This will be promoted via Parampragat Krishi Vikas Yojana (PKVY), under which organic farming is also being popularised in a big way , he said.
Guwahati: Chief Minister of tiny Himalayan state Sikkim, Pawan Chamling was on Thursday conferred prestigious Sustainable Development Leadership Award, 2016 by President Pranab Mukherjee during World Sustainable Development Summit organized by the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi on Thursday.
RSS-backed Swadeshi Jagran Manch on Tuesday called for the intervention of the PM in the matter on the ground that the Ministry of Environment and Forests is displaying undue haste in giving permission to GM Mustard which promises an increased yield based on ‘manipulated data’
Located on the eastern side of the Himalayas, Bhutan is a tiny country with a population of around 750,000 people. It is known for being one of the happiest nations in the world, and the government puts a heavy emphasis on its unique Gross National Happiness metric, which measures progress through the spiritual, physical, social, […]