-The Hindu   VISAKHAPATNAM (Andhra Pradesh): A proposal is being made to help small and marginal Farmers through the NREGS, Minister for Panchayati Raj Ch. Ayyanna Patrudu said here on Monday. A relief of Rs. 6,000 could be brought to a farmer by including agriculture operations like ploughing and sowing under NREGS and a proposal was being sent to the Government, Mr. Patrudu said while talking to reporters after reviewing the agriculture scene...

-PSainath.org   The adivasi women of Edamalakudi, Kerala's remotest panchayat, have formed a headload workers' group, helped light up their villages with solar power, and practice group farming in wild elephant territory. All are Muthavan tribals. Almost all are members of Kerala's extraordinary anti-poverty and gender justice movement - Kudumbashree. They are also neighbours of Chinnathambi, the keeper of the Wilderness Library. When 60 women in Edamalakudi carried about a hundred solar...

-The Hindu     SANGAREDDY (Andhra Pradesh): With increasing costs in the paddy and sugarcane cultivation some of the Farmers are thinking to shift to soyabean cultivation. However, they were not in hurry and trying to experiment in limited space available in the farm than going for mass shift. According to sources, the cultivation costs of paddy and sugar cane have abnormally increased forcing the Farmers to think for alternatives while continuing cultivation. Paddy cultivation...

-The Times of India   NEW DELHI: Seeking to spur agricultural growth, the Centre will soon launch a comprehensive plan to provide 'Soil Health Card' to all Farmers across the country. The card will carry crop-wise recommendations of nutrients/fertilizers required for farms, making it possible for Farmers to improve productivity by wisely using inputs. A computerized system will be developed, allowing local agriculture science centres to keep details of 'soil test' results. Soil...

-DNA   Gadag: Rajendra Shirol, a farmer from the drought prone Gadag district, has found a way to find some respite from the increasing temperature. He has cultivated an Ayurvedic herbal crop `Ashwagandha', botanically known as ‘Withania somnifera.' He has been encouraging about 100 Farmers in the Gadag and Koppal districts to sow the seeds of Ashwagandha, that can grow in plenty, despite the scarcity of water, infertility of land, hot temperature and...