-DNA   Workshop showcases benefit of SRI technique that requires less water and input, but provides better yield Ahmedabad: Paddy cultivators in Navsari and Dangs reap fortune in their fields with the new system of rice intensification (SRI), a methodology of crop cultivation has yielded rich dividends. Experts who spoke about the unique technique compared it with other techniques that require a initial high input cost, and said this method of cultivation on...

Gene Campaign turned twenty in 2013. Starting in 1993 as a leading research and advocacy organization, GC dedicated itself to the conservation of genetic resources and indigenous knowledge. The campaign has encouraged self reliance and worked towards ensuring livelihood security for rural and tribal communities. Closely involved in policymaking and legislation with respect to biological resources, GC has enabled rural and adivasi communities to participate in policies relating to these...

-Down to Earth   Reserve Bank of India refuses to bail out three district cooperative banks Kharif sowing season is close at hand, but around 100,000 farmers of Nagpur, Wardha and Buldhana districts in Maharashtra are unlikely to get agricultural loan or hailstorm relief from the District Central Cooperative Banks (DCCBs) because the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has rejected banking applications of these banks. Worse, fixed deposits worth Rs 1,716 crore belonging...

-PTI Ahmedabad: Farmers in Gujarat have asked the state government to adopt a new technique that helps in increasing the yield of rice as part of its farm policy. 'System of Rice Intensification' (SRI), a method of boosting yield of the key kharif crop, has been adopted by some of the States in the country. Nearly 100 farmers from Dang, Valsad and Navsari districts want Gujarat to implement this procedure and incorporate it...

-The United Nations   The majority of the almost 3 million children who die before they turn one month old could be saved if they received quality care around the time of birth, according to the findings released today in a study supported by the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF), which is urging additional attention and resources for this group of children. "Focusing on the crucial period between labour and the first hours of...