-Down to Earth Fragments of plastic film have been shown to release potentially carcinogenic substances into soil Plasticulture, or the use of plastics in agriculture, is evident in the form of lining of farm ponds, greenhouse cultivation, micro-irrigation (drips and sprinklers) and plastic mulching. Plastic mulch, in particular, should be of concern to us as it is a potential source of entry into our food system. Why are farmers turning to plasticulture? The Ministry...

-NABARD-ICRIER Report, June 2018 India is facing a major challenge on the water front. Its per capita water availability of 1544 cubic meters per year, as reported in 2011, has already fallen below the cut off point of 1700 cubic meters, placing it among the water stressed nations of the planet. This situation is likely to have worsened since 2011 and may continue to do so unless drastic reforms are undertaken...

-Newsclick.in Over the past three years, prices of farm produce have gone down, pushing farmers into deeper crisis but the govt. has no solution. It is perhaps a symbol of our times, and this govt.’s alienation from the people, that it is totally unconcerned about crashing farm produce prices even though the Prime Minister and his colleagues go on harping on their commitment to double farmers’ incomes. Here is what has happened...

-Down to Earth Farmers are in distress owing to low farm prices, poor logistics for transport and government-assured purchases The concept of ‘the more, the merrier’ doesn’t apply to farm produce and farmers’ state as much as the government thinks. Increasing production can’t be directly translated into better financial situation of farmers. According to the agriculture ministry latest estimates, in 2017-18, the total horticulture production of the country was 307.2 million tonnes, which...

-The Indian Express Behind the agitation, stagnant income and deteriorating terms of trade for agriculture New Delhi: Why are Indian farmers an angry lot today — stopping the supply of vegetables to cities and even spilling milk on roads? An answer to this can be found in the estimates of gross domestic product/ national income growth from the Central Statistics Office. The accompanying table shows two sets of growth figures. The first is...