-The Indian Express Pune: Setting up a central storage facility for pesticides and restricting their access could help in preventing pesticide-related suicides, claims a study funded by the World Health Organisation (WHO). The study published in the BMC public health journal on September 16 claimed that by setting up a central facility where each family had a locker to store their pesticides has the potential to reduce 295 suicides per one...

-The Hindu Government figures on suicides are higher than those reported by activist groups Nagpur: Anil Marope swallowed poison on July 17, leaving behind a distressed wife, a water-logged field and four children. Just a month before his death, the 40-year old from Vidarbha's Yavatmal district had sowed his 5-acre field and was hopeful of a good cotton harvest. But heavy rain washed away his crop, forcing him to sow seeds for the...

-Economic and Political Weekly The government has notified a Draft Land Reforms Policy which, on paper, has all the requisites of an earnest programme. Yet, the near total failure of earlier efforts at land reforms in India leave little room for hope that something substantial will at last be done to combat landlessness. Harsh Mander (manderharsh@gmail.com) is with the Centre for Equity Studies, New Delhi, and works with survivors of mass violence,...

-The Hindu Is it possible to get a good yield without using chemical fertilizers? Will a shift to organic affect our food security? Can we manage insect pests without using pesticides? Will organic cultivation still be profitable for farmers? These are some of the often asked questions by farmers when problems of modern agriculture are being discussed. Enabavi, a small village in Warangal district, Andhra Pradesh promises to answer all these. Situated off...

-Outlook Maharashtra witnessed 37 Farmer Suicides -- the highest among all states -- due to agrarian reasons till March this calendar year, Agricultural Minister Sharad Pawar informed Parliament today. Seven farmers in Karnataka committed suicides for the same reason till June this fiscal year while the number for Andhra Pradesh is 3 till July this calendar year and Kerala just one, Pawar told Lok Sabha. No such incidents has been reported from other...