-The New Indian Express HYDERABAD: If the unimpressive spell of southwest monsoon across the state continues, the government, which seems proactively making a sustainable crop choice for cultivation by having declared a soil survey, might well want to work towards revival of droughtresistant crop sorghum, which once used to be one of the largest cultivated dryland crops in the region, feel scientists at the Directorate of Sorghum Research. DSR, a central...

-The Telegraph Shillong: Scientists have urged farmers in Meghalaya to adopt "climate-smart agriculture" by adhering to recommended climate change mitigation strategies as various parts of the Northeast are facing a drought-like situation because of global warming. An awareness-cum-training programme on Contingency Plan for Drought-like Situation was held recently at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the northeastern region in Umiam under the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture project. According to...

-The Times of India LUDHIANA: The soil and water engineering experts of Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) have observed that the cultivation of rice in hot and humid climate often results in accumulation of gasses like carbon dioxide and nitrogen in tubewell pits. A K Jain, HoD soil and Water Engineering, said, "In case a farmer enters the tubewell pit for repair of the pump, he can become unconscious due to less oxygen...

-The Financial Express Thiruvananthapuram: Following the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Palakkadan Matta rice from North Kerala has started going the mobile app-based retailing way. Following the Geographical Indication (GI) tag, Palakkadan Matta rice from North Kerala has started going the mobile app-based retailing way. A farm specialising in Palakkadan Matta has launched a mobile application that facilitates retailing of the rice and rice products to supply anywhere in India....

-Economic and Political Weekly   The emphasis on use of digital technologies to bridge the "rural-urban gap" in the union budget is limited to high talk and minimal allocations. The need for a more comprehensive and peoples' participation-oriented rural action plan should have been the focus while setting sectoral allocations, but that is not to be in this mid-year budget. Vipul Mudgal (vipulmudgal@gmail.com) heads the Inclusive Media for Change project at the Centre...