-Grain.org "We take care of the cow and the cow takes care of us," says Marayal, a farmer in Thalavady, Tamil Nadu. Her two cows produce 6 to 10 litres of milk a day, which she sells for 30-40 cents per litre. Across India, there are millions of backyard dairy farmers like Marayal. Each owning just one or two cows, these farmers supply millions more families and hundreds of thousands of informal...

-The Alternative Parveen Kumar works in the farms of Uddhampur District, Jammu & Kashmir, where the Government has posted him on a project that allots about 100 to 200 hectares of land each to grow and train farmers in organic cultivation. Parveen grows wheat, maize and pulses in the 100 hectares that he is in-charge of. Crops are chosen by the government after analysing the market demand in the area. Thus,...

-Economic and Political Weekly The Tamil Nadu state government has started 283 subsidised Restaurants - amma unavagams - in nine urban centres. This initiative has been a hit with a wide spectrum of urban consumers. However, the majority of the patrons seem to be the working urban poor. These initiatives have been accused of being "populist" but this model of providing affordable cooked food in urban areas promises to not only...

-The Times of India MANALI: Tourists visiting Manali will find it tough to get food as several hotels here have shut their kitchens due to the rising prices of onion, tomato, potato, cabbage and other vegetables. Several Restaurants and dhabas are not even serving onion paranthas for the breakfast now. Hotels, which used to serve their guests with food from in-house kitchens, are now requesting them to have food outside. Hoteliers say...

-The Economic Times KOCHI: If you want a good cook, go to a prison in Kerala. Yes, jails are sprouting culinary talent, and tasty, healthy and affordable food prepared by the inmates has become a big hit. People are gobbling up chapatis, curries, idlis, banana chips, laddus and cakes made by convicts at half the market price; and next month its popularity will acquire divine proportions as devotees at the Sabarimala temple...