-Economic and Political Weekly The dependence of agriculture on natural resources requires sustainable management of these resources for risk mitigation and management, particularly in the context of increasing farmer distress and vulnerability to risks associated with climate change. Using a framework of indicators in the domains of pest management, fertiliser use, soil health, water conservation, biodiversity, and efficient use of inputs, statewise report cards on ecological sustainability of agriculture are provided....

-The Hindu Business Line Shift of focus to maize, sorghum, millets would help: Research Hyderabad: Excessive focus on cereal production and the resulting pressure on groundwater in some States is no news. But this, a UK-based researcher contends, means that some States are actually ‘exporting’ their scarce groundwater when they market the cereals. A study by a group of researchers from academic and research institutes from the UK, Germany and India has suggested...

-The Hindu Business Line About 85 per cent of the India has experienced “deficiency” or “large deficiency” in rainfall this monsoon season An umbrella body of farmer groups on Saturday urged the government to declare districts which are under severe water stress as ‘drought-hit’ immediately and not wait till the end of the monsoon season as is the usual practice. “There must not be any delay in the declaration of drought. Instead of...

-Down to Earth Arun Shah, a Muzaffarpur-based paediatrician who has researched on the syndrome, says the fruit is only a triggering factor for malnourished children Litchi is being most commonly blamed for the Acute Encephalitis Syndrome (AES) outbreak in Bihar. The mystery fever has already killed more than 100 children in Muzaffarpur district, renowned for its litchi crop. However, experts say it is grossly wrong to blame this fruit Down To Earth spoke...

-The Indian Express More than half the villages where the state Groundwater Survey and Development Agency’s summer survey found a depletion of over 3 metres from the five-year average are in Marathwada — 1,467 villages. Beed (Maharastra), Mumbai: Twice over the last six months, residents of Chaklamba village in Beed district’s Georai taluka have gone on a relay hunger strike in 43-degree temperatures, spending scorching afternoons in the shade of a...