-Down to Earth Access to water, better infra drive marriage prospects as women yearn for more 'comfortable' lives Floods, droughts, floods again — Marathwada farmers have suffered at the hands of extreme weather events for decades. Their economic standings have taken a beating too, which has led to a unique problem: The chances of men from the affected villages getting married has started to thin.   Years of droughts and erratic rains have heavily...

-Down to Earth The Coca-Cola plant that caused over-exploitation of groundwater, toxic contamination of soil, groundwater, loss of Agriculture and health in Plachimada shut down 18 years ago Coca-Cola Co, the multi-American beverages giant with presence across the globe, has been in news for its sponsorship of the upcoming 27th Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Even as it draws flak for littering the world with...

-India Water Portal NREGA has emerged as a go-to scheme for water conservation in tribal areas leading to higher irrigation coverage and thus augmenting agricultural production Out of India’s total population of 1210.19 million, 104 million, i.e., 8.6% are tribal (Census, 2011), India has one of the highest diversity among the tribes in the world. Broadly tribal inhabit two distinct geographical areas – the Central Indian Tribal Belt and the North-East. About...

-Moneycontrol.com Measures like assistance for fallow land cultivation, upland cultivation, and conversion of single crop to double crop have increased productivity. Though paddy farmers are still struggling with rising cost of production and procurement delays, they get a daily wage of Rs 700, against Rs 200-300 in other states. Paddy farmers in Kerala have something to cheer amidst the ongoing row between the Kerala government and the rice millers over procurement. Rice production...

-Down to Earth Farmer suicides have increased significantly and doubled in some regions where weather extremities incurred heavy losses Farmer suicides in the Nanded district of Maharashtra’s Marathwada more than doubled since incessant rains caused severe crop damage in the region. The suicide cases in Nanded jumped to 26 in August from eight in July, according to official estimates. The total number of farmer suicides reported from the district in 2022 stood at 93...