-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: Monsoon rainfall, crucial for food production in India, is expected to intensify in the future and the rainy season is likely to be longer, according to the draft report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. A leaked draft of the first of three reports comprising the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's Fifth Assessment Report states while monsoon circulation is likely to weaken, monsoon precipitation is likely...

-Outlook Gandhinagar: A more stringent safety regime will be in place for genetic engineering in agriculture or medical sciences once the National Biotechnology Regulatory Authority (NBRA) Bill is cleared by Parliament, a senior official said here today. "The NBRA bill has been introduced in Parliament and being debated. Once it (bill) is cleared, a more stringent safety regime shall be in place for genetic engineering, be it in the agriculture space or...

-The Guardian     Indian farmers have seen increased yields not just in rice but also in wheat cultivation. Could SCI curb hunger in low-resource communities?     Yields achieved under the system of rice intensification (SRI) have made headlines in recent years, with one farmer in India reported to have produced a record-breaking 22.4 tonnes from one hectare of land in 2011. But why stop at rice? Farmers and NGOs have found that the same...

-The Hindu     Questioning a technology, especially of the kind that has serious unknowns and lacks clear social benefits, is not an attack on science Jairam Ramesh, former Environment Minister for India, made the brave decision in 2010 to tell his then apex regulator of genetically modified organisms (GEAC) that it had failed to properly use available science to determine the safety - to human health and the environment - of Bt brinjal,...

-The Hindu Efficacy of System of Rice Intensification demonstrated in Tiruchi district TIRUCHI: In a region that has been famous for generous use of the Cauvery water [whenever available], farmers are increasingly adopting a cultivation method that requires less water. A large number of farmers in the Tiruchi district who went in for ‘kuruvai' paddy crop in the filter point areas in June amidst concerns over the dwindling water table had successfully adopted...