-The Hindu Business Line A bank-supported NGO initiative has transformed agriculture in the Hubli-Dharwad area Can a small investment of, say, ₹97,000, for digging farm ponds make for increase in farm incomes and improvement in farmers’ livelihoods? Can such farm ponds lead to an increase in cropping intensity and higher productivity? Can these minor investments then be replicated across the country as only 50 per cent of India’s net sown area of...

The transport sector is important for the smooth functioning of an economy. The supply chains for various products and by-products (both domestically as well as internationally) can work efficiently only if the transportation of raw materials and inputs, and final goods and commodities takes place without disruption.   Due to economic growth, India’s annual CO2 (i.e., carbon dioxide) emission has expanded from 1.19 billion tonnes in 2005 to 2.44 billion tonnes...

-PTI/ The Week Ensuring irrigation efficiency is of paramount importance for sustainable agriculture. India needs to redesign its irrigation policy, including by promoting improved technological interventions in the wake of depleting ground water, according to an article published in the latest issue of RBI Bulletin. In the backdrop of recurrent episodes of drought and declining groundwater table, ensuring irrigation efficiency is of paramount importance for sustainable agriculture, the article published on Tuesday said. RBI...

-NITI Aayog Working Paper, ISBN: 978-81-953811-7-3 Abstract -  The importance of agriculture in an economy usually declines as it climbs the development ladder. Raising agriculture productivity has been known to be an important precursor. Labour productivity in agriculture can either be increased by higher land productivity or higher land availability per farmer and mechanisation. In India, however, the dramatic increase in land productivity through industrial farming has caused severe environmental damage and...

-India Spend/ Scroll.in These programmes should look at skilling the workforce for paid jobs rather than unpaid, part-time volunteers. Central government programmes on water emphasise groundwater management by the community in a decentralised manner but, by and large, these schemes are silent on the availability, training and deployment of a skilled workforce for this task, especially in rural areas. Water management at the most decentralised, local levels is often a part-time, volunteer or...