-Down to Earth Bijaya Jhankar grows nine traditional varieties of paddy that have a longer harvest duration of 130-150 days The eyes of Bijaya Jhankar twinkle as he approaches his 1.2 hectare (ha) farm for harvesting paddy. They are unlike any other varieties grown in his village Sanbaheli, which lies in the vast Sunabeda plateau of Odisha’s Nuapada district. “They yield shorter grains, take longer to mature but are of tremendous sentimental value,”...

One is almost certain to hear this from an economist that if something is available at free of cost or at a subsidised rate thanks to government intervention, then people tend to overuse or overconsume such goods/ commodities. So, the best solution is to create a market for such 'almost freely available' or 'highly subsidised' goods or commodities. Once people start paying to use or consume such goods/ commodities, they...

-Hindustan Times Farm experts say cotton crop is considered the largest consumer of pesticides and insecticides and Punjab can reduce its chemical load with a dedicated policy on organic farming Punjab lacks a policy to promote organic cotton cultivation even as farmers associated voluntarily with it see viability of chemical-free production of the cash crop. Farm experts say cotton crop is considered the largest consumer of pesticides and insecticides and Punjab can reduce...

-The Statesman It is imperative to cut down on emissions drastically in this decade, else the country faces the imminent danger of major calamities becoming more frequent. It remains imperative for India to rein in its greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions considering that the country is believed to be the third largest emitter, of which 14% comes from agriculture and allied activities. It is imperative to cut down on emissions drastically in this decade,...

-Outlook India Women farmers in Himachal Pradesh are pioneering new all-natural farming techniques under the state government's 'Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)' drive. 50-year-old Satya Devi practised her traditional farm operations using chemicals, sprays, fertilizers and pesticides. But despite using the best marketing practices. She wasn’t able to make much money or save due to high farm input costs. In 2018, Satya Devi switched over to Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF)—a drive launched...