-Down to Earth Industry members say government food safety body ignoring ground reality The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) has given food operators who have been pointing fingers at the food safety body to pay more attention to their mandate—food safety. In an open letter addressed to all stakeholders, FSSAI has highlighted the importance of self regulation and the role of industry. It also points to how industry believes...

-IANS CHANDIGARH: They have been warned, threatened with prosecution and even offered inducements. But a number of farmers in Punjab and Haryana seem disinclined to stop their environment-unfriendly bi-annual exercise of burning crop residue, cited by environmentalists as one of the prinicipal causes of dust haze and air pollution in Delhi and northern India. With the wheat harvest in both the states nearly over, authorities are attempting in whatever they can to...

-Down to Earth Tree foods are often rich in vitamins, proteins and other vital nutrients. They can provide a diverse diet to people worldwide A new report underlines the link between forests and food security. The study released by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO), the world's largest network of forest scientists, says that forests can improve nutrition level and meet the “Zero Hunger Challenge” by 2025. The study—Forests, Trees and...

-The News Minute Kerala: A group of 101 families has created a small yet strong challenge to the idea that farming requires modern science to thrive. Since 2006, Vengeri, a village in Kozhikode district, has revolutionized everyday living and has set an example by not only managing sustainable organic farming, challenging genetically modified crops and also efficient waste management practices. Thanks to Niravu, a residential association of 100 odd homes, today Vengeri is...

-Business Today The father of India's green revolution, M.S. Swaminathan, is involved in the conservation and cultivation of millet. He tells Business Today why millet is important. Q. Why did millet vanish from our fields? Swaminathan: In the past, in agriculture, a wide range of food crops were grown. Gradually, with market-oriented agriculture, the food basket shrunk, not only in India, but all over the world. As wheat, rice, corn, soyabean, potato became...