-Tehelka Away from the politics of food security, a small initiative in Assam is changing the way young people look at agriculture. Pubali Saikia, 13, plucks fresh ripe tomatoes, as her classmate Sunti Saikia, 14, arranges beanstalks. The two teenagers are excited; it is, after all, the first produce of their life. Of late, the Titabor sub-division in upper Assam's Jorhat district has been witnessing a silent awakening of sorts. And...

-Press Information Bureau (Ministry of Agriculture) As per Census conducted by Registrar General of India, the total number of agricultural workers in the country comprising cultivators and agricultural labourers increased from 234.1 million (127.3 million cultivators and 106.8 million agricultural labourers) in 2001 to 263.0 million (118.7 million cultivators and 144.3 million agricultural labourers) in 2011. As per Agriculture Census 2010-11, about 85% of the operational holdings accounting for about 44% of...

-The United Nations Global food prices declined for the first time in three months as lower prices for cereals, sugars, oils and meat outstripped gains in dairy values, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reported today. The Rome-based agency said its food price Index averaged 203.4 points in January, which is 1.3 per cent below December and 4.4 per cent below January 2013. The Index measures monthly changes in international prices...

-The Hindu UAS-B says its millet bread is ideal for diabetics Bangalore (Karnataka): There is some good news for those who are looking for a healthier option for bread made of refined wheat flour (maida). A team of nutritionists of the University of Agricultural Sciences-Bangalore has developed "non-junk" bread. This bread is made of nutrient-rich minor millets. Head of the university's Food Sciences and Nutrition Department H.B. Shivaleela, who was part of the research...

A new report by National Academy of Agricultural Sciences (NAAS) reveals that despite the nutritional value of millets, otherwise known as coarse cereals*, there has been a drastic reduction in the area under its cultivation from 36.34 million hectares in 1955-56 to 18.6 million hectares in 2011-12 thanks to the wrong agricultural and price policies adopted by the Government (see table 1, and the links below). Based on previous National...