-The Times of India COIMBATORE: In light of the delayed southwest monsoon and severe rainfall deficit, agriculture experts have advised farmers to go in for short-term Crops this year as they require less water. "We are telling them to move from their traditional Crops and try short-term Crops like pulses, millets, sunflower or maize," said K Velayutham, director of crop management at TNAU. Except for maize, the cycle for the other three...

-The Hindu Among various cash Crops, turmeric has a potential market value all through the year since it is mainly used as a value added product. Erode is a turmeric cultivating hub in Tamil Nadu and almost all farmers in the region are growing this crop. But the main issue with this crop is that like paddy, it is labour intensive. A huge labour force is required for weeding, earthing, fertilizer application, harvesting...

-Reuters NEW DELHI: India's reservoirs are depleting fast and monsoon rains need to pick up now if they are to have enough water to prevent a drop in output of major winter Crops such as wheat and rapeseed that are sown from October, a senior government official said. Rains were 15 per cent below average in the week to July 16, an improvement from the previous week's shortfall of 41 per cent...

-Deccan Herald Water, the sustainer of all forms of life on this planet, is too precious to be dispensed with. Water is wealth; nay water is life itself. It is the one commodity, barring air, which cannot be dispensed with. It is the sustainer of all forms of life on this planet --plant, animal and human. The demands on this precious but limited natural resource are ever increasing. A person will appreciate...

-Deccan Herald The Green Revolution has changed life in Indian villages, but the main beneficiaries were the landlords. Daily labourers remain poor and marginalised. The limits of using ever more fertiliser and pesticides are becoming apparent. Many farmers are confused because extension services want them to reconsider practices they were told to abandon not that long ago. A member of the Santal tribe, an Adivasi community, assesses things from the village perspective. Since independence...