-Guardian   A budding interest in organic food offers farmers soaring incomes and higher yields, but critics say it's not the answer to India's fast-rising food demands India's struggling farmers are starting to profit from a budding interest in organic living. Not only are the incomes of organic farmers soaring – by 30% to 200%, according to organic experts – but their yields are rising as the pesticide-poisoned land is repaired through natural...

Prof Rajneesh K Sharma and Satendra K Yadav, Department of Zoology, Kurukshetra University, have invented a machine to obtain green manure from dead leaves. They have named it — “Dry Leaves Manure Maker”. The machine, which can be of great help to marginal farmers, orchid owners, municipal committees and other organisations, will help reduce pollution, space requirement and manpower. Lt-Gen DDS Sandhu, Vice-Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, has congratulated Professor Sharma and Yadav for...

Non-governmental organisation BAIF Development Research Foundation is encouraging tribal farmers to take up tree-based farming on degraded wasteland around their plots under a unique model of sustainable growth since the beginning of this year. A movie, Wadi', depicting this agri-horti-forestry effort was launched in the city on Wednesday. To begin with, the model was implemented in the Nashik, Ahmednagar and Thane districts of Maharashtra and in Gujarat, Karnataka and Rajasthan....

AS CONCERN for the ecosystem runs high all across the world, a small, mountainous state in India’s northeast — Sikkim, has taken a step ahead and declared to go completely organic by the year 2015. What this means is the total phasing out of chemical inputs from agriculture. Sikkim has long been an ecologically conscious state with initiatives such as a comprehensive ban on plastic, bio-medical and chemical waste in...

Over 11,000 acres of land has been brought under organic farming in Punjab and Haryana under a scheme sponsored by the Union Government. While 6,050 acres has so far come under organic farming in Punjab, Haryana too is not lagging behind as 5,000 acre has been brought under organic farming. To promote organic farming in Punjab and Haryana, farmers are being provided technological inputs including training and farm-level advisory services according...