Sporadic natural events like floods and droughts have made headlines in recent times. An official report, which was released in April this year, among other things, shows that extreme weather events have taken a huge toll on both human and cattle lives, personal property and crops grown by farmers and farm workers. A chapter on extreme weather events and natural disasters in the report entitled EnviStats India 2019, Vol. I: Environment...

-The Hindu People are wary about impact of drilling, says former Minister KURNOOL: The Atomic Minerals Directorate for Exploration and Research has taken up drilling at 15 different location in the district in search for uranium. The operation is taking place from Allagadda mandal headquarters to Gajulapalli in Mahanandi mandal. District authorities said that the directorate was drilling about 250 metres deep for extracting samples. The samples would be sent to their laboratories...

-The New Indian Express Maharashtra, MP, Karnataka and AP are major producers of onions in India. These states were severely hit by the monsoon this year, which destroyed their farm produce. The prices of basic commodities like fuel and onions are skyrocketing just as the festive season is around the corner. While fuel prices hit a yearly high on the back of the ongoing tensions in the Middle East and the US-China...

-The Hindu Powerful lobbies with vested interests see agroecology as a threat to their influence on farming systems Agroecology is recognised worldwide as a system that enhances fertile landscapes, increases yields, restores soil health and biodiversity, promotes climate resilience and improves farmers’ well-being. Its practices are supported by many agricultural scientists, the Food and Agriculture Organization, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, farmers’ groups and several NGOs. It is therefore surprising that...

Almost one in every five suicides in the world is committed by self-poisoning with pesticide, which mostly occur in rural, agricultural areas of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), states a new publication entitled 'Preventing Suicide: A resource for pesticide registrars and regulators'. Published jointly by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the booklet says that the adoption of green revolution technology...