-The Hindu   The NDA's first budget has thrown a few sops in the direction of the environment and the millions dependent on it. But much like its predecessors, in painting the big picture it remains embarrassingly devoid of innovative ideas on how to move India towards ecological sustainability and justice "While 2015 will be a landmark year for sustainable development and climate change policy, 2014 is the last chance for all stakeholders...

-PTI RAIPUR: Over 50 per cent sowing of paddy crop has been completed for the current kharif season in Chhattisgarh where agriculture experts have advised farmers to cultivate of short and medium duration varieties of rice. Sowing for paddy crop has been carried out on 19.34 lakh hectares of land so far against the proposed target of 36.42 lakh hectares in the state, known as rice-bowl of the country, an agriculture department...

-The Hindu Business Line To save cattle, farmers asked to take up its cultivation AHMEDABAD: In Gujarat, where rain deficit is increasing with every passing week, farmers are a worried lot for not just the crop but a bigger worry has emerged is about fodder availability. Considering the gravity of the situation, farmers have decided to prioritise sowing fodder over other cash crops. The State Government has asked farmers to opt for fodder...

-The Times of India COIMBATORE: The father of the Green Revolution, M S Swaminathan, on Wednesday said that it was important to focus on better yield with limited per capita land and water resources in the future. The veteran was interacting with students of Tamil Nadu Agricultural University of which he is an alumni. Swaminathan was on his way to Kerala for treatment, when he visited the university to deliver a lecture...

-Down to Earth System of crop intensification, specially in rice, has shown sizeable savings in water and seed usage. Yet its adoption has not spread despite incentives SIMPLE TECHNIQUES and manag-ement practices tend to be viewed with suspicion. In the age of input-intensive agriculture which calls for an array of machinery and a host of scientific props, a crop management system whose core basically is protecting the plant's roots to provide better...