-Bangalore Mirror The process will be done by universities with assistance from the state's agriculture department The spurt in the number of diabetics has led to an increase in consumption of ragi (finger millet). However, the state's agriculture department is at its wits end as the yield and cultivation of ragi has plummeted over the years. To bridge the gap between demand and supply, it has hit on the idea of genome...

-The Telegarph New Delhi: India has asked its citizens to defer non-essential travel to four West African nations struck by outbreaks of the Ebola virus and has alerted its health surveillance system to track travellers arriving from these countries for up to four weeks. Health minister Harsh Vardhan today said people should defer "non-essential travel" to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Nigeria that have cumulatively reported 1,603 Ebola patients, including 887 deaths. The...

-PTI UN body for development of agriculture IFAD today said small-holder farmers should be the starting point for sustainable development. Speaking at the 8th TAAS (Trust for Advancement of Agricultural Sciences) foundation lecture, IFAD President, Kanayo Nwanze said, "... We see time and time again the transformation that occurs when development is sustainable and when local people are involved from the start...Our starting point for sustainable agricultural development must be small-holder farmers." Nwanze,...

-PTI Coimbatore: Bringing small millets into mainstream diet is the challenge ahead and stakeholders meeting can be held once in three months to ensure its increased production and consumption, an officials of DHAN Foundation, said today. Focusing on consumption, cultivation, conservation and commerzialisation of small millets was crucial for having an intergrated approach in promoting them, M P Vasimalai, Executive Director of the foundation, said while addressing a National Consultative Workshop on...

-The Telegraph Shillong: Scientists have urged farmers in Meghalaya to adopt "climate-smart agriculture" by adhering to recommended climate change mitigation strategies as various parts of the Northeast are facing a drought-like situation because of global warming. An awareness-cum-training programme on Contingency Plan for Drought-like Situation was held recently at the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) for the northeastern region in Umiam under the National Initiative on Climate Resilient Agriculture project. According to...