-Down to Earth The number of camels, pigs, donkeys, horses, mules, ponies and indigenous cattle breeds has drastically declined The number of Indian livestock has increased due to a rise in the population of sheep and Goats, even as indigenous cattle and other farm animals have declined, according to the 20th Livestock Census. The livestock census has been periodically conducted once in every five years since 1919. But the 20th census was conducted...

-Down to Earth GHI's 2019 essay is a review of scientific literature on increasingly clear impacts that climate changes have on the most malnourished The 2019 edition of the Global Hunger Index was accompanied by an essay focused on the climate dimensions of the hunger problem. Essays accompanying previous GHI editions have similarly shone a spotlight on forced migration (2018), inequality and power differentials (2017), the sustainable development Goals (2016) and armed...

The Hindu Business Line In an article on Monday, this writer pointed out how it is a challenging task to double farmers’ income, given the fall in output prices and the higher cost of farm inputs. In an interview, Ashok Dalwai, CEO, Doubling Farmers’ Income Committee, talks about the various measures the Centre is taking to ensure it is on the right track and reaches its target by 2022. According to...

-The Hindu The campaign to end open defecation can succeed only if it takes communities with it India’s declaration on the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi that its rural areas are now open defecation-free will be acknowledged around the world as a milestone in its developmental journey. Cleanliness and sanitation were central to Gandhi’s concerns for his vast number of impoverished countrymen, and should ideally have been pursued zealously by governments...

-The Economic Times The crops sub-sector accounted for nearly 62% of the agriculture and allied sector in 2011-12, which has gradually come down to about 58% in 2016-17. NEW DELHI: The share of agriculture, forestry and fishing declined to 17.9% in India’s gross value added (GVA) in 2016-17 from 18.6% in 2013-14, the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) said in a report. “The share of this sector in overall GVA...