-The Economic Times NEW DELHI: The monsoon's late revival has increased sowing of crops by 35% in the past week, but worries about Agriculture persist as reservoir levels are low, while planting is still much lower than last year, and only slightly better than it was at this time in the drought year of 2009. The situation in water reservoirs was also worrisome as they were filled up to only 26%...

-Down to Earth Targeted efforts to make food systems more efficient can also reduce the environmental footprint of Agriculture Basic calorie need of 3 billion extra people can be met if food systems are made more efficient through targeted efforts, suggests a new report. What's more, the targeted efforts will also help reduce the environmental footprint of Agriculture. The report by researchers from the University of Minnesota, and published in the peer reviewed...

-The Indian Express Focusing on private asset creation will only exacerbate its design and implementation failures. In his budget speech, Arun Jaitley shied away from taking a tough stand on the MGNREGA. In a seemingly non-controversial comment, he emphasised that "wage employment would be provided under MGNREGA through works that are more productive, asset creating and substantively linked to Agriculture and allied activities". The subtext, however, is controversial. As argued below, far...

-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...

-IANS Last year, the Bihar government declared 33 of the 38 districts drought-hit due to a rainfall deficit of nearly 25% Patna: The fear of another drought is giving sleepless nights to farmers in Bihar as an official said that if the state receives 19 percent less than normal rainfall till the end of this week, there could be a possibility of a drought-like situation. Satender Singh and his co-villager Mahesh Mahto are...