Writing

The people who control good lands could very well control the future of humanity by manipulating seed and food supply Our fertile lands, the good hummus-laden fields, and topsoil are the results of the sweat and blood of our ancestors, who worked with nature, cooperating......

Decoding the UP story for the BJP reveals annoyance with price rise and joblessness, but also fatigue with a one-leader ‘sarkar’ and bottled up suspicions about a ‘Yogi versus centre’ theme, leading to voter apathy and uninterested voters. A major and dominant ‘upper’ caste group......

The ‘warrior’ communities all over north India – the Rajputs, Sikhs, Jats, Bhils, Pasis and those among Muslims – are splitting from the BJP.   It seems that the world has come full circle. In a recent election rally in Ghaziabad, Mayawati openly supported the Kshtariya community.......

What is happening as a response to Parshottam Rupala’s comments could be the Thakurs’ first war cry. If Rajputs across India stand up to fight, Modi’s ashvamedh will be stopped once and for all. Recently, Union minister and Modi confidant Purushottam Rupala filed his nomination in Rajkot,......

This is not a new problem. Narendra Modi’s first year after the 2014 election was marred by the Dal scam, which resulted in prices of legumes touching Rs 200/kg. Now let’s look at February 2024, food inflation touched 8.66% due to costlier vegetables.  This piece......

A larger paradigm shift from subsidised, revenue-eating agriculture to a more natural, ecologically resilient, and nutrition-based system of agriculture is required India should get ready for a heatwave coming. The first signs are already felt across the country, as March temperatures in Chandigarh and Delhi......

The chickens have come home to roost: the effects of  a string of mismanaged wheat policies have now further been exacerbated by the erratic weather. With general elections less than three weeks away, reports from the northern wheat belts are raising concerns. Inclement weather is adding......

Ramlila Maidan Farm Mahapanchayat: Samyukta Kisan Morcha’s success in getting permission for a mahapanchayat in Delhi even as its splinter outfit, the SKM (Non-Political) languishes at the Shambhu border, has created unease in the farm movement. GoI has played a smart political hand, but will......

The favourite problem of the economist is food inflation, if the farmers are given a fair price then the food economy will experience hyperinflation From tear gas to iron spikes, the government has left no stone unturned to stop the farmers’ march on the Punjab-Haryana......

Can a middle ground between farmers and the government on MSP be reached by reimagining a US ‘New Deal’ Farm programme? The US New Deal in the 1930s saved agriculture in the US from a multi-year slump. It involved production quotas, assured guaranteed incomes through......

With climate disruptions wreaking havoc on agricultural seasons and output, the Indian and Russian governments can consider an agri treaty to last until 2030 covering foodgrains and fertilisers. Russia can sell India its surpluses in wheat in good years and for bad years, wheat exports......

What is needed is transparency on food and weather data, and stricter control on agri-processors and food warehouses, so that India doesn’t get trapped in a food speculation trap again.  November brings doubts about the fate of India’s food security. Compare kharif production estimates for......

For over three and a half decades, C.C. Culver has been the driving force behind the conservation and re-wilding of the quaint rural high desert village of La Madera, New Mexico. Dark clouds hung low over the high desert country. Shining through the clouds, bursts......

Canada has historically been a dependable potash source. It possesses the world’s largest potash reserves, a vital mineral for industrial agriculture and muriate of potash (MOP) fertilizer production. Would the current stand-off between India and Canada impact India’s food economy? Indra Shekhar Singh, Former Program......

The azure sky held a hint of crimson, perhaps the scorching sun had vaporised the arid red soil. My train had departed from Lisbon station an hour ago, at 6:30 pm, yet the lemon-yellow sun lingered over the countryside. My fellow passenger, a Bangladeshi man,......

Cherry, apples, plum and strawberries – all fruit crop in the region – have been under the weather, pushing traders and producers into panic. After wrecking havoc in Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, erratic rainfalls has not spared Kashmir. This correspondent travelled north to understand the......

Rather than implementing real-time measures, the government is soliciting solutions from the public when the crisis has reached its peak, under the guise of the ‘Tomato Grand Challenge’. With less than a year remaining until the elections, the Narendra Modi government is facing a significant......

Australia has become the first country in the world to permit the use of psychedelics for mental health treatment. A new dawn is breaking as Australia has become the first country in the world to permit the use of psychedelic mushrooms and MDMA (commonly known as......

Apple’s fate is sealed by climate change this year. It may no longer be the forbidden fruit, but it will undoubtedly be the most expensive fruit this season. And the money, as usual, won’t go to the farmers. Apple production, a crucial source of income......

Reports indicate that tomato prices have jumped 445 percent, surpassing the cost of petrol. McDonald’s also announced the removal of tomatoes from their burgers due to the skyrocketing prices As many of our pockets bleed, paying Rs 120, 150, and in some parts Rs 250......

The price incentives will result in higher production, which will translate into lower prices and bring down inflation, experts said. The increase in minimum support prices (MSP) for kharif crops by 5-11 percent will have a negligible impact on inflation unless the government significantly ramps......

While farmers and doctors say the renewed push to millets is welcome, they also request the government to be wary of corporations jumping on the bandwagon, to capitalise on the people’s desire for good health. Since the start of this year, the Union government appears......

Dr Peter McCullough says, “India acted wisely by not allowing mRNA vaccines (Pfizer). Now sadly India did allow the adenoviral DNA vaccines which are also unsafe and while they don’t work but are less toxic because there is a fixed amount of antigen. Who hasn’t......

Hailstorms and rain could have reversed an otherwise healthy wheat crop this season. After a promising Rabi sowing, the wheat crop was looking good. By January 14, farmers across the north from Punjab to Madhya Pradesh were reading signs of a good wheat crop. There......

Rakesh Tikait spoke to The Wire about why farmers are still organising, whether they should enter politics, the urgent need for policy reform and more On the eve of the Delhi kisan mahapanchayat, The Wire interviewed farmers’ leader Rakesh Tikait. Below are excerpts from the interview.......

Here’s why bumper harvests lead to crashing prices. Allahabad/Bulandshahr/Nashik: As the Rabi harvests start, Abhay Singh’s heart begins to sink. He has four acres of rocky land in Baasghat village in the trans-Yamuna area of Allahabad. He toiled all season to grow mustard, wheat and chickpea,......

The heart of water security in Telangana is Project Bhagiratha for drinking water, and the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project, which is the world’s largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, watering most of the state.   Even with enough attention and public funds received by the Jal......

Some suggestions to change the world at Davos were rather intriguing and potentially dangerous   As the world elite once again congregated at Davos to plan our world’s future, some of their agendas stuck out. WEF founder Klaus Schwab’s inaugural address calling for co-operations between......

Winter afternoon was getting warmer with conversation. Day one, Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) had Shashi Tharoor in a battle of wits with Caroline Elkins, historian and author of Legacy of Violence. The topic was the British Empire versus the Nazis. Naturally, Tharoor exposed the terrible torture......

A trip to Balaji definitely bolstered my scepticism, and one knew from realisation that the supernatural still resides in our world, waiting to be uncovered The winter sun was roasting Jaipur, when anxiety started brewing in my belly. My mind had been apprehensive of my......

What happens next in the SC with GM mustard will not only define the future of Indian agriculture, but perhaps signal to Indians the limits of RSS’s influence on the Modi government. With the recent statement by Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupinder......

Milk and meat production suffer gravely in India due to the poor quality and chronic under-availability of fodder. There are solutions, but is anybody listening? India has a fodder problem and the fate of over thirty crore cattle hangs by a thread, as fodder prices......

LSD is far from abated in India, and everything being done to prevent the spread of this viral infection could prove too little too late. As Lumpy Skin disease (LSD) is ripping throughout India, thousands of cows are dead. It’s hard to tell the actual......

Dr Krishan Bir Chaudhary is President of Bharatiya Krishak Samaj (Indian farmers organization), former Chairman of State Farms Corporation of India (Government of India undertaking), former Chairman of Indian Sugarcane Development Council (Ministry of Agriculture, Govt. of India), former Director of National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing......

The local belief is that Mawphalang sacred grove still serves as a portal between worlds The lush thick forest on a rainy day is one bad idea. But I kept walking on a brownish stony path. Instead of leopards and snakes, I spotted whitish baby......

Forest edibles including herbs, vegetables, tubers, etc. and have been important part of the Meghalayan diet As floods and incessant rain wreak havoc across the country, some reports indicated India lost Rs 60,000 crore due to rainfall and climate change. So I journeyed into Meghalaya to......

Financial burdens caused by climate change and government polices have led to a rise in the number of suicides among agricultural workers. Maharashtra state has suffered more than most. In India, over 600 farmers in the region of Marathwada, Maharashtra state, have died from suicide this year,......

The Lahaul region in Himachal Pradesh is witnessing soaring temperatures this year, and this threatens to jeopardise its agriculture and traditional way of life As the plains of north India are witnessing scorching summer this year, even the mountains are feeling the heat, quite literally.......

Watch pakodanomics in action as the government ignores that malnutrition in India is severe and people need a diet rich in ‘coarse’ grain and protein at affordable prices. Get ready to pay GST on your jhalmuri and bhujiya because amid rising fuel prices, global food......

Most of the Muslims lie dead, in graves and in numbness, questioning how many more innocent lives will be lost before justice is delivered As July 11 passes, my heart bleeds for Srebrenica. I remember the attack on the UN-protected safe area at Srebrenica and......

It was around 10:30 am when our ambassadorial white sedan entered the Turkish embassy at 22 Prithviraj Road. My partner-in-crime was Muhamed Cengic, the Bosnian and Herzegovinian ambassador to India. He was wearing a sky blue kurta and had invited me to the Turkish breakfast......

The food markets have been volatile since the Ukraine-Russia conflict – including problems like short supply, food inflation and hoarding. Although India’s Reserve Bank of India thought we will be safe from inflationary pressures, especially food inflation, the opposite is turning out to be true.......

It had been a harrowing 18-hour cab ride from Delhi to Parvati Valley. Half twisted and drained, the Manikaran hot springs welcomed me. I wanted a ritual purification. After all, I was about to visit a God. A little dizzy and relaxed, I stepped out.......

Let us be realistic as we try to limit pollution and global warming. Then we can hope the earth will Representational use only. Happy Earth Day, fellow earthlings! It’s a mystery how spaceship Earth has survived another century, pumped up on fossil fuels, forests burned,......

The Jaipur Literature Festival conjures up a lot of images not only for the mind’s eye but also for the soul and intellect of the attendees So, it’s a dark and somewhat hot night. The Rambagh Palace was beautified as a fair Rajput maiden, ready......

This article was written by Indra Shekhar Singh. Indra is an independent agri-policy analyst and an agri-talk show host and writer. He was the former Director of Policy and Outreach at the National Seed Association of India (NSAI). Indra Tweets at @indrassingh. After a year,......

While the Uttar Pradesh CM may have registered a handsome double-term win, the Oppn — especially the Congress — needs to rethink strategy. Congratulations Yogi ji, it’s a double term for you. Your tactics are unorthodox and no one can steal the credit for your......

Wheat, corn, cooking oil, fertiliser – the crisis is likely to affect all these prices. Have you been thinking that the Ukraine-Russia crisis is distant and doesn’t effect your home? Think again, because the odds may be stacked against you. The recent increase in fuel......

As Valentine’s Day approached, I finished another Edward Abbey book. Abbey, a crazy white bearded “desert-rat”, had ensnared me. Possessed with thoughts of a sandy paradise, I set sail for the Thar desert. Two days later, I was on the Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway, flanked by three......

The evolving crisis in Ukraine forces us to rethink the Bosnia-Herzegovina war, which led to redrawing of maps and untold misery on people It was another grey day; heavy artillery had been pounding unarmed and hungry people. The cities were besieged and genocides were being......

Still reeling from the Covid-19 crisis, the Indian seed sector is being challenged by another deadly contamination: from Herbicide Tolerant (HT) Bt cotton. Reports from Maharashtra confirm that motivated agents are duping farmers and trying to sabotage the legal cottonseed business by channelling an illegal......

The national capital is imploding and the public medical infrastructure is in a state of intentional ruin. Central hospitals don’t even have functional bathrooms, forget oxygen or higher-level care. My cellphone rings at 3:30 am. “Can you come now, my father is in the hospital,”......

Palanpur: With the coming of the green mango season, Rakesh Tikait spent some time in Gujarat early this month, in an attempt to “seed a revolution”. The battle lines were already drawn before Tikait’s journey to the state — the Gujarat government recently arrested Bharitya Kisan Union......

The artificial scarcity of oxygen and this oxygen famine is a result of bad policies and malicious political designs. I had never seen a man die gasping for breath until I met Chander Prakash. He was 43 years old, about 5’6’’ and with O2 saturation......

As the Samyukta Kisan Morcha was blocking roads all across India on March 26 and celebrating Bharat Bandh, the situation in Ahmedabad got out of hand. The Bharatiya Kisan Union’s (BKU) Yudhvir Singh was arrested in the middle of a press conference. The arresting officer,......

Until the farmers’ movement succeeds in making their voice heard in Parliament, the political parties will keep manipulating them   While the farmer leaders are busy campaigning against the three farm laws, building a pan-India farmers’ movement, something in Delhi has changed. The Opposition parties......

Pipad, Rajasthan, is usually a quiet place with fallow lands, parched salty soils and a blooming mining industry, which often operates in a legally grey zone. In an hour’s drive from Jodhpur, one catches glimpses of both thorny bamboos and extraordinary human resilience. Afroz Khan,......

As the farmers’ protest against farm laws enters the summer season, they brave high temperatures and the paucity of basic necessities. As an orange sun hung over the Tikri border; Rakesh Tikait along with other leaders was addressing the gathering of farmers on the 99th......

The agrarian issue is being politicised by media magicians but, for the farmers, it’s a question of livelihood and existence Green mango flowers are now bursting and kites dance in the sky while bright yellow, purple flowers bloom one last time and farmers in Tihar......

The Finance Minister’s plans to fix India’s agriculture sector leave a lot to be desired and these tall claims should be taken with a pinch of salt The message from the Union Budget 2021-22 is clear — Credit, Corporatisation and Disinvestment. Rahul Gandhi promptly tweeted......

To emerge victorious the Government should embrace the farmers’ cause, and not ignore it because of violence by a few miscreants India’s 72nd Republic Day was marred by unprecedented violence and mayhem in the Capital. On one hand the country showcased its military might at......

To emerge victorious the Government should embrace the farmers’ cause, and not ignore it because of violence by a few miscreants India’s 72nd Republic Day was marred by unprecedented violence and mayhem in the Capital. On one hand the country showcased its military might at......

The SC-appointed panel to talk to farmers comprises a neo-con economist, a seed terrorist and a policy sahib, which has given rise to mistrust As 2021 began, the Supreme Court (SC) appears to have got a taste for drama as it pitched a “biased committee”......

The Govt can still salvage the situation if the PM personally steps in and breaks bread with the farmers, like Vajpayee would have done With the failure of the 7th round of talks between the agitating farmers andthe Narendra Modi Government, Indian democracy is once......

India cannot have protectionism for corporations backed by tariffs and a free market only for Indian farmers. Who is it that wishes to deny our farmers their proper due, as they brave 4.1°C temperatures at the borders of Delhi? Is it the ‘middle men’ or......

They have come to Delhi not with a begging bowl but to present the pitfalls of an unplanned farm liberalisation agenda. Listen to them, build trust The fate of India and our food system rests with a peaceful army of farmers besieging Delhi. They have......

The Indian seed industry, as a sub-sector of the agri-inputs industry, has been the most vibrant in terms of innovation and growth over the past four decades The Indian seed industry has made rapid progress over the past 50 years, maturing because of the ceaseless......

Through a fourth Ordinance, India can set a precedent in the world where nature and the agrarian economy grow together has taken a small step for farmers but a big leap for free market through the three farm laws. Wooing the US “agri-dollar”, we have......

Mushrooms can be grown on paddy straw and can be the natural solution to the problem of stubble burning, falling incomes and malnutrition in Punjab A tablespoon of dust, two squeezes of petrochemical vapour, a dash of industrial fume and a lot of stubble soot......

While giving money to tractor manufacturers may or may not help, the triumvirate – Delhi, UP and Haryana – should look to plan out a green farming zone.   Urban society, industry and people still face the trammels of the lockdown, yet Delhi is getting......

Corporations and agro-processors can demand graded products for MSP. Otherwise, they may not buy at all or at reduced prices. Where will the small farmer go then? A Bharat bandh, millions of farmers on the streets, eight Opposition leaders suspended, National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners......

Can the government guarantee that India won’t go the US agri-business way due to these reforms? If the implementation fails, no one can safeguard our farms. Did our Rajya Sabha pass the farm bills in a high-handed manner? The live-stream this Sunday from the Upper......

From giving up jobs to giving up social lives, a look at what it takes for parents to care for children with very special needs, particularly in a country with little support infrastructure. On the face of it, Makrand Koppula, 17, leads a near-normal life.......

As Haryana and Uttar Pradesh are proactively supporting plantation drives, the national capital should also encourage farmers to surround the city with green walls of trees. What happens when the cars and emissions rise in our cities? When the silence of the trees is robbed......

The illegal marijuana trade thrives in India, making billions for the mafia, while stealing from the government and public treasury. Legalisation could change this. As the legal cannabis industry soars post COVID-19, market reports indicate that marijuana-related businesses in the United States could touch $15......

The Government using the lockdowns, curfews and sundry other curbs in the name of public health concerns is just a façade One swallow doesn’t make a summer but one Ambani, Anmol, speaking out against the lockdown makes for an interesting situation. Recently, the son of......

Government must keep all seeds for sowing under ECA purview and strengthen this law. As agribusinesses celebrate the removal of pulses, oilseeds, cereals, etc from the purview of the Essential Commodities Act (ECA), Indian farmers and consumers may not be so jubilant. The government’s advisors,......

We must replace synthetic goods with biodiverse and sustainable products that help heal small communities and forests.         Mayday! Mayday! Pollution, climate chaos and now Covid-19, Spaceship Earth needs to take a desperate reset, before all systems burn down. Nature is fed......

The Government announced a slew of reforms for the agriculture sector. But it will do well to learn from the example of the US, where similar initiatives after WW-II backfired. With a stimulus package of Rs 8.4 lakh crore for the agriculture sector, the Finance......

Foreign ownership of Indian seed and plant genetic resource risks our food and seed security. Self-dependence, self-reliance and buy Swadeshi were the three main takeaways from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent address on the exit strategy. Many challenges lie ahead, especially in achieving this goal......

With the Rs. 8.4 lakh crore agri-stimulus, the finance minister has enforced an economic Green Revolution whose pillars are credit, stocking up and opening the “farm-gate” for business. Tersely put, two tranches strengthen rural banking networks, provide additional loans and expedite the “ doubling farmers......

Each of us has to embrace biodiversity-based products in our lives. Not only will they be an economical option but also the healthier one There is no better day than the International Biological Diversity Day to remember that we are a part of nature, not......

किसान अपने स्वयं के खेतों पर राज्यों को सर्वोपरि स्वायत्तता देना चाहते थे, क्योंकि हर एक आकार के खेत सभी बाजारों में फिट नहीं था. प्रत्येक क्षेत्र और कृषि-जलवायु सामाजिक और आर्थिक प्रथाओं के अपने स्वयं के सेट के साथ अलग थी; जिससे एक केंद्रीय......

The APMC (Agricultural Produce Market Committees) Act has ensured that each farmer in even the remotest part of the country gets fair treatment and equal opportunity to sell his produce. The Finance Minister rightly spelt out that, all sectors are free to sell across the......

St Stephen’s alumni launched a social media campaign seeking principal Valson Thampu’s resignation as a 27-year-old PhD student recorded her statement in a molestation case against professor Satish Kumar on Saturday. St Stephen’s alumni launched a social media campaign seeking principal Valson Thampu’s resignation as......

South Delhi has become a pilgrim spot of the skateboarders of South East Asia. For, this concrete urbane jungle is the birthplace for the skateboarding revolution in India. Even professional skaterboarders drop in to the area to pay homage to streets and taste the wild......

Trouble may escalate for St Stephen’s College principal Valson Thampu after a research student on Thursday released audio recordings of him purportedly asking her to withdraw a sexual harassment complaint against a professor. Trouble may escalate for St Stephen’s College principal Valson Thampu after a......

NEW DELHI: Pardha Saradhi is a Professor in Environmental Studies at University of Delhi. After attaining stature of first team in the world to successfully develop transgenic Indian mustard genotypes through genetic transformation, his team was also successful in developing other transgenic crop plants, viz.......

राउंडअप दुनिया में सबसे ज्यादा इस्तेमाल किए जाने वाला खरपतवारनाशक है. ऐसे में इसके दुष्प्रभाव ने विश्व भर में कितनी इंसानी जिंदगियों को तबाह किया होगा इसका अंदाजा लगाना मुश्किल है तमाम दुश्वारियों (मुश्किलों) और अड़चनों के बावजूद जीत आखिरकार सच की ही होती है.......

NEW DELHI:In the heart of once mighty Lal Kot of Anangpal Tomar, two lovers sleep an arm away unfettered by the gaze of men. Guards choose not to disturb them in their earthy beds and bards have been singing of them in tales of love.......

“I would rather have India resort to arms in order to defend her honour than that she should, in a cowardly manner, become or remain a helpless witness to her own dishonour. But I believe that nonviolence is infinitely superior to violence, forgiveness is more......

Demonetisation or Demonisation?   As it is payday time for many Indians, the temperatures are rising again. Banks all over India have requested additional security and villagers in some parts of the country have started blocking roads. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has used this......

हमारी पृथ्वी और हिंसा बर्दाश्त करने की स्थिति में नहीं है. महामारी और बीमारियां प्रकृति की ओर से सुधर जाने की चेतावनी है. इससे पहले कि यह पृथ्वी नष्ट हो जाए हमें पर्यावरण को बिगाड़ने के मार्ग को छोड़ कर एक नई अर्थ व्यवस्था और......

The ‘conquest of nature’ has got us to the precipice of  doom as environmental degradation is the gravest threat to human life, second only to nuclear war April 22 will be a historic day for the national Capital and perhaps, the world, for it shall......

We all agree that the #Coronavirus crisis must be stopped by all means necessary but we should be very careful that our #AI-based remedies don’t seed the next disease — a #mass #surveillance State. “No person shall be deprived of life or personal liberty except......

Our survival is dependant on agriculture and a good harvest depends on quality seeds delivered to farmers by the seed sector, both public and private. As we are in the midst of the coronavirus crisis, it is imperative that good seeds and other farm inputs......

जिस कौशल के साथ सरकारों ने कोविड-19 नामक महामारी का सामना किया है, वह बहुत ही सराहनीय है. कुछ राज्यों के मुखिया अपने आपसी मतभेद दरकिनार कर इस वायरस के खिलाफ इंसानियत की जंग में शामिल होने की अपील करते दिखे. दुनिया के नागरिकों को......

If sowing is delayed in the Zaid season or farmers miss this window because of late delivery of seeds, or no seeds at all, we are possibly looking at a famine-like situation emerging and also extreme feed shortages coupled with food price inflations later this......

Indian food exports to the EU and the USA are rejected due to toxic residues found even in certified organic produce. This can only be corrected once the whole organic supply chain, seed to produce, is developed and there are no gaps in between The......

पूरी दुनिया में कोरोना वायरस की वजह से दहशत का माहौल है. आयात-निर्यात पर भी पाबंदी लगाई जा रही है. ऐसे में बड़ा संकट कृषि क्षेत्र पर पड़ने की आशंका है. अगर समय पर बीज नहीं मिला, तो किसानों की आर्थिक दशा और भी खराब......

A Ganga yatra and awareness drive may be the first steps to save the river but are far from the solution. Thousands of crores have already been spent to clean the Ganga. Yet, in Allahabad, the river water is undrinkable Ecological violence is contagious, much......

सरकार 2020-21 तक देश में ऑर्गेनिक खेती के अंतर्गत आने वाली जमीन को चार लाख हेक्टेयर तक बढ़ाना चाहती है. हरित क्रांति बजट के तहत, परंपरागत कृषि विकास योजना को ऑर्गेनिक सर्टिफिकेशन के अंतर्गत आने वाली जमीन को बढ़ाने और अतिरिक्त 0.51 लाख हेक्टेयर इसके......

The Union Budget 2020 on agriculture sends a clear message. That the Modi government is committed to sustainable agriculture (organic and javik kheti ). Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman spelled out the plan to increase area under organic farming to 4 lakh hectares by 2020-21. Under......

It is time that we took some responsibility for our actions and impact on the environment and stopped waiting for the Government to do something It is a chilly January morning and with the clock showing 5.30 am, Delhi is still dark and the Air......

Quality seeds are India’s lifeline. Farming, food and the livelihood of over 60 per cent of the Indian population depend on them. A failed harvest has the potential to curtail our GDP and force millions of Indians into poverty and hunger until the next harvest.......

The Indian seed sector lost one of its biggest export markets when the governments of India and Pakistan suspended trade relations between the two countries. The political climate hasn’t been the most favourable in recent times, but this New Year is an opportunity to separate......

सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने हाल ही में यह आदेश दिया है कि, खदानों को दोबारा हरित करने की ज़िम्मेदारी, व्यक्ति या उस संस्थान की होगी जिसके पास उसके खनन का लाइसेंस हो. एक खदान से दूसरी की तरफ़ जाने से पहले उन्हें यह सुनिश्चित करना होगा......

The RCEP agreement, if implemented, will allow other countries to dump excess seeds in the Indian market. The current 100% FDI policy also threatens seed sovereignty With a confirmed Brexit, the days of liberal globalisation are numbered. Open borders, FTAs and multilateral agreements find no......

Delhiites must realise that stubble doesn’t burn throughout the year, yet we lose loved ones to air pollution. It’s time we cleanse our filth and rejuvenate Delhi with nature and life The smoke emanating from the fields burning in the National Capital Region (NCR) blends......

India has a crucial decision to make. Should it conserve its biodiversity and germplasm for future generations or surrender its heritage to corporations and foreign treaties? Come November, India is about to enter key negotiations on the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food......

Degraded tracts can be used for orchards and agro-forestry to help store more carbon in the soil. This will help mitigate the effects of climate change   The fire of humanity’s end has started to burn the Amazon rainforests. Our hunger for destruction of forests......

The Govt’s decision to abruptly remove 10-year-old seed varieties from the market may do more harm than good. It must phase them out gradually and earn farmers’ trust The Government is about to make a terrible mistake with its seed policy. The Ministry of Agriculture......

India is a biodiversity-rich country. We are the centre of origin for many crops, fruits and vegetables. Along with a rich bio-heritage, we have been blessed with all types of climate and soil. Our nation’s hard-working farmers, seed savers and plant breeders, along with mother......

India has to be very careful before its mega cotton seed sector crumbles because of pro-GM vigilantism of a few bad apples. All stakeholders must come together A very serious legal and environmental hazard is looming large over India. It is the illegal and hazardous......

‘Mandal Messiah’ V P Singh has been abandoned politically. (The “Mandal Messiah” who empowered millions of underprivileged Indians today suffers political disenfranchisement (File Photo)   It has been a decade since the passing away of former prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh, and in this time,......

To celebrate the 87th anniversary of former Prime Minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh, a man who changed the face of India, his grandson Indra Shekhar Singh writes this personal and yet political article on the man and the politician. It has been 10 long years, since......

Thanks to Monsanto’s reckless practices, Bt toxins in adulterant cottonseed oil may be seeping into your samosas. While the edible oil industry is about to crown Bt cottonseed oil as their next saviour, an RTI sent to the regulatory authority on food safety authority, FSSAI,......