Agriculture – Citizen Matters

When the urban poor rallied for the rural poor

December 5, 2018 Subuhi Jiwani/PARI

Watch this video to hear people in a Delhi basti, speaking out in support of the farmers who marched to the capital on November 29-30th.

City Buzz: Mumbai farmers’ stir | Kolkata air worse than Delhi | Google app for neighbourhoods…and more!

November 24, 2018 News Desk

Why were plans for artificial rain in Delhi stalled? How did Kolkata pip Delhi in air pollution? What can you do with Google’s new Neighbourly app? All this and more from our cities in this week’s buzz.

Will developed villages today make for better cities tomorrow?

November 20, 2018 Saadia Siddiqui

At a time when our cities are gasping for breath and grappling with problems galore, would it not be wiser to strengthen our village infrastructure and diversify the rural economy to check rural-urban migration?

Updating land records in Telangana: What cities could learn from the rural exercise

October 31, 2018 Varun Panickar

The Telangana Land Records Updation Programme (LRUP) has been hailed as a success, especially for the planned and extensive use of state resources to complete the survey in an intensive time-bound manner. Yet gaps in scope are evident, and the state must keep these in mind when it initiates the same exercise in cities.

In Himachal, effective forest management could make cities more resilient too

October 29, 2018 Hansika Seth

In the face of rapid urbanisation, it is essential to not only escalate plantation drives, but also design participatory forestry programmes that are sustainable, people-friendly and self-driven.

City Buzz: Kisan Kranti Yatra | Coastal road plans in Mumbai | Delhi sanitation woes … and more

October 4, 2018 News Desk

From Delhi to Mumbai and Chandigarh, what’s happening in our cities? A quick round-up of some key headlines.

Will the rise in Minimum Support Prices make the food on your table more expensive?

August 1, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

There are several reasons why the MSP has little to do with how much you pay for the food items you consume. Here’s a primer for the urban citizen, who invariably feels jittery when the government announces a rise in support prices for the farmer.

Mumbai farmers have gone back, but can our cities afford to forget them?

March 14, 2018 Revathi Siva Kumar

Roses, food and water for protesting farmers are all fine, but the nation’s policy makers and city residents must not forget what led to the rally. Time to realize that without a strong rural Bharat, urban India is doomed.

Technology and biz incentives can tackle pollution from crop-residue burning: Economic Survey

January 30, 2018 News Desk

In its annual analysis of the economy and policy, the Economic Survey 2017-18 also draws attention to the primary causes of air pollution in Delhi and NCR, and suggests possible solutions.

What stops Indian cities from growing their own food?

August 1, 2017 Navya P K

Shrinking land availability, pollution of water sources and the general indifference of urban governments are increasingly leading to a gradual extinction of urban farming and farmers. What could it mean for us?

How a design enthusiast in Mangalore is inspiring alternative farming

May 15, 2017 Sara Borasio

20-year-old Ajay Gopi, founder of “Hands on Agriculture”, aims to establish aquaponics as a less water-dependent alternative to conventional farming.