Agriculture

Some relaxation from the lockdown has been granted to ensure harvesting gets done, along with detailed health guidelines from the ICAR, with the promise that every grain that reaches the market will be procured.

The worry among Himachal’s fruit growers is not just that the coronavirus lockdown will affect the apple orchards, but also the farms growing cherries, pomegranate and green almonds, all of which normally hit the market in July-August.

The ‘thermally insulated’ compartments of unused, discarded refrigerators are being used as eco-friendly pots for growing a variety of vegetables on the ‘rooftop garden’ of Sayyed Madani Urdu Higher Primary School. The produce contributes significantly to mid day meals prepared in the school.

Andhra Pradesh voted to elect their MLAs and MPs on April 11th; meanwhile, residents of Chittoor city have put together a comprehensive manifesto that speaks about the welfare schemes they would expect their chosen leaders to implement.

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.

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?

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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?