<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><rss version="2.0" xmlns:content="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/content/" xmlns:wfw="http://wellformedweb.org/CommentAPI/" xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" xmlns:atom="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xmlns:sy="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/syndication/" xmlns:slash="http://purl.org/rss/1.0/modules/slash/" >

	<channel>
		<title>Mongabay India</title>
		<atom:link href="https://india.mongabay.com/feed/?topic=agriculture&#038;type=post" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/agriculture/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2026 11:27:25 +0000</lastBuildDate>
		<language>en-US</language>
		<sy:updatePeriod>hourly</sy:updatePeriod>
		<sy:updateFrequency>1</sy:updateFrequency>
		<generator>https://wordpress.org/?v=7.1.4</generator>
				<item>
					<title>When livelihoods adapt to a changing wetland</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Nov 2026 14:19:29 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Debarun Choudhury]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[artisanal fishing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/11/03101613/IMG202308151709312-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=42017</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Fishing, Floods, Lakes, Monsoons, Tourism, Water, Water Pollution, and Wetlands]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Each year, as winter begins around mid November, Arup Das looks out across the marsh surrounding his home in Dargarbond, one of the many villages around Son Beel, a seasonal wetland in Assam. The land around him was submerged under water just a couple of months ago. Now, as the water recedes, he releases his [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Each year, as winter begins around mid November, Arup Das looks out across the marsh surrounding his home in Dargarbond, one of the many villages around Son Beel, a seasonal wetland in Assam. The land around him was submerged under water just a couple of months ago. Now, as the water recedes, he releases his ducks to forage for snails, aquatic plants, insects, and whatever else the retreating waters leave behind. Son Beel is the largest wetland in Assam with a fluctuating size since it expands during the monsoon and contracts during the dry season. More than 50,000 people depend directly on this wetland for their livelihoods. “A wetland is not simply a body of water,” says Tapati Das, an ecologist heading the Department of Ecology and Environmental Science at Assam University. “It is a system of inundation and retreat, of channels and marshes, which naturally replenishes a landscape in cycles.” Tapati describes Son Beel as a freshwater wetland with pronounced seasonal changes in water coverage. “During the monsoon, water spreads across the surrounding lowlands. Flooding expands aquatic habitat; recession concentrates organisms in remaining pools and exposes substrates for terrestrial plants and cultivation,” she elaborates. The seasonal shift is not a temporary interruption to Son Beel’s ecology. “It is part of how the wetland functions.” This cycle shapes fish habitats and determines when land will become available for crop cultivation, and also creates feeding grounds for Arup&#8217;s ducks. Back on his farm, ducks of Nageshwari breed are part of an&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/when-livelihoods-adapt-to-a-changing-wetland/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study maps foot-and-mouth disease risk zones where livestock and wildlife overlap</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/study-maps-foot-and-mouth-disease-risk-zones-where-livestock-and-wildlife-overlap/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/study-maps-foot-and-mouth-disease-risk-zones-where-livestock-and-wildlife-overlap/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>02 Nov 2026 16:01:24 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/11/02135852/Markhor-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41997</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Environment, Grazing, Health impacts, Human Wildlife Conflict, Migration, Protected Areas, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Every summer, Gujjar and Bakarwal pastoralists in Jammu and Kashmir move their livestock to the mountains in search of pastures. These routes bring the cattle closer to habitats of rare wild ungulates such as the endangered hangul (Kashmir red deer) and the markhor (wild goat). This is risky, as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have been [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Every summer, Gujjar and Bakarwal pastoralists in Jammu and Kashmir move their livestock to the mountains in search of pastures. These routes bring the cattle closer to habitats of rare wild ungulates such as the endangered hangul (Kashmir red deer) and the markhor (wild goat). This is risky, as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks have been reported among livestock in the region with suspected FMD-like outbreaks occurring in July 2024 (in Kargil&#8217;s highland pastures) and May 2024 (in Bandipora and Pulwama districts). Widespread outbreaks were also recorded in 2021 across Budgam, Pulwama, and Srinagar. The pastoral routes could create opportunities for diseases such as FMD to spread from livestock to wildlife, although transmission in these areas has not been confirmed. A new study has mapped potential FMD risk zones in Jammu and Kashmir where livestock migration routes overlap with or lie close to protected areas. The study authors say that the findings can support veterinarians, conservationists, and policymakers in managing the deadly FMD transmission and aid in achieving One Health targets. Where livestock routes meet wildlife habitats Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is a highly contagious viral disease that affects cloven-hoofed animals, including cattle, buffaloes, sheep and goats. It is endemic among livestock in India, including Jammu and Kashmir. “While systematic mass vaccination under the National Animal Disease Control Programme (NADCP) by Animal Husbandry Department has helped dampen large-scale epidemics in Jammu and Kashmir, seasonal movement of Gujjar and Bakarwal pastoralists with their livestock and pockets of unvaccinated or partially immunised livestock continue&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/study-maps-foot-and-mouth-disease-risk-zones-where-livestock-and-wildlife-overlap/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/11/study-maps-foot-and-mouth-disease-risk-zones-where-livestock-and-wildlife-overlap/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Farmers prepare for low rain but get floods instead</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/farmers-prepare-for-low-rain-but-get-floods-instead-leading-to-crop-loss/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/farmers-prepare-for-low-rain-but-get-floods-instead-leading-to-crop-loss/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Oct 2026 12:27:47 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sameeksha Sharma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop loss]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[El Niño]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/27101630/Waterlogged-Mahoba-Fields-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41873</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Extreme Weather Events, Food, Impacts of Climate Change, Monsoons, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“At the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in July, we were told to plant more sesame, groundnut and urad. These are crops expected to withstand less rain. But God decided to flood our fields instead,” shares Jaidevi, a farmer in Chandpura, a village in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, pointing to her withered sesame crop. Jaidevi and her husband [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“At the Krishi Vigyan Kendra in July, we were told to plant more sesame, groundnut and urad. These are crops expected to withstand less rain. But God decided to flood our fields instead,” shares Jaidevi, a farmer in Chandpura, a village in Mahoba, Uttar Pradesh, pointing to her withered sesame crop. Jaidevi and her husband own three bighas of farmland and have struggled to make a living from it. Chandpura is among the worst hit villages by intense rainfall in Mahoba during this southwest monsoon. Ahead of the 2026 southwest monsoon, Mahoba’s Krishi Vigyan Kendra advised farmers to sow low-water crops, anticipating low rainfall because of the effects of El Niño this year. The monsoon arrived nearly 20 days late, with deficient rainfall for much of the season that typically starts mid-June. But the pattern reversed in late August, when heavy rain lashed the region, leaving much of farmland waterlogged by September 15. This year&#8217;s El Niño forecast is expected to be one of the strongest on record. Its impact in India is in the form of a weaker monsoon and warmer temperatures. In June, the agriculture ministry classified Mahoba as one of 111 high-priority districts based on irrigation coverage and vulnerability to rainfall deficits. Irrigation coverage in these districts is expected to be below 25 percent. Part of the drought-prone Bundelkhand region, Mahoba has long faced rainfall deficits, falling groundwater levels and limited irrigation. This monsoon though, Mahoba received 1,127 mm of rainfall between June 1 and September 30,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/farmers-prepare-for-low-rain-but-get-floods-instead-leading-to-crop-loss/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/farmers-prepare-for-low-rain-but-get-floods-instead-leading-to-crop-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The Sundarbans at the crossroads of climate change and human survival [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-sundarbans-at-the-crossroads-of-climate-change-and-human-survival-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-sundarbans-at-the-crossroads-of-climate-change-and-human-survival-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Oct 2026 14:28:19 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[C.P. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sundarbans]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/26122422/AP967442025283-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41856</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bay of Bengal, Global, and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ecology, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Floods, Forests, Global Warming, Impacts of Climate Change, Mangroves, Rivers, Salinisation, Sea Level Rise, Villages, Wetlands, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Spanning India and Bangladesh, with India comprising 40% of its area, a vast and ever-shifting mangrove forest stretches across the Bay of Bengal. This vast delta derives its name from the Sundari (Heritiera fomes), the tall mangrove species that flourishes here in abundance. The name &#8220;Sundarbans&#8221; is a modern rendering of &#8220;Sunderbunds,&#8221; a term coined [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Spanning India and Bangladesh, with India comprising 40% of its area, a vast and ever-shifting mangrove forest stretches across the Bay of Bengal. This vast delta derives its name from the Sundari (Heritiera fomes), the tall mangrove species that flourishes here in abundance. The name &#8220;Sundarbans&#8221; is a modern rendering of &#8220;Sunderbunds,&#8221; a term coined by Walter Hamilton in the East India Gazetteer, meaning &#8220;Forests of the Soondry&#8221; (&#8220;Sundri,&#8221; or beautiful). Heritiera fomes is the abundant tall mangrove species of the region. Where the rivers Ganga (Padma in Bangladesh), Brahmaputra, and Meghna discharge into the Bay of Bengal, they form the Sundarbans — the largest contiguous mangrove forest on Earth. Toward the coast, the forest transitions into a low-lying swamp of sand dunes, mud flats, and barren expanses, intersected by innumerable tidal streams and channels. Four protected areas within this remarkable landscape are recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Sundarbans West, South, and East in Bangladesh, and Sundarbans National Park in India. The nutrient-rich mangrove waters of India&#8217;s eastern coast form a vital breeding ground and nursery for roughly 90% of the region&#8217;s aquatic species. The ecosystem is notable for supporting overlapping populations of threatened aquatic mammals, including the Ganges river dolphin and the Irrawaddy dolphin. This extraordinary species concentration in the Sundarbans stems from the dynamic mixing of freshwater from major rivers — the Ganga and the Brahmaputra among them — with the saltwater of the Bay of Bengal. As Amitav Ghosh writes in his 2004 book The Hungry&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-sundarbans-at-the-crossroads-of-climate-change-and-human-survival-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/the-sundarbans-at-the-crossroads-of-climate-change-and-human-survival-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>As Kashmir turns from paddy to apples, dependence on outside rice grows</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Oct 2026 12:45:17 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Farzana Nisar]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paddy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rice]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/13094751/03fbaf9f-7909-4ebb-a667-1f542acc3945-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41595</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jammu and Kashmir]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Environmental Economics, Food, Himalayas, Mountains, and Plantations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Twenty years ago, all this was paddy,” says Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Qaimoh, a village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, pointing at the rows of apple saplings that now cover his land. Today, much of that landscape has changed. The irrigation channels set up for paddy still exist, running through the fields as they [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Twenty years ago, all this was paddy,” says Nazir Ahmad, a farmer from Qaimoh, a village in south Kashmir’s Kulgam district, pointing at the rows of apple saplings that now cover his land. Today, much of that landscape has changed. The irrigation channels set up for paddy still exist, running through the fields as they always have. However, the paddy they once fed has given way to apple plantations. Across Kashmir, farmers are increasingly replacing food crops with horticulture, especially apple orchards, as they seek higher returns amid rising cultivation costs. For many growers, the calculation is straightforward. Paddy offers modest returns, while apples, particularly high-density plantations, promise significantly higher earnings. The move makes economic sense for individual farmers. However, this is now leading to Kashmir Valley becoming increasingly dependent on outside states for its staple food — rice. Nisar Ahmed from Kulgam district in Kashmir, used to cultivate paddy on his nine-kanal (0.46 hectares) farmland, which earned him between ₹30,000 and ₹50,000 annually. A few years ago, he converted the land into a high-density apple orchard because he was facing losses. After the shift, Nisar and his family saw a considerable increase in their earnings. “Every season, we earn around ₹4 lakhs to ₹5 lakhs (₹400,000-500,000),” he said. Fareed Ahmed Wagay, a farmer who converted six kanals (0.30 hectares) of paddy land into an apple orchard also said that paddy cultivation could not fetch healthy returns. “As a result, hundreds of farmers are now shifting towards horticulture and planting&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/as-kashmir-turns-from-paddy-to-apples-dependence-on-outside-rice-grows/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Forgotten vegetables could help make our diets more resilient</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/forgotten-vegetables-could-help-make-our-diets-more-resilient/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/forgotten-vegetables-could-help-make-our-diets-more-resilient/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Oct 2026 15:06:04 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/10/06005737/KJK3139-2-scaled-e1791228498437-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41401</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Conserving Agro-biodiversity]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture and Agroecology]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The clove bean is fondly known as mookuthi avarai in Tamil, an ode to its nose-pin-like appearance. Clove bean belongs to the same family as the morning glory, perennial fast-growing vines that are known for their brightly coloured flowers, and is not a true bean species. Once a common vegetable in south Indian kitchens, clove [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The clove bean is fondly known as mookuthi avarai in Tamil, an ode to its nose-pin-like appearance. Clove bean belongs to the same family as the morning glory, perennial fast-growing vines that are known for their brightly coloured flowers, and is not a true bean species. Once a common vegetable in south Indian kitchens, clove bean now remains immortalised in S. Meenakshi Ammal’s iconic cookbook Samaithu Paar (Cook and See in Tamil), first published in 1951. Today, clove beans are a rare, if not impossible sight in vegetable markets and seem to have completely disappeared from India’s culinary landscape. However, in one small farm in Bengaluru, landscape architect, natural farmer and founder of Hariyalee Seeds, Prabhakar Rao, continues to conserve the seeds of this and other long-forgotten vegetables. As Rao walks around his farm’s undulating land, pointing to heirloom vegetables like the Yerengere white long eggplant or various tomato varieties, he laments how vegetable markets today are dominated by hybrids. There was a time when the Yerengere white long eggplant was the only brinjal variety that went into the making of vangi bath or brinjal rice, says Rao. “People are all eating the same few vegetables, and the loss of vegetable biodiversity has not received a lot of attention. Why would it? Every vegetable that you use at home is available in abundance,” says Rao. Yerengere white long eggplant at Prabhakar Rao’s farm. Image by Sharmila Vaidyanathan. In a recent perspective article for PNAS, researchers warn that vegetable biodiversity is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/forgotten-vegetables-could-help-make-our-diets-more-resilient/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/forgotten-vegetables-could-help-make-our-diets-more-resilient/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Maharashtra formally recognises women farmers regardless of land ownership [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/maharashtra-formally-recognises-women-farmers-regardless-of-land-ownership-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/maharashtra-formally-recognises-women-farmers-regardless-of-land-ownership-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Oct 2026 12:25:56 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Soumya Swaminathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/01002543/IMG_20260924_221913_Mahesh-Maske-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41235</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Maharashtra]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Food, and Organic Farming]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On October 2, Maharashtra is set to begin issuing the Women Farmers Certificates (WFCs) under the newly enacted Women Farmer’s Empowerment Act 2026. The certificates will formally recognise women engaged in agriculture or allied activities as farmers, even when they do not own the land. The WFC will open doors for lakhs of women who [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On October 2, Maharashtra is set to begin issuing the Women Farmers Certificates (WFCs) under the newly enacted Women Farmer’s Empowerment Act 2026. The certificates will formally recognise women engaged in agriculture or allied activities as farmers, even when they do not own the land. The WFC will open doors for lakhs of women who sow, tend, harvest and manage our agri-foods systems, as well as livestock, poultry and fisheries, but are often left out of the formal definition of a farmer. Maharashtra has shown political will and a clear sense of urgency in bringing women farmers’ needs into the spotlight and leading by example. Feminisation of agriculture  We have been witnessing feminisation of agriculture for some time now. As men move to non-farm jobs, women have increasingly taken up the role of managing and maintaining the agricultural lands. But this has often meant more responsibility without a corresponding rise in control, assets or decision-making power. Without land titles, they also struggle to access critical resources such as credit, water, technology and extension services, reducing them to labourers in a sector they largely sustain. Nationally, women make up close to 60% of the agricultural workforce as reported by the Periodic Labour Force Survey and shared by the Union Minister of State for Agriculture, Ramnath Thakur recently in Parliament, but they hold less than 15% of land titles. In Maharashtra, 82% of the rural female workforce is engaged in agriculture, yet women hold only about 15.5% of operational farmland. Empowering women&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/maharashtra-formally-recognises-women-farmers-regardless-of-land-ownership-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/10/maharashtra-formally-recognises-women-farmers-regardless-of-land-ownership-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Floods affect millions in Bihar despite rainfall deficit</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/floods-affect-millions-despite-rainfall-deficit/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/floods-affect-millions-despite-rainfall-deficit/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Sep 2026 17:24:20 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashwini Kumar Shukla]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Ganga]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/18162929/IMG_3596-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=41051</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Bihar]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Cities and Towns, Ecosystem services, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Floods, Rivers, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Geeta Devi is a resident of Gandhi Tola in Manihari, Katihar district, Bihar, one of the 15 districts worst hit by this year&#8217;s floods. Waist-deep water fills her three-room mud house, which is still standing. But she isn&#8217;t sure how long it will hold. She has kept her valuable belongings in an elevated place. Almost [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Geeta Devi is a resident of Gandhi Tola in Manihari, Katihar district, Bihar, one of the 15 districts worst hit by this year&#8217;s floods. Waist-deep water fills her three-room mud house, which is still standing. But she isn&#8217;t sure how long it will hold. She has kept her valuable belongings in an elevated place. Almost every day, the 35-year-old farmer braves the water to go from her makeshift shelter to her house check how much the water has risen and whether her things are safe. Geeta&#8217;s husband is in Delhi where he works as a daily-wage labourer, leaving her in charge of the flooded household, agricultural field, livestock and her four children. Scale of the losses Bihar is facing severe flooding, with the Ganga and several other rivers flowing above the danger mark. The Kosi is flowing above the danger mark at Baltara and Kursela, while the Budhi Gandak is above the mark at Khagaria. The Ganga is above the danger mark at Digha, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah, Bhagalpur, Kahalgaon and Munger. The Punpun is above the mark at Paliganj, while the Bagmati and Ghaghra are above the danger mark at Benibad and Darauli. The floods have affected 15 districts of Bihar, with almost 50 lakh (5 million) people affected across 88 blocks and 575 gram panchayats, according to the state government’s press release dated September 14, 2026. Geeta is now sitting with her four children on a raised embankment beside the railway tracks. A small patch of cut grass lies&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/floods-affect-millions-despite-rainfall-deficit/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/floods-affect-millions-despite-rainfall-deficit/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The itchy spread of Parthenium</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-itchy-spread-of-parthenium/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-itchy-spread-of-parthenium/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>15 Sep 2026 15:32:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Renuka Kulkarni]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[human health]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive plants]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[invasive species]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/15133254/1.-Vegetable-vendor-using-Parthenium-to-line-vegetable-baskets.-PC-Barasha-Das-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40926</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Health impacts, and Plants]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On a June morning in 2025, 24-year-old Niharika Deka of Kaliabor in Nagaon district, Assam, took the family’s cattle out to graze, filling in for her mother. By evening, an intense itch had developed around her eyelids and lips. Her mother had similar allergic reactions on her hands. Several doctors’ consultations and treatments followed. Doctors [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On a June morning in 2025, 24-year-old Niharika Deka of Kaliabor in Nagaon district, Assam, took the family’s cattle out to graze, filling in for her mother. By evening, an intense itch had developed around her eyelids and lips. Her mother had similar allergic reactions on her hands. Several doctors’ consultations and treatments followed. Doctors initially suspected a cosmetic trigger. “The symptoms eased with medication, but the itch would flare up the moment I stepped into the fields or sometimes even outside the house. We kept shuttling between doctors,” Deka said. The picture became clearer when other villagers and students began reporting similar rashes and allergic episodes on exposed skin. Suspicion narrowed to a small, white-flowering wild plant that had recently begun proliferating across the locality. When its conspicuous flowering subsided after August, the allergies eased too. When the flowers returned in the summer of 2026, so did the itching. Deka said the repeated flare-ups have left dark patches around her eyelids and mouth, with similar discolouration on her mother’s hands. “It looks awful, and we don’t know if it’ll fade. I&#8217;m of marriageable age, and my parents are worried,” she said. About 150 km away, in Raja Mayong in Morigaon district, farmer Mahesh Nath is grappling with the same weed on his one-acre plot, where he grows vegetables and grains for a living. “It outpaces everything else,” he said. Around 2021, parthenium covered nearly 70% of his plot. During floods, Nath and his wife uprooted the plants when the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-itchy-spread-of-parthenium/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-itchy-spread-of-parthenium/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The grass is greener only on paper</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-grass-is-greener-only-on-paper/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-grass-is-greener-only-on-paper/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Sep 2026 13:52:37 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shivam Bhardwaj]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fodder crisis]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green fodder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/04094108/ramashankar-dodamafi--768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40691</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Climate Change, Drought, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Food, Villages, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It has been over three months since 65-year-old livestock farmer Faujdar Singh Yadav, has been missing. Yadav&#8217;s family, that lives in Doda Mafi village in Chitrakoot district of Bundelkhand, owns 14 cattle. &#8220;During the summer, there was not enough fodder at home, so he used to take the cattle into the forest to graze. In [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It has been over three months since 65-year-old livestock farmer Faujdar Singh Yadav, has been missing. Yadav&#8217;s family, that lives in Doda Mafi village in Chitrakoot district of Bundelkhand, owns 14 cattle. &#8220;During the summer, there was not enough fodder at home, so he used to take the cattle into the forest to graze. In the third week of April, he went out to graze the cattle. In search of fodder, the cattle went deeper into the forest and disappeared from his sight. While searching for the cattle, he probably got lost too,&#8221; narrates Yadav&#8217;s son Rama Shankar. &#8220;The cattle returned home by late evening, but my father hasn&#8217;t returned to this day. An FIR was registered, but there is still no information about my father.&#8221; Yadav’s story reflects a wider crisis in Bundelkhand, where recurring drought and fodder shortages are forcing livestock farmers to venture farther in search of food, sometimes putting both people and cattle at risk. Bundelkhand is a historically drought-prone region where droughts have become more frequent in recent decades. Recent studies find that the region now faces severe drought every 5-7 years which adversely affects the rural economy that depends on crop production and livestock rearing. The cattle economy bears the earliest and sharpest impact. In the peak summer of the 2016 drought, reports said thousands of cattle died from fodder and water shortages across the region. Many farmers still live with the aftermath of that crisis. In another part of Bundelkhand, near Pachara Panchayat&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-grass-is-greener-only-on-paper/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/the-grass-is-greener-only-on-paper/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Crop-residue burning, a major contributor to black carbon pollution: Study</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Sep 2026 17:11:55 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikhil Sreekandan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Crop residue]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Stubble burning]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sustainable agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/03162644/AP21322310236130-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40673</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Air Pollution, Carbon emissions, Cities and Towns, Clean Energy, Coal, Energy, Environment, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Health impacts, Industry, and Pollution]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Stubble burning, or crop-residue burning, has been known to contribute to the seasonal smog across northern India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. Despite directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in 2015 to prevent agricultural residue burning, biomass burning remains a seasonal activity in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Stubble burning, or crop-residue burning, has been known to contribute to the seasonal smog across northern India, especially in the Indo-Gangetic Plain region. Despite directions issued by the National Green Tribunal in 2015 to prevent agricultural residue burning, biomass burning remains a seasonal activity in states such as Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Rajasthan, contributing to the region’s air pollution. A new study by researchers from IIT, New Delhi, has quantified the impact of crop-residue burning on particulate air pollution, particularly black carbon, commonly known as soot, that is produced when carbon-containing fuels are not burned completely. The study found that emissions from crop-residue burning in rural Punjab deteriorate air quality across the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) and in downwind metropolitan cities such as Delhi, due to the transport of pollutants by prevailing winds. Results from real-time measurements at an agricultural-field site in Kheral village in rural Punjab showed that crop-residue burning contributed, on average, 48% to the total black carbon during the post-monsoon period, and periodically exceeded 90% during active burning hours. The study was conducted during October and November, the peak season for crop-residue burning in North India after rice harvest. A dominant source of black carbon “For the study, we mainly focused on black carbon levels and their dependence on stubble burning,” said Ajit Kumar, a Ph.D. researcher at IIT Delhi and one of the paper’s authors. Black carbon is a short-lived, carbon-rich component of PM2.5 (particulate matter smaller than 2.5 micrometres), Kumar said. A mobile monitoring&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/crop-residue-burning-a-major-contributor-to-black-carbon-pollution-study/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>El Niño brings drought declaration into sharper focus</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-brings-drought-declaration-into-sharper-focus/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-brings-drought-declaration-into-sharper-focus/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>03 Sep 2026 15:43:14 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[El Niño]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[natural disaster]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/09/03104144/AP649388761550-scaled-e1788412383893-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40639</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Drought, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Food, Global Warming, Impacts of Climate Change, Villages, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Despite government assurances of adequate preparations, the looming El Niño has cast an uncertain shadow over crop productivity in India. So far, there has been a rainfall deficit of 14% over the country since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to the Crop Weather Watch Group under the Department of Agriculture. The El Niño [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Despite government assurances of adequate preparations, the looming El Niño has cast an uncertain shadow over crop productivity in India. So far, there has been a rainfall deficit of 14% over the country since the beginning of the monsoon season, according to the Crop Weather Watch Group under the Department of Agriculture. The El Niño is expected to gain strength over the second half of the monsoon season (August-September), the India Meteorological Department confirmed. The latest kharif crop sown area report shows a reduction of 13 lakh (1.3 million) hectares in the sown area of paddy, the dominant kharif crop, compared to last year. In anticipation of the El Niño’s impacts, the Indian Council on Agricultural Research (ICAR) put out an advisory instructing district-level farming research centres – Krishi Vigyan Kendras — to act opportunistically, distributing climate resilient seeds, disseminating advisories, and providing resources on fodder conservation. Even so, drought conditions have led to vocal demands for relief from several parts of the country, including Gujarat and Karnataka, putting the spotlight on the gaps between drought preparedness, detection and declaration. According to the India Drought Monitor, a tool developed by researchers from the Water and Climate Lab at IIT Gandhinagar, nearly 40% of the country is facing abnormal, moderate, or severe levels of dryness as of August 24, based on select hydrometeorological indicators alone. How droughts are declared India’s drought declaration process is dictated by the 2016 Manual for Drought Management, drafted by the Department of Agriculture under the Union&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-brings-drought-declaration-into-sharper-focus/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/09/el-nino-brings-drought-declaration-into-sharper-focus/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>When farm ponds fail to hold water</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/when-farm-ponds-fail-to-hold-water/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/when-farm-ponds-fail-to-hold-water/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Aug 2026 13:50:18 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shivam Bhardwaj]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farm]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water conservation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[water crisis]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/26122217/keshav-2-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40466</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Drought, Extreme Weather Events, Food, Groundwater, Impacts of Climate Change, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“Very low rain this year; only one rain in this season till now,” said 35-year-old farmer Vipin Kumar Yadav from Manipur village in Mahua block of Uttar Pradesh&#8217;s Banda district, this July, as the agriculture-dependent region waited for rains. Pointing to the farm pond, or khet talab, dug on his land, Yadav said the difference [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“Very low rain this year; only one rain in this season till now,” said 35-year-old farmer Vipin Kumar Yadav from Manipur village in Mahua block of Uttar Pradesh&#8217;s Banda district, this July, as the agriculture-dependent region waited for rains. Pointing to the farm pond, or khet talab, dug on his land, Yadav said the difference from last year was stark. “Look at this, how little water is in my pond this time. Last year around this time, the entire pond was full. I used that water in October-November to irrigate my wheat crop. This year the water is low; the 10-foot-deep pond couldn&#8217;t even fill up to five feet. I am worried: how will the wheat and mustard crops get water this year?” The concern is significant in a region where much of agriculture remains dependent on rainfall. By August 1, rainfall in Banda was 26% below normal for the monsoon season. The pond was dug in Yadav&#8217;s field in May 2024. Last year, he used the stored water to irrigate four acres of wheat twice, more than doubling his wheat yield from about 3.5-4.5 quintals per acre to 9-10 quintals per acre. This year, however, the pond has received much less water. The concern over rainfall comes as forecasts point to a strengthening El Niño. On July 30, the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences said in a press release that El Niño had intensified from weak conditions in June to moderate levels in July and could strengthen further to the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/when-farm-ponds-fail-to-hold-water/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/when-farm-ponds-fail-to-hold-water/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Kerala’s Onam festival marred by a weaker monsoon and subsequent crop loss</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/keralas-onam-festival-marred-by-a-weaker-monsoon-and-subsequent-crop-loss/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/keralas-onam-festival-marred-by-a-weaker-monsoon-and-subsequent-crop-loss/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2026 17:12:58 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[K. Rajendran]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Divya Kilikar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/25152633/Photo-2Onam-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40443</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Kerala]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Drought, Environment, Extreme Weather Events, Food, Impacts of Climate Change, and Plantations]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On August 16 this year, the first day of the ten-day harvest festival of Onam in Kerala, P. Vijayalakshmi made her way to a restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram. For the first time in her life, the 72-year-old has purchased a ready-to-eat “packet Onam sadhya” or Onam feast rather than preparing it herself. “Every Onam, I would [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On August 16 this year, the first day of the ten-day harvest festival of Onam in Kerala, P. Vijayalakshmi made her way to a restaurant in Thiruvananthapuram. For the first time in her life, the 72-year-old has purchased a ready-to-eat “packet Onam sadhya” or Onam feast rather than preparing it herself. “Every Onam, I would make at least twenty dishes for the Onasadhya with vegetables I grew on my own land. But this time, the crops perished in the torrential rain, leaving me to fall behind the popular trend [of packet feasts],” Vijayalakshmi says. Onam celebrates the prosperity that traditionally arrives with the end of the southwest monsoon in Kerala, when the annual paddy is harvested, along with a diversity of tubers and local vegetables. The start of the festival is generally marked by the predictable frenzy of temporary stalls being erected selling a diversity of agricultural products that feature in the Onam feast. Instead, this time, hotels and restaurants were selling packet feasts for ₹250-1000. The traditional Onam feast, featuring several dishes prepared from the diversity of crops generally harvested during this time. Image by Shrutinair86 via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). What the rise of a “packet feast” indicates Vinu A. Muthukuzhi points to the remnants of his plantain farm that has been impacted by strong winds and torrential rainfall on August 2. The farmer who lives in Kalliyoor gram panchayat in Thiruvananthapuram district, asks, “How do I celebrate Onam? Half my plantains were destroyed, costing me a&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/keralas-onam-festival-marred-by-a-weaker-monsoon-and-subsequent-crop-loss/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/keralas-onam-festival-marred-by-a-weaker-monsoon-and-subsequent-crop-loss/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Study from India&#8217;s first wolf sanctuary reveals when livestock are most at risk</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/study-from-indias-first-wolf-sanctuary-reveals-when-livestock-are-most-at-risk/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/study-from-indias-first-wolf-sanctuary-reveals-when-livestock-are-most-at-risk/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>25 Aug 2026 14:33:16 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sneha Mahale]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[attacks]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[grey wolf]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wildlife conflict]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wolf]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/25005651/7-Forest-Department-Camera-Trap-scaled-e1787599639679-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40425</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Almost Famous Species]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animal Behaviour, Biodiversity, Conservation, Human Wildlife Conflict, Mammals, Protected Areas, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s first wolf sanctuary is an important breeding and denning landscape for the Indian grey wolf. But for the tribal communities living around Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary (MWS) in Jharkhand, sharing space with wolves often comes at a cost. A new study has now identified when, where and why wolves are most likely to attack livestock, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s first wolf sanctuary is an important breeding and denning landscape for the Indian grey wolf. But for the tribal communities living around Mahuadanr Wolf Sanctuary (MWS) in Jharkhand, sharing space with wolves often comes at a cost. A new study has now identified when, where and why wolves are most likely to attack livestock, providing insights that could help reduce conflict while also supporting conservation. Although Mahuadanr is India’s first designated wolf sanctuary, little scientific research has been conducted there because of limited access to the sanctuary and made sustained fieldwork difficult, says Shahzada Iqbal, member of the Jharkhand State Board for Wildlife, PhD scholar at the Department of Wildlife Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, and co-author of the study. “It is unique because it is both a protected area for wolves and a lived-in landscape where tribal communities have shared space with the animals for generations. Livestock depredation is a reality here, yet wolves continue to persist,” Iqbal shares. That makes it an ideal landscape for understanding not only the ecological drivers of conflict but also the human dimensions that determine whether coexistence is possible, he says. Tribal communities and wolves around India’s first wolf sanctuary in Jharkhand share space, often at the cost of livestock. A new study has now identified when, where and why wolves are most likely to attack. Image by Shahzada Iqbal. Studying conflict in a shared landscape Established in 1976, MWS spans more than 63 square kilometres within the southern division of Palamau Tiger&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/study-from-indias-first-wolf-sanctuary-reveals-when-livestock-are-most-at-risk/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/study-from-indias-first-wolf-sanctuary-reveals-when-livestock-are-most-at-risk/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Better demand could save indigenous fruits from being forgotten</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>21 Aug 2026 13:22:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[indigenous knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Traditional Knowledge]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/21103128/kaafal-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40347</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Nature-based Solutions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam and Meghalaya]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Conservation, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Economics, Food, Forests, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[During my summer break in my hometown in northeast India’s Assam this year, I found myself craving a favourite summertime fruit from my childhood: Leteku, or Burmese grape. A quick run to the local fruit market offered fruits of different kinds, including imported kiwis and avocados, but not the one I was looking for. I [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[During my summer break in my hometown in northeast India’s Assam this year, I found myself craving a favourite summertime fruit from my childhood: Leteku, or Burmese grape. A quick run to the local fruit market offered fruits of different kinds, including imported kiwis and avocados, but not the one I was looking for. I finally found it at a weekly haat, a makeshift market where locals from nearby villages gather to sell their produce. “The availability of indigenous, local fruits has definitely decreased over time,” says Dharindra Nath Hazarika, head of the horticulture department at B.N. College of Agriculture under Assam Agriculture University. “There is a lack of research and documentation on this subject, so we don’t know the exact magnitude of the decline.” This loss is not restricted to just one region. In the neighbouring state of Meghalaya, for instance, local communities say they are observing that local fruits that once grew abundantly in people’s homesteads are now less commonly seen. Pius Ranee, executive director of North East Society for Agroecology Support (NESFAS), agrees. “Many traditional fruits, vegetables, and edible plants once commonly found in homesteads and villages are becoming less common. Older generations often recall a greater diversity of food plants around homes, fields and forests than what is seen today. While systematic data are limited, observations from communities across Meghalaya suggest that many indigenous and semi-wild food species are disappearing from everyday diets and local landscapes,” he shares. Poniol is another fruit found most notably in&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/better-demand-could-save-indigenous-fruits-from-being-forgotten/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Harvesting rice and crabs on one field offers farmers a climate-resilient alternative</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>18 Aug 2026 16:59:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Azera Parveen Rahman]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crabs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[nature-based solutions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rice]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[women in agriculture]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/18120034/Women-farmers-releasing-crabs-in-the-paddy-field-in-Borborua-block-in-Dibrugarh-district-of-Assam-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40238</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas, Eco Hope, and Environment and Her]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Assam]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Biodiversity, Ecology, Food, and Organic Farming]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The harsh summer sun was beating down their backs, yet farmers in Assam’s Borborua block in Dibrugarh district went about their paddy cultivation. Waddling through paddy fields submerged in the rainwater of the past few weeks, they hummed songs and chatted as they planted Betguti (Oryza sativa), an indigenous variety of rice that holds the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The harsh summer sun was beating down their backs, yet farmers in Assam’s Borborua block in Dibrugarh district went about their paddy cultivation. Waddling through paddy fields submerged in the rainwater of the past few weeks, they hummed songs and chatted as they planted Betguti (Oryza sativa), an indigenous variety of rice that holds the promise of withstanding the increasingly unpredictable weather — erratic rainfall and long dry spells. Once the planting is done, they will release freshwater crabs in the field. Alongside the rice, the crabs will grow too, sustaining each other and offering the women a way to sustain their families amid rising concerns of climatic change and land degradation . This women-led integrated rice-crab farming method is emerging as a climate-resilient alternative to traditional paddy cultivation in Assam. Climatic changes challenge traditional ways Traditionally, paddy-fish farming has been practiced in pockets of Assam, particularly areas that are vulnerable to floods. In this type of farming, fish spawns are either introduced in the flooded fields where the indigenous Bau-dhaan rice variety is grown, or enter the fields during monsoon from adjacent water bodies and grow along with paddy. “This integrated farming practice in which fish is grown as a ‘second crop’, however, has become challenging because of the long dry spells that Assam has been witnessing,” said Samir Bordoloi, a farmer and advocate of natural farming techniques. “Now, we have heavy spells of rain, and then long dry spells,” he said. “Rearing fish during these dry spells is&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/harvesting-rice-and-crabs-on-one-field-offers-farmers-a-climate-resilient-alternative/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Increasing numbers of the Indian peafowl worry farmers [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2026 13:45:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Aditya Pradhan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17101028/Photo-2_%40Mingma-Tamang-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40170</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himalayas and West Bengal]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, and Birds]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Once hailed as a symbol of Indian pride and grace, the Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is now stirring heated debates in the quiet Himalayan foothills. Revered as the national bird of India and a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, this vibrant bird has long enjoyed admiration and legal protection. But in recent years, its soaring [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Once hailed as a symbol of Indian pride and grace, the Indian peafowl (Pavo cristatus) is now stirring heated debates in the quiet Himalayan foothills. Revered as the national bird of India and a prominent figure in Hindu mythology, this vibrant bird has long enjoyed admiration and legal protection. But in recent years, its soaring numbers and expanding range have turned it from a cultural icon into a controversial presence — especially in fragile ecosystems like the Eastern Himalaya. “Indian peafowl has become a nuisance in recent years,” said a local youth from Ambiok Busty, a village in the Himalayan foothills of Kalimpong district, West Bengal, during a bird guide training session. His frustration echoed a growing sentiment among many in the region. Legally, the Indian peafowl sits at the top tier of wildlife protection in India, listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. This designation — on par with tigers and elephants — makes it almost untouchable. Any attempt to manage its population, be it through relocation, sterilisation, or even research monitoring, involves layers of bureaucratic checks. But the peafowl’s population isn’t on the decline. In fact, it is thriving. A glaring policy gap In many Indian states, peacock conservation is still being celebrated — with “Peacock Parks&#8221; being funded and promoted as ecotourism attractions. These efforts, while well-meaning, rarely consider the actual ground reality in regions like the eastern Himalaya, where peafowls are increasingly seen as pests rather than assets. A peacock rests on the&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/increasing-numbers-of-the-indian-peafowl-worry-farmers-commentary/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Free-ranging dogs, changing livelihoods reshape an agro-pastoral landscape</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>13 Aug 2026 12:17:09 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[feral dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Free ranging dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[stray dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/13102613/Image-3-garbage-dump-in-Kaza-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40090</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Himachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Biodiversity, Cities and Towns, Conservation, Ecology, Encroachment, Environment, Grazing, Human Wildlife Conflict, Villages, and Wildlife]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Free-ranging dogs are a growing threat to livestock in Himachal Pradesh’s Upper Spiti, with many herders now considering them a greater risk than traditional predators such as snow leopards and wolves, a new study finds. Communities in this region have long depended on a closely linked agro-pastoral system, where sheep, goats, cattle, yaks, and horses support livelihoods, while their manure nourishes farming in the cold desert landscape. However, over the past few decades, rapid socio-economic changes including tourism, market integration, government development schemes, and changing agricultural practices have transformed this traditional system, and subsequently, the landscape itself. More recently, the unexpected and growing rise of free-ranging domestic dogs is increasingly disrupting this delicate balance. The study examines how these interconnected changes have altered livestock populations, exploring what these shifts mean for agriculture, livelihoods, and the future of Spiti. It builds on an existing body of work that has documented socio-economic transitions in the region, notably, the role of changing human activities and the emerging influence exerted by dogs. Declining livestock numbers As part of the study, researchers conducted semi-structured interviews across 27 villages in eight panchayats in Upper Spiti in 2014-15, examining changes in livestock ownership, manure use, herding challenges, livestock losses, and future preferences. Around 72% of respondents reported a decline in livestock between 2003 and 2013, while only 10% reported an increase. Several villages had stopped rearing sheep and goats altogether, and in others, the number of households keeping them had fallen by 50-75%. Spiti’s traditional agro-pastoral system&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/free-ranging-dogs-changing-livelihoods-reshape-an-agro-pastoral-landscape/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>After decades of drought-proofing, farms still depend on rain</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/after-decades-of-drought-proofing-farms-still-depend-on-rain/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/after-decades-of-drought-proofing-farms-still-depend-on-rain/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Aug 2026 13:55:07 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ashwini Kumar Shukla]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[agricultural drought]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[El Niño]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[irrigation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/06123710/IMG_2166-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=39920</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Dams, Drought, Extreme Weather Events, and Monsoons]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[“This is all barren land now, but here we used to farm,” says Koushal Kishore Vishvakarma, a resident of Darudih village in Palamu district, Jharkhand, pointing to a long stretch of dry land spreading across the region. “It’s covered in grass because of the fresh monsoon rain, but it’s nothing more than grazing land now,” [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[“This is all barren land now, but here we used to farm,” says Koushal Kishore Vishvakarma, a resident of Darudih village in Palamu district, Jharkhand, pointing to a long stretch of dry land spreading across the region. “It’s covered in grass because of the fresh monsoon rain, but it’s nothing more than grazing land now,” adds the 52-year-old farmer. Twenty years ago, this was not the case in his village or the villages around it. “Can you see that river there?” he says, standing at least a kilometre and a half away from a small perennial tributary. “From there, water used to come all the way here.” Lift irrigation, once a lifeline His village is one of many where a lift irrigation system once watered upland fields that gravity alone could not reach. These systems use pumps to draw water from rivers or reservoirs and carry it uphill. “Ten surrounding villages benefited from it. Even in summer, people used to grow crops and vegetables,” he recalls. On his own 10 acres, he says, one year of farming used to produce enough food for two years, with more than 50 quintals left over to sell every year. The system ran for just five years. Then a pipe was damaged, villagers say, and it was never repaired. An abandoned lift irrigation system in Palamu that once irrigated nearby fields, now remains dry. Image by Ashwini Kumar Shukla. “Now we grow crops only in the rainy season, and only in the lowland paddy&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/after-decades-of-drought-proofing-farms-still-depend-on-rain/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
										<wfw:commentRss>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/after-decades-of-drought-proofing-farms-still-depend-on-rain/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
			</channel>
</rss>