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		<title>Mongabay India</title>
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		<link>https://india.mongabay.com/list/environmental-economics/</link>
		<description>India&#039;s environmental science and conservation news</description>
		<lastBuildDate>Fri, 04 Sep 2026 08:22:37 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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					<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>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>The mine closes but the transition is far from over</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>17 Aug 2026 16:22:25 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Coal Mines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[minerals]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mines]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/08/17123529/6-scaled-e1786950421598-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=40173</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Jharkhand]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Coal, Environment, Environmental Economics, Forests, Fossil Fuels, Human Rights, Industry, Mining, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[On July 24, barely 50 metres from the entrance to a coal mine in Bokaro, Jharkhand, smoke was rising from beneath the ground. A few trees around the spot were completely burnt, and the cleared patch showed signs of recent intervention. Mining here, at the the New Selected (NS) Dhori Underground Mine (UG), stopped about [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[On July 24, barely 50 metres from the entrance to a coal mine in Bokaro, Jharkhand, smoke was rising from beneath the ground. A few trees around the spot were completely burnt, and the cleared patch showed signs of recent intervention. Mining here, at the the New Selected (NS) Dhori Underground Mine (UG), stopped about 15 years ago, after reportedly extracting around 1.8 million tonnes of coal. But the mine was formally listed as scientifically closed only on March 25, 2026. Santosh Nonia, 35, a resident of Makoli village near the mine, said dense smoke had started emerging from the same spot about three months earlier. He described it as a foul-smelling gas, followed by a major fire that burnt nearby trees. Several senior officials visited the site, he said, and the fire was brought under control after water was poured continuously for three days. Villagers had suggested digging up the area and filling it with sand as a permanent solution, but their suggestion was not accepted, Nonia said. “The smoke is still coming out. Very soon, it may become intense again,” he said, pointing towards the burnt patch. Just two days before this incident, on July 22, the Ministry of Coal had released Aaroh, its first annual report on scientific mine closure and repurposing. The report documents the closure of 42 coal mines and showcases ecological restoration, post-mining land use and community-oriented interventions at the sites. NS Dhori UG was the second mine in Jharkhand to be formally listed&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/08/the-mine-closes-but-the-transition-is-far-from-over/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>States hold the key to India&#8217;s energy transition [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 May 2026 16:11:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ruchita ShahTanya Rana]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[just transitions]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[solar]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Solar Energy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/05/06143607/AP22273517200350-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=38046</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environmental Economics, Fossil Fuels, Green Energy, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Amid the disruptions caused by the conflict in West Asia and the accompanying risk that climate action will be pushed down the global agenda, India has reaffirmed its commitment to climate goals by updating its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC). In March 2026, the Union Cabinet approved NDC 3.0 for submission to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for the 2031–2035 period. The NDC 3.0 targets include a 47% reduction in the emissions intensity of India’s gross domestic product (GDP), an expansion of its carbon sink to 3.5-4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent from 2005 levels, and achieving 60% non-fossil fuel-based installed power capacity by 2035. These align with the country’s long-term net-zero goal for 2070 and its vision of self-reliance under Viksit Bharat 2047, with domestically available renewable energy at the core. Achieving these goals will require every Indian state to play a role, as most power procurement decisions are made at the state level. From national targets to state action India achieved the milestone of 50% non-fossil fuel-based installed capacity in October 2025, five years ahead of schedule. This progress was driven largely by Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, which together account for more than 60% of the total non-fossil fuel installed capacity as of February 2026. However, as India moves towards the more ambitious target of 60% non-fossil capacity, this concentration could become a bottleneck. Hence, expanding renewable energy capacity beyond early leader states will be necessary. At the sub-national level, though, states&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/05/states-hold-the-key-to-indias-energy-transition-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>How banks continue to ignore climate disaster-induced debt [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/how-banks-continue-to-ignore-climate-disaster-induced-debt-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/how-banks-continue-to-ignore-climate-disaster-induced-debt-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>31 Mar 2026 12:29:57 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Amitanshu Verma]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[adaptation finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate disaster]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Disaster management]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/31095424/AP24214316395503-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37526</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, and Extreme Weather Events]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[As India is convulsed with industrial development-induced climate emergencies — heatwaves, pollution, heavy rains, floods, and more — not a day passes without a climate disaster. The country witnessed 99% of the disaster days in 2025, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). As people lose lives — 4,419 in [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[As India is convulsed with industrial development-induced climate emergencies — heatwaves, pollution, heavy rains, floods, and more — not a day passes without a climate disaster. The country witnessed 99% of the disaster days in 2025, according to a study by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE). As people lose lives — 4,419 in 2025 as per the CSE study — livelihoods, property, and health, each episode of disaster inevitably turns into a financial catastrophe. A major aspect of the financial aftermath is the debt obligations on small borrowers — personal, retail, or agricultural — which loom on those who have lost loved ones, assets, and sources of livelihood. What are our banks and financial institutions doing to relieve the financial stress of the disaster-affected? In the recently concluded winter session of parliament, the Ministry of Finance’s response to Congress MPs’ questions on loan relief provided to individual borrowers and small traders by scheduled commercial banks in the aftermath of floods, landslides, and intense rainfall-related damages from 2019 onwards paints a profoundly disappointing picture. This is at a time when India is beset with climate disasters. The report Mapping Climatic and Biological Disasters in India, co-published by the National Institute of Disaster Management, states that between 1995 and 2020, India was struck by 1,058 extreme weather events, including floods, cyclones, droughts, heatwaves, and cold waves. Flooding was the most frequent hazard, making up about one-third of all events. Heatwaves were the next most common at nearly a quarter, while droughts&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/how-banks-continue-to-ignore-climate-disaster-induced-debt-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>India&#8217;s updated climate plan targets 47% emissions cut and 60% clean power capacity by 2035</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-updated-climate-plan-targets-47-emissions-cut-and-60-clean-power-capacity-by-2035/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-updated-climate-plan-targets-47-emissions-cut-and-60-clean-power-capacity-by-2035/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Mar 2026 13:14:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Manish Chandra Mishra]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[carbon sink]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Climate Finance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate policy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate targets]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[emissions intensity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[energy transition]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[net zero 2070]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[non-fossil fuel]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Paris Agreement]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UNFCCC]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/26101531/AP23082468378694-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37476</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Clean Energy, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, Fossil Fuels, Impacts of Climate Change, and Renewable Energy]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India has announced its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the period 2031-2035, setting revised climate targets to reduce emissions intensity, increase non-fossil fuel-based electricity and increase forest and tree cover. NDCs are voluntary national climate action plans by countries under the Paris Agreement. India&#8217;s updated targets include reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India has announced its updated Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) for the period 2031-2035, setting revised climate targets to reduce emissions intensity, increase non-fossil fuel-based electricity and increase forest and tree cover. NDCs are voluntary national climate action plans by countries under the Paris Agreement. India&#8217;s updated targets include reducing the emissions intensity of GDP by 47% from 2005 levels by 2035, increasing the share of non-fossil fuel-based installed electricity capacity to 60%, and creating a carbon sink of 3.5 to 4.0 billion tonnes of CO₂ equivalent through forest and tree cover by 2035. India’s original climate commitments, submitted in 2015 under its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), set targets for 2030 to reduce the emissions intensity of GDP by 33-35% (emissions per unit of GDP) and achieve a 40% share of non-fossil fuel-based power capacity. In 2022, India updated its NDCs, raising the ambition to a 45% reduction in emissions intensity from 2005 levels and a 50% share of non-fossil energy capacity. The union cabinet approved the targets on March 25 and are to be communicated to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The Railways and IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said in a media briefing that the targets were approved in line with the five-year cycle under the Paris Agreement. “The current goals are for 2025 to 2030. Now the targets up to 2035 have been approved through this Cabinet decision,” he said. The decision is aligned with India’s long-term goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070, according&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/indias-updated-climate-plan-targets-47-emissions-cut-and-60-clean-power-capacity-by-2035/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Municipal bonds need more than incentives to fund India’s cities [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/municipal-bonds-need-more-than-incentives-to-fund-indias-cities-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/municipal-bonds-need-more-than-incentives-to-fund-indias-cities-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>11 Mar 2026 14:52:06 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Ravikant Joshi]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[development]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Finance Comission]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Municipal Bond]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Municipality]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Smart Cities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Union budget]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urban areas]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Urban governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[urbanisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/11131415/AP20327500448440-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37238</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, Governance, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Municipal bonds have become a matter of renewed interest with the announcement of a new incentive scheme by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget for the year 2026-27. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “To encourage the issuance of municipal bonds of higher value by large cities, I propose an incentive of ₹100 crore (₹1 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Municipal bonds have become a matter of renewed interest with the announcement of a new incentive scheme by the Finance Minister in the Union Budget for the year 2026-27. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said, “To encourage the issuance of municipal bonds of higher value by large cities, I propose an incentive of ₹100 crore (₹1 billion) for a single bond issuance of more than ₹1000 crore (₹10 billion).” This is in addition to the current scheme under the Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT), which incentivises issuances of up to ₹2 billion and supports smaller and medium towns. This is a welcome initiative, probably prompted by the fact that even after 28 years of the existence of municipal bonds in India, the instrument is still in its nascent stage. In contrast, municipal bonds are a major instrument in the U.S. The question is: Will this incentive scheme work? Is it a lack of incentive structure or larger structural issues that are responsible for its minuscule role? Municipal bonds are debt securities issued by cities and other local governmental entities to finance capital projects such as water systems, roads, or sewer networks. By purchasing these bonds, investors lend money to the issuer in exchange for periodic interest payments and the return of the principal at maturity. Broadly, municipal bonds fall into two categories: general obligation bonds, which are backed by the issuer&#8217;s overall financial strength, and revenue bonds, which are repaid from revenues generated by specific projects, such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/municipal-bonds-need-more-than-incentives-to-fund-indias-cities-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
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					<title>Artists trace the journey of food, environment and livelihoods</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/an-exhibition-traces-food-environment-and-livelihoods-through-art/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/an-exhibition-traces-food-environment-and-livelihoods-through-art/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>10 Mar 2026 15:49:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shilpa Raina]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[art]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dairy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[land management]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[milk]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/10124129/Image-3-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37216</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Animals, Deforestation, Environment, Environmental Economics, Food, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Food that reaches our plates undertakes a journey increasingly shaped by environmental change. As populations grow, forests are converted into farmland, cities expand, land-use patterns shift, and accelerated human activity contributes to climate change, which leads to intensifying extreme weather events. These ecological transformations have been reshaping food systems across India, as they impact the [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Food that reaches our plates undertakes a journey increasingly shaped by environmental change. As populations grow, forests are converted into farmland, cities expand, land-use patterns shift, and accelerated human activity contributes to climate change, which leads to intensifying extreme weather events. These ecological transformations have been reshaping food systems across India, as they impact the cycles of production, distribution and the livelihoods they sustain. These shifts form the basis of the exhibition Bitter Nectar, which placed food at its centre while tracing informal dairy economies in Uttar Pradesh, shifting horticultural rhythms in Ladakh, and changing land use patterns in Gujarat’s Gir landscape. Organised by Sustaina India, a collaborative initiative by the think-tank Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), with artist-duo Thukral and Tagra as curatorial leads, the showcase held last month in New Delhi, featured videos, a board-game puzzle and art installations to foreground the ecological and livelihood stress embedded in food production cycles. Artist-educator Mrugen Rathod’s installation from Gir, Gujarat, reflects on the booming Kesari mango economy and its ecological cost. The art exhibition ‘Bitter Nectar’ featured art inspired by food systems and environmental change in Uttar Pradesh, Ladakh, and Gujarat. It was organised by Sustaina India, an initiative by Council on Energy, Environment and Water. Image courtesy of Sustaina India. Invisible changes in the informal milk economy Central to dietary practices and known for its nutritional value and cultural significance, milk has a ubiquitous presence in Indian households. A robust network of corporations and informal milk traders&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/an-exhibition-traces-food-environment-and-livelihoods-through-art/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>A series of disruptions hit tourism in this high altitude desert</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>06 Mar 2026 11:44:13 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shailesh Shrivastava]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ecotourism]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[extreme rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[heavy rainfall]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/05175316/Ladakh-tourism.00_05_13_16.Still008-1200x800-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37166</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Activism, Cities and Towns, Climate Change, Environmental Economics, Himalayas, Impacts of Climate Change, Industry, Mountains, and Tourism]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2022, as the COVID-19 cases began falling and travel opened up again, 30-year-old Irshit Ali’s life changed. There was a sudden surge of tourists in his hometown of Ladakh, where he worked ferrying tourists in his van. This was good for business. His monthly income went up from around ₹20,000 in 2022 to ₹1.5 [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2022, as the COVID-19 cases began falling and travel opened up again, 30-year-old Irshit Ali’s life changed. There was a sudden surge of tourists in his hometown of Ladakh, where he worked ferrying tourists in his van. This was good for business. His monthly income went up from around ₹20,000 in 2022 to ₹1.5 lakhs in 2023. This encouraged Ali to expand his business. He secured a bank loan to purchase two more vehicles. For the next two years, he saw a steady rise in tourists coming to Ladakh. However, 2025 brought Ali, and Ladakh’s entire tourism sector, to the brink of a crisis. A series of events from April 2025 severely impacted the tourism economy of India’s newest union territory, those in the industry report. After a terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir that month, there was a slight decline in foreign tourists visiting Ladakh. Then, during the brief armed conflict between India and Pakistan that followed, and even after it, tourist activities completely stopped. People wander the streets of Leh. Though the situation may seem normal from the outside, the tourism industry is facing a severe crisis. Hotels, taxis and small businesses in Ladakh have seen a significant drop in revenue due to repeated disruptions in 2025. Image by Shailesh Shrivastava/Mongabay. Later in August, after record-breaking rainfall, roads were closed and the region was cut off for a few weeks, discouraging tourists from travelling to Ladakh. In September, a protest in Leh demanding full statehood for&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/a-series-of-disruptions-hit-ladakhs-tourism-industry/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Farmers revive tung plantations amid market hopes and ecological concerns</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/farmers-revive-tung-plantations-amid-market-hopes-and-ecological-concerns/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/farmers-revive-tung-plantations-amid-market-hopes-and-ecological-concerns/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>05 Mar 2026 11:55:53 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Barasha Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fruits]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[monoculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[oil seed]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/03/05104703/5.-Tung-seeds-being-segregated-at-Saitual-District-Tung-Growers-Association-PC-Robert-Lalnuntluanga-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37147</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Mizoram]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Environmental Economics, Himalayas, Mountains, Plantations, Plants, and Trees]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[In 2023, farmers in Mizoram’s Saitual district came together to form the Saitual District Tung Grower Association to streamline the cultivation and post-harvest marketing of a tree-borne oilseed from the tung tree, which has significant industrial applications and commercial potential. What began as a small collective has since expanded rapidly. Today, more than 600 farmers [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[In 2023, farmers in Mizoram’s Saitual district came together to form the Saitual District Tung Grower Association to streamline the cultivation and post-harvest marketing of a tree-borne oilseed from the tung tree, which has significant industrial applications and commercial potential. What began as a small collective has since expanded rapidly. Today, more than 600 farmers across the district have joined the association, hoping to build a viable economic future around a crop that remains largely unfamiliar to most of India. Farmers are now converting several hectares of land to cultivate the tung tree, primarily Vernicia fordii and Vernicia montana, two closely related species whose seeds yield tung oil, a non-edible but highly valuable drying oil. However, experts caution the risks of expanding monoculture plantations on the fragile slopes in the mountain state. Tung oil and its industrial applications Tung oil is primarily extracted from V. fordii, with oil from V. montana occasionally blended in limited proportions. Under favourable conditions, tung trees begin yielding fruit from the third year, though most assessments place the first reliable harvest at around the fifth year. The trees typically remain productive for 24 years, reaching peak yields between 10 and 12 years of age. Tung oil yields generally range from 300 to 450 kilograms per hectare, with the seed containing about 30-40% oil. The oil has been historically used in products from caulk to insulating compounds. Renowned for its capacity to harden into a tough, water-resistant film upon exposure to air, it is widely used&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/03/farmers-revive-tung-plantations-amid-market-hopes-and-ecological-concerns/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>The environmental price of India&#8217;s new trade push [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-environmental-price-of-indias-new-trade-push-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-environmental-price-of-indias-new-trade-push-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>27 Feb 2026 12:21:32 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Trade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[World Trade Organisation]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/27114641/AP25239165084841-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37064</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy and Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, and Politics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Never has the world been so concerned with discussions on international trade and tariffs as in the past six months. The last time there were such focussed discussions in the media and the public on trade was when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was agreed upon in April 1994. Even in those heady days, trade [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Never has the world been so concerned with discussions on international trade and tariffs as in the past six months. The last time there were such focussed discussions in the media and the public on trade was when the World Trade Organisation (WTO) was agreed upon in April 1994. Even in those heady days, trade negotiation news was in the inside pages of newspapers, and not the lead story across all the countries in the world. In the past decades, national governments engaged in autopilot mode to develop and polish bilateral, multilateral and regional trade agreements, while the citizens went about their lives independent of these diplomatic exercises. All it needed was a capricious leader as the head of the biggest trading nation, and trade continues to hit headlines since months. This has been especially so in India, a country which stood to lose heavily due to the penal tariffs applied to goods exported from India to the US. With two back-to-back trade agreements — with the European Union and with the United States of America — the attention to trade news has almost been all pervading in the country. With the US Supreme Court recently striking down reciprocal tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, another round of turmoil and confusion has been unleashed. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and European Council President Antonio Costa after reaching free trade agreement between India and EU in New Delhi on Jan. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Manish Swarup)&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/the-environmental-price-of-indias-new-trade-push-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Old kilns, new blocks, uncertain futures</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Feb 2026 11:40:36 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Tanvi Bhatia]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Kundan Pandey]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[brick kiln]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[construction]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Infrastructure]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[manufacutring]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/02/26101535/AP20081304327460-e1772081488710-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=37042</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Just Transitions]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Alternative energy, Carbon emissions, Clean Energy, Coal, Energy, Environmental Economics, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Industry]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[With expanding cities, rising housing demand, and large-scale infrastructure projects, India is witnessing one of the world&#8217;s fastest construction booms. Under the government&#8217;s urban housing scheme, over a period of 10 years, 11.8 million houses were sanctioned, 11.4 million grounded for construction, and over 8 million completed as of 2024. Meanwhile, under the rural housing scheme the government plants to construct 20 million houses by 2029. Every year, the country constructs millions of buildings, reflecting both the scale and pace of this growth. The construction sector is a critical contributor to climate change. According to the World Green Building Council, buildings and construction together account for 39% of global energy-related carbon emissions, with materials and construction alone contributing 11%. The growing construction demand has increased the demand for bricks and the brick industry is growing. India is the world’s second-largest producer of bricks, after China. Yet, much of the sector is unorganised, widely dispersed, and largely informal. Traditional brick-making methods rely on coal-fired, energy-intensive kilns, resulting in higher emissions from fired clay bricks used in construction. The brick industry is one of the largest (coal) energy users and a source of GHG emissions from India. But it also employs some of the largest workforces in India, after agriculture. Kanpur, an industrial city in Uttar Pradesh, has a well-established brick manufacturing industry. Its peripheral regions host numerous traditional brick kilns that fuel the city’s rapid construction growth. At the same time, several enterprises here are experimenting with low-carbon alternatives such as&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/02/old-kilns-new-blocks-uncertain-futures/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Buckwheat draws renewed interest for its health benefits and resilience</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/buckwheat-draws-renewed-interest-for-its-health-benefits-and-resilience/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/buckwheat-draws-renewed-interest-for-its-health-benefits-and-resilience/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>29 Jan 2026 12:39:43 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Hirra Azmat]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beekeeping]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[bees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate resilience agriculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[honey]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/29011131/Pic13-768x512.jpeg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36659</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Ladakh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Agroecology, Climate Change, Ecology, Environment, Environmental Economics, Food, Insects, and Mountains]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Buckwheat, once grown mostly in marginal soil in the Indian Himalayas, is now regaining attention for its nutritional properties and its ability to grow in harsh mountain conditions where other crops fail. Apart from being a dependable food source, the crop’s abundant flowers support beekeeping, leading to the production of high-value buckwheat honey. Scientists at [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Buckwheat, once grown mostly in marginal soil in the Indian Himalayas, is now regaining attention for its nutritional properties and its ability to grow in harsh mountain conditions where other crops fail. Apart from being a dependable food source, the crop’s abundant flowers support beekeeping, leading to the production of high-value buckwheat honey. Scientists at Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (SKUAST-Kashmir) are now encouraging farmers to combine buckwheat cultivation with apiculture as a way to improve incomes and strengthen mountain agriculture. Buckwheat’s resilient properties Buckwheat is one of the pseudo-cereals (not belonging to the true grass family) that contains protein of high nutritional value, dietary fibre, resistant starch, vitamins and minerals. Buckwheat – both the common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) and tartary buckwheat (Fagopyrum tartaricum) – is a high-altitude, cool-climate annual plant. It is native to Central Asia, cultivated in China and other Eastern countries as a bread-corn. In India, the crop is widely grown in the high mountains of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. In South India, it is sporadically grown in the Nilgiris and Palani hills. What makes buckwheat particularly suited to these regions is its ability to thrive where other crops struggle. “Buckwheat adapts well to poor soils, high altitudes, and short growing seasons,” says Sajad Zargar, an associate professor in the Division of Plant Biotechnology at SKUAST-Kashmir. Zargar’s research focuses on conserving and improving diverse plant material to develop climate-resilient, nutritionally rich buckwheat varieties suited to sustainable agriculture in temperate&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/buckwheat-draws-renewed-interest-for-its-health-benefits-and-resilience/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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														</item>
						<item>
					<title>What India risks by dismantling its rural safety net [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-india-risks-by-dismantling-its-rural-safety-net-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-india-risks-by-dismantling-its-rural-safety-net-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>28 Jan 2026 09:00:50 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[S. Gopikrishna Warrier]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[employment]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihood]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[MGNREGA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural economy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Rural India]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/27134402/AP24173849816545-crop-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=36644</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environomy and Rural Futures]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Environment, Environmental Economics, Environmental Law, Environmental Politics, Human Rights, Indigenous Rights, Politics, Tribes, and Villages]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It was the summer of 1988, and the fourth consecutive year of drought in Rajasthan. A few months before the summer, I had joined the communication wing of an NGO called Action for Food Production (AFPRO). I was just out of college, raw, energetic and full of impractical idealism. My boss wanted me to learn, [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It was the summer of 1988, and the fourth consecutive year of drought in Rajasthan. A few months before the summer, I had joined the communication wing of an NGO called Action for Food Production (AFPRO). I was just out of college, raw, energetic and full of impractical idealism. My boss wanted me to learn, and sent me to the Aravallis of Rajasthan. AFPRO was launched in 1966, as a response to the Bihar famine of the year, and with the aim to improve water resources management in villages across the country. In 1987, it established a field unit in Udaipur, Rajasthan, to implement watershed development work and strengthen regreening efforts in the Aravallis. Those were the heady days of global discussions on desertification, which later culminated in the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The multi-year drought focused attention on the tree felling that had happened in the Aravallis over years. Many development NGOs working in the region were focusing on the regreening of the hills, along with soil and water management measures to help communities tide over the immediate crisis. Their aim was to prevent such a disaster in future. There was the strong understanding that regreening the Aravallis would help prevent the spread of the Thar Desert into the plains of northern India. After all, Delhi too is located at the edge of the hill range. What I saw in the hills of Udaipur district in May 1988 was bleak — dry riverbeds, barren farms stretching&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/what-india-risks-by-dismantling-its-rural-safety-net-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
														</item>
						<item>
					<title>Reimagining agricultural governance in the climate change era [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/reimagining-agricultural-governance-in-the-climate-change-era-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/reimagining-agricultural-governance-in-the-climate-change-era-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Jan 2026 11:54:59 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Nikitha AshokPradyot Ranjan Jena]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[food systems]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[governance]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[rural economy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2026/01/26000052/pixnio-3325x2216-1-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environmental Economics, Food, and Indigenous Peoples]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is disproportionately affecting developing countries such as India, where the rural sector remains highly vulnerable due to inadequate climate infrastructure and limited adaptive capacity. While developed nations have built sophisticated flood management systems, real-time weather alert mechanisms, and resilient agricultural frameworks over several decades, rural India continues to struggle with minimal infrastructure development. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is disproportionately affecting developing countries such as India, where the rural sector remains highly vulnerable due to inadequate climate infrastructure and limited adaptive capacity. While developed nations have built sophisticated flood management systems, real-time weather alert mechanisms, and resilient agricultural frameworks over several decades, rural India continues to struggle with minimal infrastructure development. Small and marginal farmers who constitute nearly 86% of all farmers in India, form the backbone of the agricultural workforce and are the most exposed to climate shocks. They often lack access to climate-resilient seeds, bio-fertilisers, modern machinery, and timely information that could help stabilise productivity. Agriculture in India is not only a livelihood system but also a critical form of natural capital, deeply dependent on soil health, water availability, and ecosystem stability. Building climate resilience in these regions, therefore, requires strong institutional support, improved infrastructure, and enhanced financial inclusion to protect livelihoods and ensure long-term food security. Despite steady policy attention, agricultural productivity in India has remained largely stagnant over the past three decades. Data from successive Economic Surveys show that agricultural Gross Value Added has grown at only 3–3.3% annually between 1990 and 2023, indicating long-term stagnation even as climate risks, production costs, and population pressures have intensified. Farmers continue to rely on traditional practices, not because of resistance to innovation, but because adopting new technologies involves financial risk in an increasingly uncertain climate. Irrigation remains a central constraint. At the national level, only 49% of India’s net sown area is under irrigation,&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2026/01/reimagining-agricultural-governance-in-the-climate-change-era-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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					<title>Diversifying beyond rice to cut losses and improve alternative cereal yields</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/diversifying-beyond-rice-to-cut-losses-and-improve-alternative-cereal-yields/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/diversifying-beyond-rice-to-cut-losses-and-improve-alternative-cereal-yields/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>01 Dec 2025 14:00:08 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Sharmila Vaidyanathan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Priyanka Shankar]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[climate action]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[crop]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmers]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farming]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[farmlands]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Food security]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[policy]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/11/30224824/6118948159_1c310c0fbc_o-e1764523167752-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35825</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Global and India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Climate Change, Climate Change Adaptation, Environment, Environmental Economics, and Food]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is a growing concern for agricultural productivity and several studies have focused on how climate variations can impact crop yields. A growing body of research is now looking at how changes in harvested areas, along with the impacts of climate change, can influence productivity. In a study published earlier this year, researchers from [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Climate change is a growing concern for agricultural productivity and several studies have focused on how climate variations can impact crop yields. A growing body of research is now looking at how changes in harvested areas, along with the impacts of climate change, can influence productivity. In a study published earlier this year, researchers from the U.S., India and Italy find that market price variation for crops influences how farmers allocate land for rice and alternative cereals in India. Despite climate-related losses and price fluctuations, farmers continue to dedicate large areas of their farmland to rice. The study also showed that spatial redistribution of crops, within their croplands, can achieve better production and economic gains for farmers. The study led by Dongyang Wei, examined how price fluctuations caused variations in harvested areas across districts in the country. The researchers studied the impacts of price on kharif crops (sown in the monsoon season), such as pearl and finger millets, maize, sorghum and rice by combining harvested area and deflated price data (price adjusted for inflation) from 1966 to 2011. This information was used to predict how reallocating farmland in favour of less climate-sensitive, and more profitable crops, can improve cereal production and farmer incomes, while maintaining cropland area and calorie production. While yields, measured as kilograms or tons per hectare, reveal the amount of crop produced per unit area of land, harvested areas, expressed in hectares, are a measure of the amount of land from which a crop is harvested, thus&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/12/diversifying-beyond-rice-to-cut-losses-and-improve-alternative-cereal-yields/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>The Green Credits Programme needs to move beyond its tree-centric approach [Commentary]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>23 Oct 2025 15:38:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Gautam Aredath]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[COP28]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green credit scheme]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/10/23152611/pexels-equalstock-20356946-scaled-e1761217352522-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=35176</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Agriculture, Carbon emissions, Carbon Finance, Carbon Offset, Carbon Sequestration, Climate Change, Environment, Environmental Economics, Green Business, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, and Water]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[The Government of India’s Green Credit Rules, 2023, established the Green Credit Programme (GCP) as a market-based mechanism to incentivise “environmentally-positive actions”. Under the law, green credits can be generated from a range of activities such as tree plantation, water conservation, sustainable agriculture and more, and traded on a domestic platform to meet legal obligations or encourage voluntary action. The political pitch went further. At its launch during COP28 in Dubai, Prime Minister Narendra Modi presented the GCP as more than a market: a moral initiative to “add positive points to the Earth’s health card”, he claimed, breaking from the commercialised philosophy of carbon credits. Both claims — market and moral — falter under scrutiny. Two years on, only the tree plantation component has moved forward. A draft framework for water conservation remains stalled, and other activities lie dormant. Even for plantations, the legal framework has undergone multiple revisions, and has narrowed in both scope and ambition. What began as a broad-based methodology, envisaging a variety of actors and multiple land tenures, has been pared back. In its latest iteration, credits are generated solely from plantations on land controlled by forest departments. These credits are explicitly non-tradable, and their primary, if not, only viable, use is as offsets for statutory compensatory afforestation requirements. In effect, growing trees in one place permits cutting down forests in another. To be clear, the initial methodology for plantations was not without concerns. Its tree-centric focus overlooked other ecosystems, while questions of forest rights and&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/10/the-green-credits-programme-needs-to-look-beyond-its-tree-centric-approach-commentary/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>U.S. tariffs set to threaten India’s traditional craft revival</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>26 Sep 2025 17:00:22 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Shweta Thakur Nanda]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[textiles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[traditional crafts]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/26113717/1.-A-male-Artisan-making-a-handtufted-carpet-in-Bhadohi-Pic-courtesy-Aslam-Mahboob-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=34796</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Indigenous Knowledge]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Uttar Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, Industry, Politics, and Sustainability]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[It is late afternoon, and Chowk, one of the oldest markets of Lucknow, is bathed in the golden hues of dusk. Amid hurried footsteps drumming on cobblestones, the cries of vendors and the thick aroma of kebabs, a narrow by-lane leads to veteran embroiderer Zafar Ali’s weathered yet quiet kaarkhana (workshop) of chikankari and zardozi. [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[It is late afternoon, and Chowk, one of the oldest markets of Lucknow, is bathed in the golden hues of dusk. Amid hurried footsteps drumming on cobblestones, the cries of vendors and the thick aroma of kebabs, a narrow by-lane leads to veteran embroiderer Zafar Ali’s weathered yet quiet kaarkhana (workshop) of chikankari and zardozi. Sitting cross-legged on the cement floor, Zafar bends over an adda, a wooden frame stretched taut with fabric. With a hooked needle, he guides metallic threads through the cloth, bringing blossoms and vines to life. “When tariffs go up, we are the first to be hit. If the businessman doesn’t get orders, he won’t place orders with me. My livelihood dries up then,” says Zafar, referring to the tariffs imposed by the U.S. on textile imports from India. Zardozi and chikankari are artisanal hand embroidery techniques. While metallic threads, stones and pearls are used to create opulent designs in zardozi, intricate white thread work is done on light-weight fabrics in chikankari. “When a shock like this comes, buyers start shifting, orders start drying up and things fall apart,” says 33-year-old Zafar. In Srinagar, over 1,300 km away from Lucknow, Pashmina and handicraft manufacturer and exporter Mujtaba Kadri echoes a similar sentiment. “The U.S. is a primary market for us. Since the 50% tariff has come into effect, there is hardly any order. The previous shipments have gone, and there is no fresh order.  Right now, the business environment looks uncertain,” he rues. A similar situation&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/us-tariffs-set-to-threaten-indias-traditional-craft-revival/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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						<item>
					<title>Conflicted over attacks on mithuns, experts gun for hunting ban</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/conflicted-over-attacks-on-mithuns-experts-gun-for-hunting-ban/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/conflicted-over-attacks-on-mithuns-experts-gun-for-hunting-ban/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>09 Sep 2025 13:50:03 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Kasturi Das]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Arathimenon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[cattle]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dhole]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[dogs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livelihoods]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[livestock]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[wild dog]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/09123136/DSC4038-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Beyond Protected Areas]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[Arunachal Pradesh]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Biodiversity, Conservation, Environmental Economics, Environmental Politics, Human Wildlife Conflict, and Hunting]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Early this year, when 40-year-old Taum Tamut went looking for his mithuns (Bos frontalis) in the forest surrounding his village Jomlo Mobuk in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, he came across a grim sight. One of his mithuns lay dead, its carcass bearing the unmistakable marks of a dhole (Cuon alpinus) attack. Taum, a member of [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Early this year, when 40-year-old Taum Tamut went looking for his mithuns (Bos frontalis) in the forest surrounding his village Jomlo Mobuk in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, he came across a grim sight. One of his mithuns lay dead, its carcass bearing the unmistakable marks of a dhole (Cuon alpinus) attack. Taum, a member of the Adi tribe and a father of three young children, has around 50 mithuns and earns his livelihood by selling vegetables, broomsticks, and occasionally a mithun or two. “The dholes don’t spare the mithun calves. Our calves have been eaten by the dholes. There are so many of them here,” says a distraught Taum. Hundreds of kilometres away in Doimukh, 54-year-old Nabum Tania from the Nyishi tribe recounts a similar incident. “They (dholes) are notorious. They come in packs of 15 to 20 and take down a whole mithun,&#8221; he says. Tania lost seven of his 20 mithuns to dhole attacks since the beginning of this year. “For a poor farmer like me, it is a huge loss. Mithun is our lifeline. I sent my children to school by rearing and selling mithuns,” says Tania. Like Taum and Tania, many farmers across Arunachal Pradesh have lost their mithuns, a semi-domesticated bovine, to dhole attacks. Since early 2025, districts such as Papum Pare, Siang, Upper Subansiri, West Siang, East Kameng, Lower Dibang Valley, and Changlang have reported a rise in dhole attacks on mithuns and other livestock. Dholes in the state are turning to mithuns because&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/conflicted-over-attacks-on-mithuns-experts-gun-for-hunting-ban/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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						<item>
					<title>Green credit rules tweaked to favour canopy cover, remove trade provision</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/green-credit-rules-tweaked-to-favour-canopy-cover-remove-trade-provision/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/green-credit-rules-tweaked-to-favour-canopy-cover-remove-trade-provision/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>04 Sep 2025 16:45:02 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Simrin Sirur]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Carbon Credit]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Programme]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Green Credit Rules]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[green credit scheme]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/09/04155541/1024px-Afforestation_at_Kanakakunnu-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
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											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Climate Connections and Climate Finance]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Carbon Finance and Environmental Economics]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry has revised the methodology to calculate “green credits” from planting trees, more than a year after the programme was criticised for promoting potentially damaging practices. The scheme seeks to incentivise corporations and other entities to participate in eco-restoration activities by awarding them green credits. The credits can then be used to meet [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[India&#8217;s environment ministry has revised the methodology to calculate “green credits” from planting trees, more than a year after the programme was criticised for promoting potentially damaging practices. The scheme seeks to incentivise corporations and other entities to participate in eco-restoration activities by awarding them green credits. The credits can then be used to meet compliances under corporate social responsibility (CSR) or environment social governance (ESG) frameworks. As per the original notification, a range of activities – including water conservation and green buildings – are covered by the scheme, but so far, only regulations for tree planting-related activities have been specified. Apart from CSR and ESG, green credits generated from tree planting can also be used to fulfil compensatory afforestation obligations under the Forest Conservation Act, which requires project proponents to offset the loss of forest land caused by infrastructure development activity. While the new methodology addresses some of the concerns previously raised by experts, gaps still remain. It also appears to rule out a fundamental component of the scheme when it was first introduced – the trade of green credits. The government had introduced the scheme in 2023 as an “innovative market-based mechanism designed to incentivise voluntary environmental actions across diverse sectors”. The idea was to set up a green credit market similar to the voluntary carbon market, where individuals, corporations, farmers unions, and others could buy and sell green credits to aid restoration activities. The new methodology, however, specifies that green credits from tree planting “shall be non-tradable&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/09/green-credit-rules-tweaked-to-favour-canopy-cover-remove-trade-provision/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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					<title>What is blue economy? [Explainer]</title>
					<link>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/what-is-blue-economy-explainer/</link>
					<comments>https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/what-is-blue-economy-explainer/?noamp=mobile#respond</comments>
					<pubDate>08 Apr 2025 13:39:46 +0000</pubDate>
											<dc:creator>
							<![CDATA[Phalguni Ranjan]]>
						</dc:creator>
										<author>
						<![CDATA[Aditi Tandon]]>
					</author>
							<category><![CDATA[Uncategorized]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[aquaculture]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[economics]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[fisheries]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marine Fisheries]]></category>
										<enclosure url="https://imgs.mongabay.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/30/2025/04/08102812/Fishing_activities_at_Thangassery_Kollam-768x512.jpg" type="image/jpeg" />
					<guid isPermaLink="false">https://india.mongabay.com/?p=32109</guid>

											<reporting-project>
							<![CDATA[Environment Explained and Environomy]]>
						</reporting-project>
					
											<locations>
							<![CDATA[India]]>
						</locations>
					
											<topic-tags>
							<![CDATA[Coast, Environmental Economics, and Oceans]]>
						</topic-tags>
					
					
											<description>
							<![CDATA[Blue economy is an economic model that involves the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources to drive economic growth and livelihoods, while prioritising the health of oceans. It includes all commercial activities related to the oceans and coasts including fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport and engineering, renewable energy, marine biotechnology, and coastal tourism. Also referred [&#8230;]]]>
						</description>
																					<content:encoded>
							<![CDATA[Blue economy is an economic model that involves the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources to drive economic growth and livelihoods, while prioritising the health of oceans. It includes all commercial activities related to the oceans and coasts including fisheries, aquaculture, maritime transport and engineering, renewable energy, marine biotechnology, and coastal tourism. Also referred to as sustainable ocean economy, this model seeks to promote a balanced approach of generating economic and developmental benefits, while safeguarding the ecosystem – unlike traditional economic models that follow a more naturally exploitative path to cater to global demand. Coined in 1994 by Belgian economist Gunter Pauli, what sets this term apart is the stress on ‘sustainability’, at least in theory. The term ‘blue economy’ came more into focus after the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in 2012, also known as Rio+20, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) were created here, and the blue economy initiative fits under UN SDG 14: Life below water that targets the conservation and sustainable use of oceans, seas, and marine resources. Fishermen in Myanmar harvest seaweed, which is widely used in the food, cosmetics and medical industries. Image by Philip Nalangan via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). What is the value of the blue economy? The global blue economy is currently valued at an estimated $2.5 trillion annually, contributing around 5% of the world&#8217;s gross domestic product (GDP) – numbers that are expected to rise in the coming&hellip;This article was originally published on <a href="https://india.mongabay.com/2025/04/what-is-blue-economy-explainer/" data-wpel-link="internal">Mongabay</a>]]>
						</content:encoded>
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