No country for regulation – of genetically engineered crops
India’s seed market hides a sea of illegality, which keeps rearing its ugly head every once in a while. The discovery of genetically modified (GM) brinjal in a Haryana farmer’s…
Villages News
[Commentary] Biodiversity heritage sites could turn out to be a lifeline for India’s conservation efforts
There are many varied spaces -- sacred groves, industrial complexes, national level institutes, village commons, universities, defence lands, temple premises, urban parks -- that have one thread in common. They…
Five Kochi buildings to be razed down for CRZ violations
A gentle breeze nudges the leaves of a solitary mangrove tree struggling to find foothold along the banks of the Kochi backwaters near northern Maradu in Kerala’s port city. It's…
Fixing agriculture a decade after cyclone Aila: A farmer recollects
It has been a decade since Cyclone Aila ravaged the Bay of Bengal. But paddy farmer Tapan Mondal, is wary of growing legumes and watermelon in the still-recovering soil of…
Traditional knowledge to the rescue in water scarcity-hit Assam
Sometimes, particularly during monsoons, the day starts around 4 a.m., earlier than usual, for Rati Ranjan Mondal in Assam’s Nagrijuli village on the Indo-Bhutan border. Mondal wakes up, after a…
[Video] How ‘green’ are India’s elections?
India has been trying to make the ongoing national elections more environment-friendly by cutting down on the amount of single-use plastics. However, the election campaigns have painted most roads with…
Narmada, the forgotten river, is not on anyone’s agenda
Sanjaybhai Machhi, 33, a resident of Bharuch in Gujarat, was a fisherman until a few years ago. He would earn enough from fishing in the Narmada river, to sustain his…
Nature and tribal welfare takes a back seat during the elections in the Nilgiris
One of the most biodiverse regions of the Western Ghats, the Nilgiris (the blue mountains) comprise a range of ecosystems including dry deciduous forests at its base, dense evergreen forests…
[Video] From UP to Delhi, polluted Hindon river is affecting the health of many
The deteriorating water quality of the Hindon river in Uttar Pradesh has made it a health hazard for many of the local residents, who claim there has been a surge…
Report pitches for ‘urban-rural’ links, innovations to transform rural areas
As rural economy and the festering agricultural crisis take centre stage ahead of India's general elections, the 2019 Global Food Policy report advocates revitalising rural areas underpinned by symbiotic rural and urban…
