Research Papers

A fluttering butterfly or a dashing cheetah immediately bring vivid images to mind. Does the image of a plant stir us as much? Are we as fascinated watching a flower bloom? Probably not. Maybe that’s why there is such a large focus on endangered animals and birds and not so much on plant species that are dying out.

This study of performance of indigenous varieties of rice under conventional and SRI practices was commissioned by National Consortiumof SRI (NCS) to assess and document the experiences of various organizations and farmers in regard to the on-site yield performances of IPVs under the SRI.

To reach a consensus on the well being of districts across the country, 2 indexes have been calculated using the per capita expenditure as a surrogate for incomes in this report that include:

Well Being Index (WBI): Measures the well being of an individual household

This article published in the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems includes a collation of traditional household water purification methods practised by rural communities in developing countries.

There is a palpable sense of a looming water crisis in India. Conflicts across competing users and uses are on the rise. In the irrigation sector, it is widely felt that “paucity of resources and poor performance of existing major and medium irrigation systems are the two main problems”(1).

In this technique, transparent containers are filled with contaminated water and placed in direct sunlight for at least 6 h, after which time it becomes safe to drink. This simple, straightforward disinfection method that utilises the abundant, freely available sunlight is low cost, easy to use and sustainable.

Environmental degradation & climate change have induced human mobility by creating environmental migrants.

There is no scientific basis for rejecting these record yields in Bihar as a ‘hoax,’ because there is considerable evidence available that confirms the reported yields. Saying that the Indian government could not confirm the yield *after* the harvest is obviously correct, but it is a mistaken assertion.

As a result of rapid urbanisation, majority of migrated population is forced to settle in places which are not legally recognised by state authorities. These areas thus lack in basic services like water supply and sewerage. Consequently, the slum dwellers often resort to illegal methods to avail these services.