Research Papers

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Predicted impacts of droughts on agriculture and food production
The paper presents the findings of a study that attempted to estimate the effect of rainfall on the supply and demand sides of agricultural commodities, and their implications on prices. Posted on 12 Apr, 2015 10:56 PM

Climate change has been predicted to create increasing risks for the agricultural sector thus inversely affecting agricultural production and farm incomes in India. These risks have already manifested in the form of increasing intensity and extent of droughts, floods, temperature rise and fall, and other calamities in the country.

Severe droughts (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Constructed wetlands as a cost effective cleaning option
Water treated using constructed wetlands before being used for irrigation can be a suitable and cost effective option to prevent possible human health risks Posted on 25 Mar, 2015 01:18 PM

Hyderabad, which is India's fourth largest city, has a population of almost 7 million. The Musi river, originating from the Anantagiri hills, divides the city into north and south. The River flows through the city and joins the Krishna in Nalgonda.

Musi river (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Punjab's groundwater crisis: A bye product of the govt's short sighted policies?
As long as electricity is improperly priced and farmers get the MSP for rice, they will not take up maize cultivation. This will lead to further deterioration of groundwater. Posted on 23 Mar, 2015 05:26 PM

Punjab has made great progress in grain production following the technological revolution in agriculture in the 1960s. The state achieved this through subsidised use of high yielding variety seeds, fertilisers and irrigation.

Farmer in Punjab (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Can Madurai's dying tanks be revived?
Yes, say the authors, but not before these tanks are recognized in a manner befitting their past glory: as prized resources that provided water to the city even though it had no perennial rivers. Posted on 19 Mar, 2015 09:34 PM

Madurai, Tamil Nadu's second largest city, is now filled with buildings and roads which are eating into its age old network of tanks and canals. This change did not happen overnight. It began in the late 19th century by the British when they merged several hamlets to establish their headquarters in the region.

A tank on the outskirts of Madurai, Tamil Nadu
Slow poisoning of the Harike wetland
Considered a Ramsar site since 1990, the Harike wetland in Punjab is on the verge of a serious crisis, as contamination of its waters from effluents has reached critical levels. Posted on 09 Mar, 2015 09:58 PM

Known as "Hari-ke-Pattan", this wetland is the largest in the Tarn Taran Sahib district of the Punjab in northern India and has the Harike Lake in its deeper part [1]. Its rich biodiversity plays an important role in maintaining the hydrological balance in the catchment area. It also supports a vast range of migratory birds including a number of globally threatened species [1].

Harike wetland (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
World's only floating freshwater lake under threat
Evidence shows that the Loktak lake in Manipur, famous for its floating heterogenous masses of vegetation, is getting more and more polluted. Posted on 06 Mar, 2015 11:02 PM

The Loktak lake in Manipur is the largest freshwater lake in Northeast India. It is famous for the phumdis, which are isolated collections of heterogenous masses of vegetation, soil, and organic matter at various stages of decomposition, floating over it [1]. It is referred to as the only floating lake in the world because of the phumdis [2].

View of Loktak lake (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Kashmir's lake fisheries are dying a slow death
The decline of local species, aggressive promotion of species such as carp, and emphasis on tourism have led to a decline in fish production in Kashmir's Dal and Wular lakes. Posted on 06 Mar, 2015 10:33 PM

Fisheries form an important component of the economy of Jammu and Kashmir, which along with agriculture, contributes a significant 23% to its Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP). Besides being an important allied activity to agriculture, it contributes significantly to the agricultural economy and also generates self-employment.

View of the Wular Lake (Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Coliform contamination and cholera: Deciphering the connection
Cholera, a possibly life threatening infection, spreads through water and food contaminated with feces. So, how hard is it to contain or prevent the infection? Posted on 02 Mar, 2015 05:34 PM

Vibrio cholerae is responsible for 100,000 -120,000 deaths annually, worldwide. [1] Commonly found in ponds, rivers and brackish areas, the bacterium finds its way into humans through contaminated food and water. And the result?

Water contaminated with plastics and more
Empowered TN fisherfolk challenge urbanisation
Should a fishing hamlet be lost to an elevated Beach Expressway? No!, say the fisherfolk of Olcott and Odai Kuppam who claim their rights over coastal commons using community self-mapping. Posted on 24 Feb, 2015 11:52 AM

Rapid urbanisation in various forms is set to transform the coastline of Tamil Nadu as real estate, infrastructure, tourism, and urban beautification plans are in full swing. Fisherfolk, whose everyday life and survival is rooted in the commons, are at the centre of these processes of coastal urbanisation.

Fishermen launching their boat into the sea
Family farming as an alternative to tackle hunger and poverty
With multiple advantages over corporate farming, family farming can play an important role in achieving food security through sustainable agricultural practices. Posted on 21 Feb, 2015 09:34 PM

By declaring 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming, a lot of attention was focussed on the contribution of small farms, and the role of the families involved in it in eradicating hunger and poverty.

A farmer couple ploughing their fields
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