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Rainfed Agriculture
Public support to food security in India, Brazil and South Africa – Elements for a policy dialogue – A working paper by International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth
Posted on 21 Jul, 2011 08:52 AMTogether, India, Brazil and South Africa have about 20 per cent of the world’s population. Although the three countries have demonstrated the potential for transformative development in the South, their experience has been marked by key challenges such as relatively high levels of poverty, inequality and food insecurity, problems that persist for significant numbers of people.
There is a potential to build a network of academics and experts from Brazil, India and South Africa, and food security is among the themes of great interest. This paper seeks to contribute to this process by examining pertinent elements of policy dialogue. As regards food security, each of these countries has developed conceptions and orientations that guide their policy agendas. They include distinctive treatments of several multi-dimensional strategies, multi-stakeholder arrangements and rights-based approaches.
Protect soil and water by Zero Budget Natural Farming
Posted on 12 Jul, 2011 04:12 PM. It protects and nourishes the soil. It also saves the water and enriches the ground water reserves.
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The Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development in consultations with the National Rainfed Area Authority issue revised guidelines on the inclusion of forest areas under the Integrated Wasteland Management Program - PIB release
Posted on 12 Jul, 2011 10:41 AMArticle courtesy: Press Information Bureau
As per the modifications in Para IX of the common guidelines for Watershed Development Projects, 2008, in the multi tier approach, it has been proposed that there would be a multi tier ridge to valley sequenced approach which should be adopted towards the implementation of the Watershed Development Projects.
Measures to mitigate agrarian distress in Idukki district of Kerala : A study report by MSSRF
Posted on 10 Jul, 2011 07:38 PMAlthough Idukki is generally perceived as a ‘spices district’ and a ‘plantation crop district’, about 95 per cent of the farmers here are small with tribal farmers constituting a substantial component. Public investment in agriculture in this district is very poor and this hampers agricultural progress and rural livelihoods in many ways.
As a result of high cost of production of major crops and its volatile prices, small farmers who constitute the majority of the farming population have accumulated debt burden exceeding 700 crores. More than eighty per cent of this debt is due to crop loans to small and marginal farmers.
The recommendations in this report are made after giving due consideration to ongoing programmes and resources being made available thereof. These are mainly focused on the small, marginal and tribal farmers and other economically disadvantaged sections. The stress is on sustainability of agricultural production systems and strengthening the regional ecology.
Optimal water resource management in water stress condition : A Newsletter of AFPRO Volume 2, Issue 2 of July 2011
Posted on 07 Jul, 2011 11:29 AMSmall and marginal farmers are most affected from water stress situations, and need simple, sustainable and effective measures for water conservation and management.
Why India is losing its war on hunger – A case study by Oxfam
Posted on 29 Jun, 2011 08:50 AMThe paper argues that the country needs urgent action to protect the universal right to food, prioritize land reforms, and sustainably revive agrarian productivity.
India is home to a quarter of the world’s hungry people. Since the green revolution, the country has produced enough to feed itself, but it has not yet been able to wipe out mass hunger, which haunts the landscape of the countryside and lurks in the narrow alleys of urban slums.
Currently, 40 per cent of the population is malnourished – a decrease of only 10 per cent over the past three decades. Poor families, who spend more than 60 per cent of their incomes on food, are increasingly struggling to stretch their meagre household budgets. Unfortunately, small farmers have not benefited from high retail prices either, as they usually receive far less for their produce. In fact in the past 15 years, in an unprecedented wave, a quarter of a million farmers crippled by debt have chosen to commit suicide.
Challenges of food security and its management: A position paper by the National Rainfed Area Authority
Posted on 28 Jun, 2011 08:07 AMThe paper also discusses their future potential and possible impact on national food security of diversification into non-PDS, fruits, vegetables and other commercial crops. This kind of analysis is likely to help planners and policy makers in choosing appropriate policy framework in evolving the strategies for enacting and operationalization of Food Security Act.
With increase in population, income and urbanization, the demand for food grains has also increased and diversified. Although there has been more than four-fold increase in food grain production from 1950-51 (50.82 mt) to 2008-09 (233.88 mt), a large section of our population continues to suffer from malnutrition and inadequacy of food grains. On the other hand degradation of land, water and other natural resources have started impacting production through increased biotic and abiotic stresses.
Release of the latest issue of The Hindu's annual publication - Survey of Indian Agriculture 2010
Posted on 27 Jun, 2011 12:41 PMThe survey aims to cover major crops and suggestions to farmers on how to take preventive steps to avoid yield loss. There will also be a special article on improvement in living conditions of the rural people.
Contents
Section-1
Overview:
Enhancing the disaster resilience of agriculture
Prof. M.S. Swaminathan
Drought:
Preparedness to face drought challenges
Dr. V. Rajagopal
Impacts of climate change on growth and yield of rice and wheat in the Upper Ganga Basin – A study by Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Posted on 26 Jun, 2011 01:51 PMThis report presents the results based on climate change scenarios and identifies potential adaptation strategies. The study is part of the ‘Climate Change Impacts on Freshwater Ecosystems in the Himalayas’ (CCIFEH) project, a joint initiative of WWF-India and WWF-Nepal, supported by WWF-Netherlands and aims to study and understand climate change impacts on freshwater ecosystems, livelihoods and the economy.
Change in climate conditions and the frequency of natural disasters in recent times has made it imperative to find lasting adaptation solutions for the agriculture sector. Given that almost 60 per cent of the country’s population relies on this sector for its livelihood and that it contributes approximately 15.7 per cent of India’s GDP, an analysis of changes which could impact crop yields and subsequently lead to an instable food security scenario is necessary.