In north India's Himachal Pradesh state, farmers see better profits with global retailers

Rubber grown with tea? It's being tried in India

 India's Rubber Board has begun trial cultivation of rubber with tea in the eastern state of West Bengal to change  the perception that rubber is harmful to environment and other crops cannot be grown in rubber gardens.

Groundwater irrigation actually reduces poverty in India

Aditi Mukherji, a social scientist with the International Water Management Institute, New Delhi, has just won the first Norman Borlaug Award for field research and application, given by the World Food Prize Foundation, for her work on usage of groundwater in agriculture. Her research has led to policy changes in West Bengal, benefiting thousands of farmers. She tells Saira Kurup that if these new policies are properly implemented, Mamata's state may well see a second Green Revolution. Excerpts:
 

India's ONGC to spend $2.7 billion to drill 480 wells in 2012-13

Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) will spend about $2.7 billion to drill 480 wells in 2012-13 (till Match 31), the most in the past 17 years, as India's biggest oil and gas explorer battles concern over its production capabilities and diminishing yields at its ageing oil fields.
 

Indian state aims to become fully organic by 2015

The northeastern Indian state of Sikkim, which started eco-friendly farming from a small area of land about a decade ago, is set to become a fully organic state by 2015, a senior state official has said.

Indian farmers bet on mobile advisory for crop sowing

Atul Bharve, a farmer from Marathwada district in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, says a mobile phone message saved him from crop losses this year. When monsoon was delayed, he sent an SMS to Nokia Life Tools - a text message-based information service-seeking advice on what to cultivate and was promptly advised to focus on fodder. "When the rains didn't arrive in early June, I panicked. But that crucial SMS from Nokia was a lifeline of sorts for my family," says Bharve.

Let's farm along with nature, not against it

There are many reasons to feel proud to be an Indian; the Western Ghats should definitely be one of those reasons, especially for those who love nature. Along the west coast of India lies one of the world's great tropical forests and biodiversity hotspots. Kalidasa had likened these ranges to a comely young maiden, her head near Kanyakumari and feet near river Tapti.

In India, looking up to the sun

 India's pilgrim centres, industries, learning centres and other

institutions are increasingly looking to the sky for tapping solar energy
for their kitchens that cater to thousands on a day-to-day basis. A look
at the green move by M.A. Siraj

Indian woman farmer extracts record oilpalm yield from a hectate

Whatever the crop, it is the price that matters to Indian farmers. “Getting a good price is essential for a farmer and especially for those growing crops like oilpalm, the price to a large extent depends on the international market over which we may not have much control. 

A Indian tool that educates consumers on energy efficiency

Losing your cool over your air-conditioner blowing a hole in your monthly budget? India's Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE), which provides the
legal framework for the power ministry's energy saving initiatives, has put out an AC energy calculator on its website, www.SaveEnergy.co.in, and has launched an 'AC Power Saver' application for smartphones.