Low-cost, eco-friendly farming offers hope
In eastern Uttar Pradesh, the examples set by several women farmers, working on small farms and helped by the Gorakhpur Environment Action Group (GEAG), has inspired several others.
In eastern Uttar Pradesh, the examples set by several women farmers, working on small farms and helped by the Gorakhpur Environment Action Group (GEAG), has inspired several others.
These encouraging efforts have been initiated by SRIJAN, a voluntary organization, as a part of a wider project called BIWAL for promoting sustainable development in the villages of Bundelkhand region. BIWAL’s model combining water conservation and natural farming has given a newfound strength to many farmers and rural communities.
Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav has alleged that the BJP government has made agriculture an unprofitable proposition.
As per the United Nations report the global population is set to reach nearly ten billion marks by 2050 for which food production must increase by 70 percent. But due to erosion and today’s climate crisis, the world has already lost one-third of its cropland in the last 40 years, making the practice of traditional agriculture a challenge.
The proposal of the Tribal Affairs Department includes the establishment of two Common Facility Centres (CFCs) at an estimated cost of Rs 10 crore.
Agroforestry is derived from two words: agriculture and forestry. It is a farming system that integrates crops or livestock with trees and shrubs.
The Prime Minister addressed a Natural Farming Conclave via video conferencing. The conclave, organised in Gujarat's Surat witnessed the participation of thousands of farmers and all stakeholders who have made the adoption of natural farming in Surat a success story.
He said that a fund of Rs 82.83 crore has been approved for this by the Central government for 35 districts of the state under the centrally-funded scheme of Bharatiya Prakritik Krishi Paddhati.
As the number of food consumers was much larger than the number of corn farmers, Mexico’s government decided in favour of joining NAFTA. Soon over a million farmers were driven off their land and the rush of displaced farmers to cities also led to fall in industrial wages. What was worse, even promises made regarding cheaper food to consumers were not fulfilled. Instead of declining, the price of staple food increased steeply.
Studies indicate that soil in tropical regions has a poorer Carbon retention as compared to the temperate region. Stubble burning, scientifically, adds to this carbon content, but results in increased air pollution in the atmosphere.
