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Kerala unveils plans to tackle climate risks to agriculture
Kerala has recently released the Climate-Resilient and Energy-Efficient Agriculture (CREEA) report that aims to protect its agriculture from extreme weather events through developing an inclusive, low‑carbon farm economy that keeps smallholders at the center of climate action.
The report presents five strategies that include Integration and Convergence Planning, Risk and Emergency Planning, Climate-Resilient Farming Systems, Net-Zero Agriculture and Energy Efficiency, and Capacity Building and outlines steps to reduce the carbon footprint of farming and improve resilience to climate change.
A key feature of the report involves plans to establish K-CRAIL (Kerala Climate-Resilient Agriculture Innovation Labs) at the level of the panchayat, block, and district levels to evaluate and promote sustainable farming practices, micro-irrigation, and resilient crops. The first labs are expected to come up in Alappuzha, Palakkad, and Wayanad by early 2026.
The report also emphasises the need to create farmer seed and bioresource networks to protect indigenous crops and establish community seed banks to promote sustainable agriculture practices. An AI-powered risk-mapping platform will also be created as apart of the initiative to help farmers make informed decisions based on real-time weather, crop, and market data (Mongabay, India).
Farmers in Maharashtra revive an ancient grain known for its climate resilience and health benefits
Farmers in Jalgaon are reviving an ancient grain — Emmer wheat, locally known as Khapli gehu (Triticum dicoccon Schrank), a wheat variety that was once used as a staple by people from Maharashtra. Known for its climate resilience and health benefits, it is now being grown by both seasoned cultivators and a new generation of growers.
Jalgaon district, in northwestern Maharashtra, receives an average annual rainfall of around 690 mm, from June to September, and the region often grapples with droughts, heatwaves, and erratic rainfall. While the region mainly grows cotton and bananas, wheat also holds an important place in the local agricultural landscape.
It all started when Vaishali Patil, a farmer from Jalgaon, obtained a few seeds from the Agharkar Research Institute’s agricultural farm in Baramati in December 2018 and planted them on two acres of her land. Within three years, she successfully expanded the cultivation to 20 acres. This news rapidly spread through krishi melas (farmers fair) and local media and enterprising farmers are now taking up plantation of this wheat variety through seed banks (Mongabay, India).
Rajasthan village joins hands to revive its degraded sacred grove
Sacred groves referred to as Orans across Rajasthan have rapidly degraded in recent years due to encroachment and so called development in the name of land reforms where forests were put in the revenue category and Oran lands were marked for agriculture and mining.
The sacred grove Chudasidh Adavad near Sirawas in Rajasthan's Alwar district too was hit by such destruction. The Oran used to have two drains that irrigated rabi crops, but the drains gradually degraded and the land was soon overrun by Prosipis julifora, an invasive weed, and native grasses and plants in the Oran vanished.
Krishi Avam Paristhitiki Vikas Sansthan (KRAPAVIS), an organisation working on protection of sacred groves in Rajasthan, decided to work on the Oran along with the community in 2009-10. Eight to ten loose-boulder check dams to arrest soil erosion and retain rainwater were created in the Oran. Native grass was also planted in around 4 hectare area of the Oran, followed by the creation of a pond, planting of native grasses and trees.
A village committee was formed that took over the management of the Oran and the work of reviving the Oran cost Rs 60 lakh, of which the community gave 25 percent and the rest was facilitated by KRAPAVIS.
The forest now boasts of 3,420 plants, including fruiting trees like date palm, fig, Indian gooseberry, lemon and pomegranate. The water in the ponds and check dams is often used by farmers for irrigating their crops. A range of animals and birds populate the Oran (Down To Earth).
Study maps microplastic contamination of Mumbai’s urban mangroves
A study that conducted an analysis of the sediments of six mangroves along the Mumbai metropolitan region has found widespread microplastic pollution in six mangrove zones surrounding the metropolitan area. The study found that the average microplastic particles in every kilogram of dry sediment were alarmingly high at 6,730. Fibers accounted for more than half of the microplastics found while others included tiny plastic particles about the diameter of human hair and transparent particles.
The highest concentration of microplastics was found in the mangroves of Versova which was found to be linked to inadequate waste management and contamination due to urban runoff. Sewri had the lowest, but still alarming levels of contamination.
Microplastics can spell doom for the mangrove ecosystems as they can build up in the bodies of organisms that inhabit the bottom of the waters that harbour the mangrove ecosystems and may move up in the food chain, through seafood and harm human health. The study recommends regular monitoring, efficient waste management, and a reduction in plastic manufacturing and collaboration between communities and policymakers to develop effective conservation strategies (SIGMAEARTH).
New method detects toxic blue green algae before they bloom
Researchers at the University of Birmingham have found a new method that involves advanced mass spectrometry to detect harmful toxin producing blue-green algae in freshwater lakes – before they bloom to release toxins and do any damage to the lake ecology and public health.
Blue-green algae (cyanobacteria) are micro-organisms commonly found in ponds, lakes, and oceans worldwide and under favourable conditions such as adequate sunlight and nutrient rich waters, they can form huge "blooms" that appear like green slime covering the surface of the water. Although these blooms are extremely effective at carbon capture and oxygen production, certain varieties produce toxins that are harmful to aquatic life, animals and humans.
The new approach focused on the blue component of the blue-green algae. The researchers noticed that the blue component of the blue green algae differed in size between different cyanobacterial species. This enabled them to discriminate between blue green algae that produces toxins and those that do not (Phys.org)
This is a roundup of news updates from July 16, 2025 to July 31, 2025. Read our policy updates here