Research Papers

India’s food systems in transition
A recent book looks at solutions to the various obstacles that impede India’s various food sub-systems. Amita Bhaduri posted 1 year 5 months ago

A recent book ‘Transforming Food Systems for a Rising India’ by the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition (TCI) at Cornell University provides a detailed assessment of the major paradoxes of the Indian growth story.
Organic food (Image: P L Tandon, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Whose forests, whose rights?
While forest bureaucracy has been trying to undermine reforms in forest governance in India, the need for community level forest governance is more urgent than ever. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 1 year 5 months ago

India’s forest sector, at crossroads
Mangar Bani, a green patch between Faridabad and Gurgaon (Image: Pradip Krishen, Facebook)
Karnataka farmers cope as wells fail
A study looks at how households adapt to slow-moving environmental changes such as groundwater depletion. Amita Bhaduri posted 1 year 5 months ago

Like in many parts of India, Karnataka’s groundwater is a vital source of irrigation water, but has been depleted by a combination of a prolonged, multi-year drought and intensive extraction. Worsening agro-climatic and environmental conditions are threatening the incomes of smallholder farmers and hampering the continued progress in poverty eradication.
An irrigation well at Randullabad, Maharashtra (Image source: India Water Portal on Flickr; Image used for representational purposes only)
Groundwater variability: The tale of two states
Gujarat shows good groundwater storage while Rajasthan shows severe groundwater depletion, inspite of both states in western India receiving good rainfall. Why is this so? Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 1 year 5 months ago

India, a groundwater stressed country
Groundwater decline in India (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Is zero budget natural farming the way forward?
Zero budget natural farming can lead to huge savings in fertiliser subsidy, says study Amita Bhaduri posted 1 year 5 months ago

A recent study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water offers insights into Zero Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) vis-à-vis its effect on the economics of agriculture in Andhra Pradesh.
Alternative agriculture practice called zero-budget natural farming being popularised in Andhra Pradesh by Rythu Sadhikara Samstha, Government of Andhra Pradesh (Image: Council on Energy, Environment and Water)
Aerosols and droughts: Is there a connection?
A study finds that high levels of aerosols in the atmosphere further worsen the impacts of El Nino on the rainfall leading to increased frequency of droughts in India. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 1 year 5 months ago

Droughts are becoming common in India
The role of aerosols in triggering droughts (Image Source: IWP flickr photos)
Micro-irrigation and groundwater use
A study from Gujarat finds that micro-irrigation combined with metered power led to a reduction in uncontrolled groundwater extraction by farmers. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 1 year 6 months ago

Agriculture the largest consumer of groundwater in India
Micro-irrigation and its impact on groundwater (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Trading in virtual water
A study highlights the need to scale down the export of rice, maize, buffalo meat and other items to conserve groundwater in India. Amita Bhaduri posted 1 year 6 months ago

The recent trade war between the United States and China was, among other things, about virtual water - the hidden water in products. Producing anything, whether it is soyabean or clothes, uses water, and has a water footprint.
A farmer uses a hosepipe to irrigate crops at her farm in Nilgiris mountains, Tamil Nadu (Image: Hamish John Appleby for IWMI, Flickr Commons, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Replacing rice will improve India’s climate resilience
A study calls for solutions that can benefit farmers and the environment and positively impact India's nutrition indicators. Amita Bhaduri posted 1 year 6 months ago

A new study finds that introducing coarse cereals such as millet and sorghum could improve India’s national food supply in many ways.
Rice field in Karnataka (Image: Guldem Ustun, Flickr Commons, CC BY 2.0)
India’s tryst with climate change
Dr. Aradhana Yaduvanshi, a hydro meteorologist at WOTR, talks to us about what current research on global warming shows, and possible adaptation and coping mechanisms. Aarti Kelkar Khambete posted 1 year 6 months ago

Global warming has given rise to unprecedented extreme events such as cyclones, floods, heatwaves and droughts in India. Why are these threats increasing?
Flooding in Mumbai during the monsoons (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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