Rainfed Agriculture

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Gulam Mustafa with the rice planter. (Photo by Gurvinder Singh)
Thursday, 14 March 2019 15:55
Smart farming changes farms, fortunes in Bengal
Farmers of West Bengal are resorting to rice transplanters and zero tiller machines to save water and labour cost and to increase productivity.
Nikhil Bagdi at his paddy field. (Photo: Gurvinder Singh)
Friday, 14 December 2018 22:02
No water in the rice bowl
Thousands of farmers in Bardhaman district, known as the rice bowl of West Bengal, are suffering huge losses due to the shortage of water.
India will see more droughts in the future. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Thursday, 13 December 2018 12:25
Dealing with droughts
There are many reasons why we see more droughts in India these days. Here is all the information that you need to know droughts better.
An off-taking canal that promoted flow irrigation. The system has become a relic of the past. There is a demand to revive this colonial irrigation system whose bund is over 17-km long and has 28 distributaries. (Image: India Water Portal)
Tuesday, 11 December 2018 13:17
A future without water?
Once abundant with water, Sikri village is fighting a losing battle to meet its water needs.
A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
Saturday, 3 November 2018 8:33
The unique Himalayan wetlands
The Himalayan wetlands are under threat due to unregulated urbanisation and unsustainable tourism. Urgent attention at the policy level is the need of the hour.
Dr Ashwani Pareek and his team that developed the rice. (Photo: ISW)
Monday, 29 October 2018 10:44
New sturdy rice variety developed
Scientists develop transgenic rice that can grow under high salinity and drought.
  • Understanding water footprint of cereals in India
    India has the highest national freshwater demand globally and 91 percent of our freshwater is used in the agriculture sector. Cereals account for over 50 percent of the dietary water footprint in India and represent a potential opportunity for reducing water use in Indian agriculture. After the gree...
    Amita Bhaduriposted 2 weeks 1 day agoread more
  • IMD predicts near-normal monsoon this year
    India could witness near-normal monsoon this season: IMD The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that this year, the rainfall in the four-month season from June to September is likely to be 96 percent of the 50-year average of 89 cm with a model error of +/-5 percent. As per IMD, th...
    swatiposted 4 weeks 23 hours agoread more
  • DDA allows waste dumping on Yamuna floodplains
    DDA allocates 42.5 acre plot on Yamuna floodplains for waste dumping As an alternative dumping site to the oversaturated Ghazipur landfill, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has allocated a 42.5 acre plot, located in the Yamuna floodplains, to the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) to dump...
    swatiposted 1 month 1 week agoread more
  • Bullet train project worries activists
    Activists seek President, PM intervention to protect mangrove trees in Maharashtra Environmental groups Nature Connect and Shree Ekvira Aai Pratishtan (SEAP) have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi to protect 53,465 mangrove trees from destruction by the bull...
    swatiposted 1 month 2 weeks agoread more
  • Could the water towers of Asia be drying up soon?
    The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan. Commonly described as the “water towers for Asia” the HKH are the source of 10 major rivers including the mighty Ganges, Brahmaputra and the Ind...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 1 month 3 weeks agoread more
  • Smart farming changes farms, fortunes in Bengal
    Gulam Mustafa owns around five acres of land at Digalhati Moynaguri village in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. The 34-year-old has switched to “smart farming” to minimise labour cost and water use. Water crisis is a serious problem plaguing the farming community leading to large scale migrat...
    arathiposted 2 months 2 days agoread more
  • Only 31 pc big projects done under AIBP
    In a decade, only a quarter of centrally funded major to medium irrigation schemes completed: Report As per the government's audit report, between 2008-17, only 31 percent of 201 big projects and 71 percent of 11,291 minor schemes have been completed under the accelerated irrigation benefit program...
    swatiposted 2 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • Income support: Budget 2019 showstopper
    The decline in public, as well as private investment, has led to a slowdown in the growth of agriculture and allied sectors in the last five years. The crisis in the agrarian sector had intensified over the last few years. It is now the political talking point with many farmers' rallies, marches and...
    Amita Bhaduriposted 3 months 3 days agoread more
  • Can we gain from changing rains?
    India is undergoing a major transition with changes in rainfall patterns leading to increased frequency of droughts, floods, heat waves amidst fear of a major water crisis in the years to come. Why are these threats increasing? Head of Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Climate Application a...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 3 months 1 week agoread more
  • Budget 2019 allocates income support package for farmers
    Identify farmers for income support scheme: NITI Aayog to states NITI Aayog has ordered all states to identify small and marginal farmers who will receive Rs 2,000 as the first instalment by March-end under the Rs 75,000-crore income support package announced in the budget. Taking note of farmers' ...
    swatiposted 3 months 1 week agoread more
  • Sunderbans tagged under Ramsar Convention
    Indian Sunderbans gets recognition under Ramsar Convention on Wetlands  The Indian side of the Sunderbans has been recognised as the Wetlands of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. After the East Kolkata Wetlands, which got the tag in 2002, Sunderbans has become t...
    swatiposted 3 months 1 week agoread more
  • No water in the rice bowl
    Nikhil Bagdi has attempted suicide twice in the past one month. Fortunately, his neighbours came to his rescue whenever he tried to end his life by hanging from the ceiling of his room. Nikhil lives in Serorai village of Bardhaman district in West Bengal, a little over 120 kilometres from Kolkata.&n...
    arathiposted 5 months 2 days agoread more
  • Dealing with droughts
    Droughts are one of the most feared natural calamities in India impacting food production, the economy as well as the morale of millions of farmers in a country where agriculture is the livelihood of 60 percent of the population. This year too, 255 districts of the country have received deficient o...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 5 months 3 days agoread more
  • A future without water?
    Sikri is a small village that lies 65 km north-west of Bharatpur on the Alwar road. The village used to depend on a traditional irrigation system that assured water throughout the year. A local saying related to the water availability at Sikri goes thus: Lakh daal le chittri, jay rahoongi Sikri ...
    Amita Bhaduriposted 5 months 5 days agoread more
  • How can small farmers' income be increased?
    As per the agricultural statistics of 2014, nearly 430 people depend on farming in India while 263 million people are either farmers or agricultural workers. Farmers are major contributors to the growth of Indian economy and their concerns impact policies in the country.  Nearly 87 percent of ...
    swatiposted 5 months 3 weeks agoread more
  • The unique Himalayan wetlands
    Wetlands are very important and productive ecosystems that support a wide range of plants and animals and provide livelihood opportunities to local communities in India. However, they are increasingly being threatened by rapid urbanisation, pollution, developmental interventions, unsustainable manag...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 6 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • New sturdy rice variety developed
    A group of researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) and University of Illinois have developed transgenic rice that promises to generate high yields even under conditions of high salinity, high temperature and drought. ...
    arathiposted 6 months 2 weeks agoread more
  • ‘Organic farming brought huge profit for me’
    At the age of 70, Renupada Bagdi of Doniapur village in Birbhum district of West Bengal is on a mission to convince his fellow farmers to take up organic farming just like he did a few years ago. He knows from his experience that chemical fertilisers do not yield crops as big companies make it out t...
    arathiposted 6 months 3 weeks agoread more
  • Cyclone Daye triggers widespread rain
    Cyclone causes rain in 18 states; floods, landslides reported in North India A cyclonic storm Daye made its landfall in Odisha on September 21. Although the tropical storm had weakened into a deep depression soon after making landfall, the wind pattern has changed triggering rainfall in Punjab, Har...
    swatiposted 7 months 3 weeks agoread more
  • Desertification: Not just a North Indian problem
    India is highly vulnerable to desertification. Desertification not only leads to loss of biodiversity but can also negatively affect food production leading to poverty, hunger, economic instability, competition for scarce land and water resources and migration. What is desertification? It is a form...
    aarti kelkar kh...posted 9 months 3 days agoread more

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Posted By : Amita Bhaduri
Posted Date : Tue, 2019-04-30 13:05
Changes in cereal production practices can contribute to improved efficiency of water use in India.

India has the highest national freshwater demand globally and 91 percent of our freshwater is used in the agriculture sector. Cereals account for over 50 percent of the dietary water footprint in India and represent a potential opportunity for reducing water use in Indian agriculture. After the green revolution, cereal production shifted from traditional cereals such as millet and sorghum, and towards higher yielding rice and wheat. Cereals are increasingly produced in the winter (rabi) season.

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Authored By :
Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-04-17 12:53
News this week

India could witness near-normal monsoon this season: IMD

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Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Thu, 2019-04-04 06:42
Policy matter this week

DDA allocates 42.5 acre plot on Yamuna floodplains for waste dumping

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Authored By :
Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-03-27 15:15
News this week

Activists seek President, PM intervention to protect mangrove trees in Maharashtra

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Posted By : aarti kelkar kh...
Posted Date : Sun, 2019-03-24 11:03
As climate change and urbanisation threaten water security in the HKH region, there is an urgent need for good water governance.

The Hindu Kush Himalayas (HKH) cover 3500 kms across eight countries namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

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Posted By : arathi
Posted Date : Thu, 2019-03-14 15:55
Farmers of West Bengal are resorting to rice transplanters and zero tiller machines to save water and labour cost and to increase productivity.

Gulam Mustafa owns around five acres of land at Digalhati Moynaguri village in Coochbehar district of West Bengal. The 34-year-old has switched to “smart farming” to minimise labour cost and water use. Water crisis is a serious problem plaguing the farming community leading to large scale migration of farmers to cities and even farmer suicides. 

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Authored By :
Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Wed, 2019-02-27 13:05
News this week

In a decade, only a quarter of centrally funded major to medium irrigation schemes completed: Report

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Posted By : Amita Bhaduri
Posted Date : Mon, 2019-02-11 19:04
Will direct income support boost agriculture and shift focus from country’s food security to farmers’ income security?

The decline in public, as well as private investment, has led to a slowdown in the growth of agriculture and allied sectors in the last five years. The crisis in the agrarian sector had intensified over the last few years. It is now the political talking point with many farmers' rallies, marches and protests being held all over the country. The good news, however, is that this year’s budget has a slew of initiatives for farmers. But will that bring relief to them?

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Posted By : aarti kelkar kh...
Posted Date : Thu, 2019-02-07 12:30
While changing rainfall patterns, increased frequency of cyclones, droughts and floods threaten food and water security in India, adaptation strategies to cope with these changes are crucial.

India is undergoing a major transition with changes in rainfall patterns leading to increased frequency of droughts, floods, heat waves amidst fear of a major water crisis in the years to come. Why are these threats increasing?

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Authored By :
Posted By : swati
Posted Date : Tue, 2019-02-05 18:12
Policy matters this week

Identify farmers for income support scheme: NITI Aayog to states

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