Category: Agriculture

The Moon River: People’s Story of Chenab
Agriculture · Chenab · Fish Sanctuaries · Groundwater · Hydropower · Indus

The Moon River: People’s Story of Chenab

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Chenab, which translates as the Moon River is the largest of the five tributaries of River Indus. It flows for about 974 kilometers from the High Himalayas of Lahaul to the forests of Jammu and Kashmir and onto the plains of Pakistan. Its main tributaries in India include Miyar, Marusudhar and Tawi. In the vast plains of Punjab in Pakistan, it is met by Jhelum, Ravi and Sutlej to form the mighty Panjnad before it meets the Indus. Its catchment, spread across 67,430 km2, is shared between the two countries.

Chenab is Chandrabhaga (Crescent Moon) in its headwaters. It was the River Asikni in Rigveda, and the Acesines for the ancient Greek. From sparse mountain settlements of Lahaul to the bustling urban centers of Sialkot, more than 10 million people live and prosper along the Chenab. Hydropower projects operational and under constructions on the river have an installed capacity of more than 5000 MW (Central Electricity Authority 2024), and its canals irrigate hundreds of thousands of acres in Pakistan and India (Shakir et al).

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World Water Day 2025: Positive Farmer Efforts in India 
Agriculture · Groundwater · Water

World Water Day 2025: Positive Farmer Efforts in India 

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(Feature Image: Horticulture cultivation in Punjab records a 42% increase in area and four-fold increase in produce value in a decade. Source: Express File Photo)

Aiming to advocate sustainable management of freshwater resources, the day of March 22 is annually celebrated as World Water Day across the world since 1993. The theme for this year’s 33rd such event is Glacier Preservation. Since agriculture sector is biggest user of surface as well as groundwater, SANDRP marks the day by presenting top ten reports which highlight the water efficient practices being adopted by farmers and some of these also being supported by the governments in India during 2024. 

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Paddy farming in times of climate change – field notes – A sequel
Agriculture · Climate Change · Kerala

Paddy farming in times of climate change – field notes – A sequel

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Guest Article by Dr. Sreeja KG and Dr. Madhusoodhanan CG

Climate change and its impacts in the tropics are changing the once familiar landscapes, once certain weather patterns, once secure living spaces beyond recognition. The disasters that can be as local as a tidal surge to national level episodes of cyclones, wildfires and massive floods are being managed in the same administrative mode as has been the practice during the more forgiving past: without training, without relevant real time information, without involvement of the communities and often merely with the strong will and dedication of the field staff and local volunteers. With events far in between, episodic and with time to recoup, we have been spared total and irrevocable breakdown of the system and society. But for how long?

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Barmecide Feast – The Problems in Production and Sale of the Produce of Organic Agriculture
Agriculture

Barmecide Feast – The Problems in Production and Sale of the Produce of Organic Agriculture

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Guest Blog by: Subhadra Khaperde and Ananya Mukerji

Agriculture in India directly or indirectly provides livelihoods to 60 percent of the population and so the problems of this sector are most relevant for the overall development of the country and have to be effectively addressed. Especially in distress are the small and marginal farmers who have less than 2 hectares of land and constitute 85% of all farm households (Agricultural Census, 2016).

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Paddy farming in times of climate change – field notes
Agriculture · Climate Change · Kerala

Paddy farming in times of climate change – field notes

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Guest Article by Dr. Sreeja KG and Dr. Madhusoodhanan CG

January 6, 2021– An unexpected turn of the weather in the afternoon. Rain clouds gathered from the east and a sudden downpour that lasted through the evening. Heady smells of slaked earth and a welcome respite to the day’s heat. The joy of the surprise shower overshadowed by the worry of harvested paddy in gunny sacks stacked on the field bunds. The paddy which had dried to the satisfaction of the procurement agency’s rigorous moisture tests, is now again wet. Drying it will be an added, unforeseen expense.

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Agriculture Reform Rhetoric or Unbridled Capitalist Accumulation?
Agriculture

Agriculture Reform Rhetoric or Unbridled Capitalist Accumulation?

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Guest Article by Rahul Banerjee

The agricultural scientist MS Swaminathan is not liked by many of the conservationists, but it may be useful to quote him since he has also great acceptability among the official circles. He had warned about the various implications of energy, capital and chemical intensive monoculture agriculture. We did not address them then and we are not addressing them now even as the debate is raging on the agriculture reforms with farmers justifiably on the doorsteps of the National capital.

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2020 pre-monsoon rains, hails hit Uttarakhand farmers hard
Agriculture · Dams

2020 pre-monsoon rains, hails hit Uttarakhand farmers hard

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The hilly state of Uttarakhand has been witnessing severe weather conditions for most of April and first week of May 2020. The repeated incidents of rainfall, snowfall, and hailstorm have hit the mountain farmers hard.

Snow, rain, hailstorm destroys cash and food crops

On April 14, 2020 the Yamuna and Ganga valley faced severe hailstorm affecting horticulture produce of apple, apricot, peach, plum, pear and vegetable crops including tomato, potato, peas and food grain crops wheat, pluses and corns in Naugaon, Badkot, Chinyalisoud, Bhilangna area of Uttarkashi, Ghansali, Pratap Nagar, Jakhnidhar areas of Tehri and Dhumakot region of Pouri.

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Water-Environment Sectors disappointment in Budget 2020
Agriculture · Climate Change · Economy · Water

Water-Environment Sectors disappointment in Budget 2020

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The Water & Environment sector, including the Agriculture, Environment & Forests, Urban Development, Ganga and & Other Rivers, Water Resources Ministry, Rural Employment Program and Rural Drinking Water Mission, seems to have seen disappointment from the allocations in Union Budget 2020-21 presented by the Union Finance Minister Smt Nirmala Seetharaman to the Parliament on Feb 1, 2020, most independent observers have concluded. The Budget has proposed some welcome measures in solar power and rural infrastructure sector. But on the whole, considering the situation in Water Sector & Climate Change impacts already upon us, and considering the various statements from the government, these sectors have not received the priority they deserve. Continue reading “Water-Environment Sectors disappointment in Budget 2020” →

ECONOMIC SURVEY 2020: WHERE IS THE GROUND REALITY?
Agriculture · Water

ECONOMIC SURVEY 2020: WHERE IS THE GROUND REALITY?

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One of the key objective of the Economic Survey is to provide an accurate account of ground realities on various aspects affecting the Economy of the country and also what has the govt been doing to address the issues that such an account throws up. From a look at the key issues that SANDRP focuses on, it seems that the Economic Survey for 2019-20 that was released on January 31, 2020 does not even attempt to provide an account of the ground realities. Continue reading “ECONOMIC SURVEY 2020: WHERE IS THE GROUND REALITY?” →

44% above normal rainfall in Oct 2019 creates hopes for Rabi, Disaster for Kharif crops at many places
Agriculture · Disasters · Rainfall

44% above normal rainfall in Oct 2019 creates hopes for Rabi, Disaster for Kharif crops at many places

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The Oct 2019 rainfall all over India was 109.7 mm, 44% above normal expected rainfall of 76 mm, following 53% above normal in Sept 2019. The rainfall this month has been unusual and has had some major impacts. One of the reasons has been that the SW monsoon withdrawal continued well into Oct 2019, when it almost always gets over by the end of Sept. There were also several cyclonic circulations and depressions mostly from Arabian sea. Continue reading “44% above normal rainfall in Oct 2019 creates hopes for Rabi, Disaster for Kharif crops at many places” →