Green, Gene and Evergreen Revolutions: Interesting wordplay
By successfully morphing the popular Green Revolution with the Gene Revolution, proponents of agricultural biotechnology appear to indicate that the latter will bring in all the benefits of the former, and in perpetuity. But there are glaring differences between the two so-called 'revolutions'
Herbicide-tolerant plants: Not in India, please!
Herbicide-tolerant crops contain a gene that makes them resistant to the herbicide that is sprayed to kill herbs and weeds. The herbicide-tolerance trait is essentially labour-saving and will have economic implications were it to be introduced in labour-surplus developing countries like India
Bt cotton: What's the fuss about?
Bt cotton is unlikely to work for more than a few years in India because it is fundamentally at odds with the agricultural and climatic conditions here
How a genetically-engineered plant is made
In the first of a fortnightly series that demystifies genetic engineering and its impact on the environment and health, Suman Sahai explains the cut-and-paste processes that go into making a transgenic plant
Are supply-side solutions to water access sufficient?
While overall access to water supply infrastructure in cities is increasing, coverage remains uneven. But are dams and so-called "flexible water allocations", as advocated by the World Bank, the answer?
Are GMOs spiralling out of control?
To argue that genetically-modified crops will solve the problem of hunger thanks to their higher productivity, is like saying that Bill Gates developed Microsoft software to solve the world's illiteracy problem. And what if the technology runs amuck?
A bargain-basement knowledge 'mandi'
The new US-India Knowledge Initiative on Agriculture will re-examine and overhaul existing curricula in agricultural education institutions in India. It will also leave Indian agriculture open to the interests of the world's largest food and agri-business corporations, says Rahul Goswami
Breathing life into farming
The guarantee of 100 days of work in a year cannot by itself provide food security. The trick, says alternative technologist K R Datye, lies in using the NREGA not to build roads but to regenerate the land and create permanent rural assets which will facilitate sustainable livelihoods
Public sector research and agricultural biotechnology
Over 20 research studies related to GM crops are ongoing in the public sector in India. It is important that public sector research be supported in order to facilitate a level playing field with resource-rich private sector companies
New farm subsidy proposals: All sound and fury, signifying nothing
The 'new' proposals from the US and European Union that promise to cut farm subsidies drastically, appear to be a giant step forward in agricultural trade talks. In reality, the US proposal will only bring down the level of support from $ 74.7 billion to $ 73.1 billion. For the EU it would mean no reduction at all in existing support to farmers