News and Articles

Experience sharing workshops on System of Rice Intensification (SRI) - A report
This report from WASSAN provides details of workshops organised by People's Science Institute (PSI) in October 2006 as a first step towards sharing the experiences of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) to develop professional capabilities in the field of SRI method of paddy cultivation. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 02:55 PM

SRIThis report available on the  Watershed Support Services And Activities Network (WASSAN) site provides the details of three workshops organised by People's Science Institute (PSI) in October 2006 in the states of Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh as a first step towards sharing the experiences of System of Rice Intensification (SRI) method with the stakeholders group as well as assist the voluntary organisations in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh to develop professional capabilities in the field of SRI method of paddy cultivation.

The how, what, when of climate change: Background and basics
A brief introduction to the concepts of climate change and global warming Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 02:09 PM

Climate Change is a significant change in temperature, wind patterns and precipitation that occurs over a long period of time. Some of these changes occur in cycles over decades, hundreds, thousands and millions of years; some could be random occurrences.

Using water sustainably in agriculture: Increasing productivity and farm income
Better water management in agriculture will go a long way in improving our crop productivity and thereby total output to feed the masses, not only of India but also of other parts of the world. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 01:29 PM

Agriculture is a vital sector in India with about 60% of the population engaged in agricultural vocations and contributing to about 30% of the GDP. It consumes about 80% of water used in the country and 76% of the net irrigated area in the country is from ground water sources.

NREGA is making a difference to the lives of the rural poor: An article from Frontline magazine
"Battle for work", is a cover page article from the magazine Frontline (Vol. 26 :: No. 01, Jan 03 - 16, 2009 Issue), on how the NREGA is making a difference to the lives of the rural poor, in an unprecedented achievement in the history of social security in India. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 12:33 PM

Read the main article: " Battle for work" by Jean Dreze and Reetika Khera.

Resource on the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
Information and resources on the NREGA on the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) website Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 12:06 PM

This includes articles, background papers, photo slideshows and Down To Earth magazine coverage of issues realting to the NREGA.

Click here to read more about the NREGA

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change: Constituents, working groups and compilation of resources relating to the IPCC
The IPCC is a scientific body; the information it provides with its reports is based on scientific evidence and reflects existing viewpoints within the scientific community. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:58 AM

When climate change was first posited as "real" people all over the world realized that this issue encompasses the inter linkage of several other issues. The scope and magnitude of the consequences of climate change are also very far reaching.

The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice: A subsidiary body to the UNFCCC
The Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) regularly undertakes work on methodological and scientific matters as they relate to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol process. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:37 AM

Some of the issues the SBSTA is currently dealing with are land use, land-use change and forestry, adaptation, mitigation, research, systematic observation and bunker fuels.

Extensive online resource base on the System of Rice Intensification: Homepage on the CIIFAD website
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) homepage on the CIIFAD website, setup in collaboration with Association Tefy Saina Madagascar, is an extensive, continuously updated online resource base on SRI. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 10:31 AM

The site has sections detailing the methodology of SRI, its advantages, origins, current status in countries across the world, videos, articles, research papers, extension information, conference outputs, discussion communities, update series, newsletters and more.

See the homepage: Here

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. Posted on 29 Aug, 2009 09:58 AM

Over a decade ago, most countries joined an international treaty – the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – to begin to consider what can be done to reduce global warming and to cope with whatever temperature increases are inevitable.

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change COP-1: The Berlin Mandate
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Convention of 1992, as ratified, was a statement of principles and intent. Though it committed governments of signatory nations to reduce emission of GHGs into the atmosphere, it was non-binding. It only committed states to voluntary efforts to reduce greenhouse gases.
At Berlin there was great apprehension that the abilities of countries to meet the commitments under the Convention were inadequate. These were expressed in a U.N. ministerial declaration, known as the "Berlin Mandate".
Posted on 28 Aug, 2009 05:53 PM

The goal for COP1 was therefore set at adoption of legally binding obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. It was expected that 15 years down the line, the larger, newly industrializing countries would together be among the largest emitters of greenhouse gas emissions.

×