Food and Nutrition

Featured Articles
December 6, 2022 Need to shift to a more sustainable diet without compromising on major nutrients and calories
Historically, India has been a net exporter of virtual water (Image: PxHere)
August 21, 2022 Floods are not feared, but rather welcomed by the Mishing communities from Majuli island in Assam as they bring bountiful fish- a rich source of food, nutrition and livelihood for the community.
The Majuli island, a haven for fish (Image Source: Usha Dewani, India Water Portal)
June 19, 2022 Odisha Millets Mission is trying to bring back the glory of millets in tribal areas
A range of millet recipes and ready to cook items are sold by Millets on Wheels in Jashipur block in Mayurbhanj district. This initiative is supported by Odisha Millets Mission (Image: Odisha Millets Mission)
April 16, 2022 The report looks at what the transition could look like in ten specific foodscapes
Foodscapes for people and nature (Image: TNC)
January 30, 2022 MGNREGS: Even after the inclusion of additional funds amounting to Rs. 25,000 crores via supplementary budgets, allocations were 12 per cent less than the previous year's revised estimates
A school boy from Tilonia drinks from a tap from a rainwater harvesting tank (Image: Barefoot photographers of Tilonia)
January 18, 2022 The recent NFHS-5 data finds that stunting and wasting among under five children in the country is on the rise. Why is this so? What could be the way out?
Millets for dietary diversity (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
Towards sustainable food production
The entire food chain is increasingly becoming the primary source of pesticide and antibiotic contamination putting the health and safety of people at risk. Posted on 01 Apr, 2019 11:14 AM

The national conclave on food held on March 15, 2019 at New Delhi saw experts urge policy changes to promote sustainable food production especially organic farming as well as regulations to reduce misuse of antibiotics and pesticides.

Apart from pesticides, toxic colours and hormones like oxytocin are also being used indiscriminately to ripen vegetables and fruits. (Image: India Water Portal)
Income support: Budget 2019 showstopper
Will direct income support boost agriculture and shift focus from country’s food security to farmers’ income security? Posted on 11 Feb, 2019 07:04 PM

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.

For doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022, the slew of measures proposed under the budget is inadequate. (Image: Azhar Feder, Wikimedia Commons-CC-BY-SA-3.0)
Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean at only one
News this week Posted on 26 Dec, 2018 02:59 PM

Out of 41 study points, the Ganga clean only at the Haridwar barrage location: CPCB

Ganga river at Kachla, Uttar Pradesh. (Source: IWP Flickr Photos)
The Naga Pride
The film, The Naga Pride tells the story of the transformation of a Naga tribe from being Amur falcon hunters to protectors. Posted on 17 Dec, 2018 08:42 PM

Amur falcons are among the strongest fliers in the avian world. Since the last 25 years, they have been migrating to the Northeast especially Nagaland from Siberia en route to their final destination—Somalia, Kenya and South Africa. 

Amur Falcons (Screenshot of the film The Naga Pride, Source: Sumanth Kuduvalli)
Gene revolution adds to farmer distress
This study finds that Bt cotton has not helped but worsened the situation of farmers in Telangana. Posted on 14 Nov, 2018 11:14 AM

Farming is said to be witnessing a “second GR” or Gene Revolution, after Green Revolution, with the introduction of genetically modi?ed Bt cotton in India.

A farmer picks cotton. (Image Source: Claude Renault via Wikimedia Commons)
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. Posted on 03 Nov, 2018 08:33 AM

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.

A view of the Himalayas. (Source: IWP Flickr photos--photo for representation purpose only)
New sturdy rice variety developed
Scientists develop transgenic rice that can grow under high salinity and drought. Posted on 29 Oct, 2018 10:44 AM

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.

Dr Ashwani Pareek and his team that developed the rice. (Photo: ISW)
‘Organic farming brought huge profit for me’
Farmer Renupada has taken it up as a mission to make more farms organic by training fellow farmers on the sustainable practice. Posted on 25 Oct, 2018 09:59 AM

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 to be.

Renupada Bagdi in front of his thatched house. (Photo: Gurvinder Singh)
Antibiotic use in livestock and superbug risk
A study shows lack of awareness and poor regulatory mechanisms among various reasons behind irrational use of antibiotics in livestock by farmers. Posted on 23 Oct, 2018 11:35 AM

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is on the rise globally with the threat more severe in developing countries such as India. Antimicrobial resistance occurs when bacteria develop the ability to withstand the drugs (antibiotics) designed to kill them.

Small scale farmers with their livestock (Image Source: India Water Portal)
Desertification: Not just a North Indian problem
A new study finds that manmade activities such as deforestation and mining are to blame for the rise in desertification in the south of India. Posted on 16 Aug, 2018 10:30 AM

India is highly vulnerable to desertification.

Increasing desertification is a challenge India needs to tackle. (Image Source: Wikimedia Commons)
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