India’s rich agricultural heritage, built over centuries by farmers, is facing new challenges. A global agreement, the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (often called the Seed Treaty), is raising concerns about the potential biopiracy of the country’s indigenous seeds. While the treaty aims to conserve and share plant genetic resources…
A twin agriculture crisis has erupted in the region: in Motha village, around 30 farmers who sowed the popular wheat variety LOK‑1 (cultivar “LOK-1”) report that their crop did not germinate at all, while in the neighbouring Paratwada-Dhamangaon region urea supply is in disarray, as dealers charge as much as ₹350, and farmers facing shortages…
India-US trade offs ?
The Supreme Court of India has delivered a landmark judgment affirming the rights of tribal communities and forest dwellers within areas declared as Wildlife Sanctuaries. The Court ruled that their rights, protected under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 (WPA) and the Forest Rights Act, 2006 (FRA), remain valid even after an area is designated as…
India’s development model today rests on a fragile but politically convenient formula: chemicals for farmers, cash for voters.It is a system designed not to solve problems, but to manage them till the next election cycle. At the heart of this lies a political economy where fertilizer lobbies, agricultural subsidies, and now large-scale pre-election cash transfer schemes like Ladli/Ladki Behna define…
The Union Department of Fertilisers has taken strong action against unfair practices in the fertiliser market. They have cancelled or suspended over 4,200 licenses and registrations belonging to fertiliser distributors. These actions were taken because of black marketing, hoarding, and diverting fertiliser stocks away from farmers. This is a significant effort to protect farmers and…
India’s seed systems are among the oldest and most diverse in the world. Long before the state formalised agricultural regulations or private companies entered the sector, farmers, tribal communities, and women seed keepers nurtured, exchanged, and evolved seeds through relationships of trust, commons governance, and deep ecological knowledge. It is this decentralised, biodiversity-rich, community-led seed…
9 November 2025 Experts in Nagpur have warned that trapping or sterilizing leopards will not solve Maharashtra’s rising leopard–human conflict and urged the Forest Department to adopt a long-term, research-led policy to reduce future numbers responsibly. They stressed the need for scientific studies and a clear policy framework to guide population management rather than ad‑hoc…
A food systems analysis of the Nagpur protest.November 7, 2025 When farmers led by Prahar Janshakti Party chief Bacchu Kadu blocked National Highway 44 in Nagpur for three days in late October, it wasn’t just another agrarian protest—it was a symptom of systemic failure decades in the making. The agitation, which brought traffic to a…
Tribal farmers in Maharashtra are set to gain a new opportunity to earn more from their land. The state government plans to introduce a new law that will allow tribal farmers to lease out their land to private companies. This lease can be for agricultural use or for mining purposes. State Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule…
