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A DEVELOPMENT AND ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE 100 ` YOU and E 102, 2017 SSU APHY VOL. I 17, GR 2001 E SINC Y GEO G’n Increased demand for diverse food has put agricultural resources under THE severe stress AGRi-TECH PERSPECTIVES 6 Changing Farmers’ Income and Agrarian Distress 26 Mutation Breeding for Crop Improvement 40 The GM Food Imbroglio 62 Forest Stewardship Council 68 Living Root Bridges October 5 - 6, 2017, India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi, India LIGHTS (Learning in Knowledge Geography and You, Organised by Geography, Humanities, New Delhi Technology and Science) partner G’nY SINCE 2001 GEOGRAPHY AND YOU A DEVELOPMENT AND GEOGRAPHYANDYOU.COM ENVIRONMENT MAGAZINE VOL. 17 ISSUE 102 MAY-JUNE 2017 Farmers’ TransiTions 40 The GM Food Imbroglio INDIA OUTDOORS 6 Changing Farmers’ Income and K R Anilakumar, R K Sharma 68 Living Root Bridge Agrarian Distress and A S Bawa Dipanjan Ghosh Elumalai Kannan 46 Optical Sensing of Soil 14 Agri-Food System Transformation Nutrients for ‘Smart Farming’ and Farmers Subra Mukherjee and N Chandrasekhara Rao Shakuntala Laskar 20 Perishable Agricultural 52 The Doomsday Vault–Conser- Market Reforms: Policy vation for the World’s Crops IN BRIEF and Issues Staff Reporter 2 Letters Sukhpal Singh 4 Editor’s Note PHOTO-ESSAY 13 The Pro-GM view CROP TECHNOLOGIES 56 Scarcity and displacement: 25 Term Power Questions Water Woes Compel 33 Term Power Rating 26 Mutation Breeding for Crop 45 Changing Cold Chain Vinod Babu Improvement Technology M C KHARKWAL 51 Women in Agriculture FORESTRY POLICY 67 Farmers’ Suicide 34 Genetically Modified Technology 62 Forest Stewardship Council 72 Book/Website Dilnavaz Variava Naina Sharma Expert Panel Prithvish Nag B Meenakumari Ajit Tyagi B Sengupta Vice Chancellor, Chairperson, Air Vice Marshal (Retd) Former Member Secretary, MG Kashi Vidyapeeth, National Biodiversity Former DG, IMD, Central Pollution Control Varanasi. Authority, Chennai. New Delhi. Board, New Delhi. Rasik Ravindra Sachidanand Sinha Saraswati Raju D Mukhopadhyay Former Director, Professor, CSRD, Professor, CSRD, Director, NCAOR, Goa. Jawaharlal Nehru Jawaharlal Nehru Economic Research, University, New Delhi. University, New Delhi. Nielsen, New Delhi. MARCH-APRIL 2017 ISSUE: The issue titled ‘Managing Water’ is the most comprehensive publication on water that I have seen in a long time. After going through the articles I realised that most of GEOGRAPHY AND YOU our water users are not aware of water rights. The article ‘Water EDITOR Rights System for India’ brings out many facets of who owns water. SULAGNA CHATTOPADHYAY I think this is the basic problem in groundwater management. The SENIOR ADVISOR government should recognise the problem and build proactive SARASWATI RAJU forums to find out what would work for India. The issue has been very informative and is a must-read—RASHI DAS, BURDWAN Via e-mail. LEGAL ADVISOR KRISHNENDU DATTA For more details log on to our website www.geographyandyou.com COVER PHOTO DRYING A COB OF CORN in a Barn—Shillong, I WANTED to subscribe G’nY magazine environment than so many places in India. I MEGHALAYA online for 12 issues, but I found things was wondering why G’nY does not publish were a bit difficult on the web as it showed a special issue on this area with all its PHOTO TEAM cancellation after paying the money. I geographical, agricultural and urbanisation PRASAD tried many times and had to co-ordinate related perspectives. —MCHOLDT SINGH, with your office on the phone before the IMPHAL, MANIPUR Via e-mail. IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. LTD. subscription went through. I have got my REGISTERED OFFICE copy now. But, some readers may not be I HAVE READ many articles on air purifying 111/9 K G, ARUNA ASAF ALI MARG, NEW DELHI -110070 as patient and would likely miss out on the indoor plants in the previous issues of enriching G’nY experience. Please rectify G’nY. I am increasingly becoming aware of CORRESPONDENCE/ the matter to reach out better. —ANJAN large multi-national companies trying to sell EDITORIAL OFFICE MOHANTY, NEW DELHI. air purifiers to the hapless public. I do not 707, BHIKAJI CAMA BHAWAN, RK PURAM, NEW DELHI - believe that machines can be alternative 110066 I HAD PARTICIPATED in an essay competition to nature. Can G’nY run a campaign PHONE: +91-11-46014233; organised by G’nY in 2008. I have been popularising the indoor plants that can +91-11-26186350 FOR NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS, following your magazine, but I have not make a difference to the air-quality.—KANIKA RENEWALS, ENQUIRIES been able to locate any such competitions MAHOLTRA, NEW DELHI. PLEASE CONTACT anymore. Are you planning to organise CIRCULATION MANAGER E-MAIL: info@ something in the future—it would be quite I WATCHED THE WEBCAST that G’nY aired geographyandyou.com interesting. I also request you to conduct on March 8, 2017. The conversation on PLEASE VISIT OUR SITE AT www.geographyandyou.com a webcast on the lines of your previous Women’s Day was very interesting. This FOR FURTHER INFORMATION. broadcasts, on COP 21, exit of USA and kind of discussions on similar issues is very impact on India. —SIDDHARTH SHARMA, welcome. —MANGULU CHARAN PATRA, Via website. ©IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. LUCKNOW, Via e-mail. LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED I THANK the G’nY team for posting an THROUGHOUT THE WORLD. I HAVE SEEN the G’nY Climate published inspirational page on your website on REPRODUCTION IN ANY by you. I think it is only online. May I women’s contribution to save environment. MANNER, PART OR WHOLE, IS PROHIBITED. PRINTED, suggest that this may be provided as an Aptly posted on women’s day, I feel scores PUBLISHED AND OWNED BY print insertion with G’nY printed copies to of women play significant role to save lives SULAGNA CHATTOPADHYAY. enhance the reading habits of young people both human and in nature.—VIKASH KUMAR in our school.—REVATHI S, GUWAHATI, Via e-mail. SINGH, Via website. PRINTED AT INDIA GRAPHIC SYSTEMS PVT. LTD. F-23, OKHLA NORTH-EAST HAS vibrant socio-economic and G’NY IS DOING a great job. Most of the things INDUSTRIAL AREA, PHASE-I, cultural systems, besides having excellent which you are posting are making important NEW DELHI - 110020. geographical landscapes with rich fauna contributions in my geography preparation PUBLISHED AT and flora. The area has more forests than for competitive examinations.—PRAFUL IRIS PUBLICATION PVT. the mandated 33 per cent and a better YEROJWAR, Via website. LTD. GEOGRAPHY AND YOU DOES NOT TAKE ANY RESPONSIBILITY FOR WRITE Editorial Office: Geography and You, 707, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, R K Puram, New Delhi - 110066. Letters may be edited for clarity and RETURNING UNSOLICITED length. Include name, address and telephone. PHONE 011-46014233, 26186350 EMAIL [email protected] PUBLICATION MATERIAL. FACEBOOK http://goo.gl/eIeaH, LINKEDIN http://in.linkedin.com/pub/geography-and-you/5a/b32/b24 WEBSITE www.geographyandyou.com. SUBSCRIPTIONS For institutional subscriptions of print copies you may write to [email protected] TO CONTRIBUTE AN ARTICLE: Kindly send the abstract of your article in not more than 200 words to [email protected]. ALL DISPUTES ARE SUBJECTED TO The abstract will be reviewed by our guest panelists. Once selected we shall respond for the procurement of full article. The length of the final THE EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION OF article may range from 1000 to 1500 words. Please also mention if you can contribute relevant high resolution photographs. COMPETENT COURTS AND FORUMS The Editorial Advisor. IN DELHI/NEW DELHI ONLY. 2 MAy-JUNE 2017 . GEOGRAPHY AND YOU 101 ISSUE METGEEKS Programme www.geographyandyou.com GETTING WEATHER WISE Training programme being held at Step by Step (SBS) School, Noida, Delhi NCR. Expert trainers from India Meteorological Society taking classes. Geography and You introduces the METGEEKS programme based on its 16 years of its dedicated research that has made it one of the forefront players for the promotion of science communication in a popular genre. Moreover the changing climate scenario has made it all the more pertinent to be updated about India's meteorological aspects. Scientists have mapped a 44 per cent rise in hydro-meteorological related disasters since 2000, over the 1980s decade. Of all hydro- meteorological disasters, about 89 per cent were due to flooding and storms. Meteorological information is thus vital for preparedness. Opt for training under our METGEEKS Programme in collaboration with Indian Meteorological Society (IMS) for better data collection and analysis of the elements of weather. ❯❯ Presented by Geography and You Dedicated ❯❯ In collaboration with Indian to popularisation of science for 15 years and providing Meteorological Society Working towards myriad platforms to India's developmental concerns. advancement of met sciences. Contact IPPLTD for further details. 707, Bhikaji Cama Bhawan, R. K. Puram, New Delhi Phone: +91-11-26186350, +91-11-46014233, Email: [email protected], Website: geographyandyou.com EDITOR’S NOTE EDITORIAL Strengthening Agri-Innovations Food, central to our existence, has singularly The dependency proved to be a mechanism for global governance. India continues on a preferred to combat hunger and confront food crises in a backdrop of an set of crops in ever growing population. The country has engaged in a wide India has reduced range of historical debates from scientific, political-ideological, to even ethical. Agriculture has been from ancient times the its agricultural mainstay of the population, yet the country remains innovation resilience. hungry. The agro-food-tech has been largely supply driven and thus remained unable to capture the entire ambit of agriculture. A preferred set of crops has emerged that have come to be understood to have caused health and nutritional imbalance among the people. And now a relatively recent growth trajectory is being drawn to include genetically modified crops in the food basket.