Outlook

Sikkim Chief Minister Pawan Kumar Chamling received the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation’s (FAO) Future Policy Gold Award from its Deputy Director Maria Helena Semedo, who commended the Himalayan state for setting an example to the world by becoming first totally organic state.

The Economic Times

CPI(M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury Monday said the “faulty” policies of the BJP-led central government had pushed the Indian economy to its “worst ever crisis” and were also behind the recent spate of agrarian movements across the country.

Mint

According to the environment ministry, fire-related incidents are 75% and 40% lower in Punjab and Haryana, respectively, so far but that may not be a reason to cheer. The paddy grown in summer in Punjab was sown late this year by a week, while both Punjab and Haryana witnessed unseasonal rains in end-September, which has delayed harvesting by about 10 days because of a rise in crop moisture levels. Air quality is likely to worsen as more farmers begin harvesting.

ET Energyworld

Despite a prohibition on the burning of farm residue, farmers in Punjab’s Bhatinda city are holding protests and continuing to burn stubble.

Deccan Chronicle

Women farmers were carrying out agriculture effectively, with less investment and more sincerity than the men, collector, G. Veerapandian said. Women farmers are leading groundnut production at various levels, occupying 80 per cent of the extent in the district.

Business Standard

Governments need to exploit the contribution made to national economies by rural migrants, the UN said on Monday in a new report which argues that policies should not stem or accelerate migration but optimize its potential and limit its costs.

The Hindu

Advising women farmers to make better use of the available technology to reduce input costs and to improve the yield, in-charge Collector A. Mallikarjuna on Monday observed that the women were making significant contribution to agriculture and allied sectors.

The Economic Times

India’s consumer goods companies are uncertain about the outlook for demand as below-normal monsoon rainNSE -2.20 % in some states is set to hit incomes in rural areas, which had shown a robust revival in the past three quarters.

India Spend

As the effects of climate change on livelihoods become more pronounced, especially for people involved in agriculture and fishing in South and South-East Asia, support for rebel groups and the Naxalite movement is likely to shoot up, according to a new report.

There is evidence that climate change will worsen socio-economic and political disparity in the region as those in power will get to decide who gets the limited resources and how much, the report co-authored by researchers Pernilla Nordqvist and Florian Krampe while working for the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), has said.

The Hindu

Shahjahan Begum Mehboobani grows corn, onions, tomatoes and vegetables on her three-acre plot in Dharwad district of Karnataka. She’s also a responsible member of her local gram panchayat. But without a land patta in her name, it’s difficult to apply for a bank loan.

The Economic Times

The government will take up the issue of recording women farmers and cultivators in land records with the departments of revenue and land resources, agriculture minister Radha Mohan Singh said on Monday. The minister said women farmers have a very important role to play in the agriculture sector and that 18% of the agricultural households in India were led by women.