India Today – Online

As extreme weather and human activity degrade the world’s arable land, scientists and developers are looking at new and largely unproven methods to save soil for agriculture. One company is injecting liquid clay into California desert to trap moisture and help fruit to grow, while another in Malaysia boosts soil with droppings from fly larvae. In a Nova Scotia greenhouse, Canadian scientist Vicky Levesque is adding biochar – the burnt residue of plants and wood waste – to soil to help apples grow better. Long-established soil preservation techniques, such as tilling less and sowing crops during off-seasons, are proving no match for more frequent droughts, floods and temperature extremes.

The Indian Express – Online

Observing that the Indian agriculture sector has been growing, the Economic Survey 2022-23 said Tuesday it needs “re-orientation” in view of challenges like adverse impacts of climate change, fragmented landholdings, and rising input costs. The Survey, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha, noted, “The Indian agriculture sector has been growing at an average annual growth rate of 4.6 per cent during the last six years. It grew by 3.0 per cent in 2021-22 compared to 3.3 per cent in 2020-21.”