The Hans India – Online

Hyderabad will host a three-day G20 Agriculture Ministers meeting from June 15-17. Addressing the media here on Sunday, Union Minister G Kishan Reddy said apart from Agriculture Ministers from G20 countries, special invites from 9 countries, experts, heads of agriculture departments from various countries, and model farmers will also take part in the global agricultural conference. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar would be overseeing the preparations. Reddy said that 100 out of 250 meetings of G20 have already been successfully completed under India’s G20 presidency.

Krishi Jagran – Online

We’ve all heard about crop diversification, right? Lately, it has been at the forefront of every farming discussion that there is to be had. Every agricultural forum will tell you that monoculture isn’t as great as we think it is- and if we keep continuing, we are going to end up with such barren fields, completely stripped of nutrition, and ruin the soil health of the country. So, what exactly is crop diversification? You might have an idea about it. It’s planting more than one crop at a time. Monoculture is how agriculture typically works- with hectares of land being used for the cultivation of the same crop. Crop diversification brings a little more variety ...

The Economic Times – Online

Rice is in trouble as Earth heats up, threatening the food and livelihood of billions of people. Sometimes there’s not enough rain when seedlings need water, or too much when the plants need to keep their heads above water. As the sea intrudes, salt ruins the crop. As nights warm, yields go down. These hazards are forcing the world to find new ways to grow one of its most important crops. Rice farmers are shifting their planting calendars. Plant breeders are working on seeds to withstand high temperatures or salty soils. Hardy heirloom varieties are being resurrected.