The initiative is located in Central India, encompassing the Vidarbha District and the adjoining districts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Dietary-based anemia is a widespread problem, especially amongst young women. The area is facing an acute agrarian crisis. One of its causes is climate change and the increasingly unpredictable monsoon...

The mission of the Voluntary Association of Agricultural General Development Health and Reconstruction Alliance in India (VAAGDHARA) is to create and nurture vibrant institutions of poor and tribal peoples in Western India so that they have sustainable livelihoods through scientific, indigenous and appropriate knowledge and technologies and their children are well educated...

Chronic diarrhoea in grazing animals is common in tropical livestock. Infection by bacteria and virus lead to diarrhoea. Use of antibiotics is costly and has residual effects through milk and meat. The traditional use of Chebulic myrobalan (Terminali chebula) along with curd from cow or goat milk is an effective...

Cardamom root grub (Basilepta fulvicorne: Chrysomelidae) is a major pest damaging roots of small cardamom (Elettariacardamomum Maton) causing 29 to 66 percent crop loss under various levels of infestation. Chemical control with agrochemicals viz. Chlorpyrifos and Phorate, though help in managing the pest, repeated application of such chemicals is deleterious to...

This volume provides an interdisciplinary collection of studies that cover the trends and issues related to agricultural productivity and availability, food and nutrition security, and sustainability in India. The book discusses a broad range of vital issues concerning the production and consumption of food during the era of climate change,...

The initiative is located in the Chittoor district in the Rayalaseema region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With a tropical climate, Chittoor is one of the most drought prone districts in the country, a problem exacerbated by depletion of natural resources, global warming, increasing population pressure, pollution, loss...

The initiative is located on the Deccan Plateau of India. The climate is semi-arid in the north but tropical elsewhere. The majority of the farming population own less than one hectare of land and live and work in fragile environments, with little capital for investment and few off-farm employment opportunities....

The role played by women in agriculture is decisive. The FAO estimates that they contribute half of the world’s food production1 . They are often responsible for the preparation of the land, watering, harvesting, storage, processing, and packaging, as well as for the supply of water and the administrative and...

The COVID-19 pandemic poses an additional challenge for the social-ecological resilience of the fisheries of Pulicat, India’s second largest lagoon. Pulicat, India’s second largest lagoon, which straddles the states of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu on the Coromandel Coast of south India, covers a maximum area of 750 sq km and...

People use gestures intentionally to convey meaning, while many other hand movements are unconscious. Moving our hands helps us to grasp the right words. But human speech is also much more than words and hand gestures.

This study, in collaboration with the Food and Land Use Coalition (FOLU), provides an overview of the current state of sustainable agriculture practices and systems (SAPSs) in India. It aims to help policymakers, administrators, philanthropists, and others contribute to an evidence-based scale-up of SAPSs, which represent a vital alternative to conventional,...

This video tells the story of Sireesha - one of the thousands of women and men farmers in Andhra Pradesh, India, practicing agroecology in Farmer Field Schools facilitated by the Andhra Pradesh Community managed Natural Farming Programme and FAO. Through agroecology and FFS, Sireesha and her family improved their incomes; consume healthy and...

The leader of the Community Managed Natural Farming (CMNF) programme Vijay Kumar explains the Social Capital side of the story, and how women’s groups were a central part of the success of CMNF, now recognised worldwide as a model of agricultural transformation. The CMNF initiative has mobilised over a million...

Herbal pesticide has been prepared based on farmers innovations documented by SEVA in association with Honeybee Network and National Innovation Foundation. The main objective is to disseminate low cost eco-friendly practices which are safe to human, livestock and environment. SEVA has promoted farmers experimentation and validated this practice. Now this...

In order to promote livestock in dry land areas, farmers created “Korangadu” pastureland many centuries ago in their own private lands in Tamil Nadu. This system encourages livestock keeping and earning more income in dry land/rainfed areas. Korangadu typically consists of a mixture of grass, legumes and tree species including...

Hydroponic farming – a system where plants are grown in water instead of soil – seems too high-tech and costly for smallholders in developing countries. But dairy farmers in the Satara district in the Indian state of Maharashtra have in recent years learnt to successfully produce quality green fodder using...

Oral administration of Herbal masala bolus to work bullocks is a traditional practice in Tamil Nadu in order to overcome anorexia, off feed. SEVA team members administered orally "Herbal Masala Bolus" directly to more than 50 000 animals (cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats) and indirectly many thousands through trained members over...

Pruning and mulching are traditional cultural practices in small cardamom cultivation to expose the panicles for better pollination and fruit set as well as to reduce insect pest build up. Also pruning the lower branches of shade trees in cardamom field is a cultural practice to maintain about 50 percent...

Pregnancy testing in livestock needs examination by expert veterinarians. Poor livestock farmers and livestock keepers in rural areas cannot afford or do not have access to such technical feats by vets. The Bio-indicator method is a traditional practice where seeds of pulses soaked in urine of the animal are used....

This publication presents a collection of case studies by Mountain Partnership (MP) members from around the world, highlighting experiences of agroecological mountain farming systems. It aims to increase attention toward agroecological principles and approaches and showcase their potential. The MP, the only United Nations global voluntary alliance dedicated to sustainable...