Clarifying the Distinction and the Journey Ahead Natural farming in India stands at a fascinating moment of transformation—born from traditional wisdom, grounded in ecological truths, and now increasingly intersecting with modern scientific inquiry. In this transition, two terms frequently surface: science-based and
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Agriculture today stands at a turning point. Fields across the world face the pressures of declining soil fertility, erratic rainfall, rising input costs, and shrinking biodiversity. Farmers confront these challenges daily, often with fewer resources and growing risks. Yet beneath this uncertainty
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Introduction Agrarian distress has been a persistent challenge in India, with stagnating farm incomes and rising farmer indebtedness in recent decades. In response, policymakers have increasingly turned to direct income support (DIS) schemes for farmers. Unlike traditional subsidies or loan waivers, these
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After nearly 20 years of debate, court battles, seed failures, and rising input costs, India’s seed legislation is once again at a crossroads with the release of the Draft Seeds Bill 2025. The first national draft appeared in 2004, resurfaced in 2019,
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1. Background: FPOs and Cooperatives in India Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) and cooperatives are collective enterprises of small and marginal farmers that seek to improve their bargaining power, lower transaction costs, and strengthen their access to markets, credit, and technology. 2. Income
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Introduction: The Promise and the Paradox India today hosts one of the largest organic farming networks in the world — with over 2.8 million hectares under certified organic cultivation and nearly 45 lakh farmers involved. Yet, despite these achievements, our certification systems
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1. The Growing Challenge Rice sustains more than half of the world’s population and is a cornerstone of food security. Yet, as climate extremes intensify and input-intensive farming expands, an old agronomic challenge has re-emerged: lodging — the bending or collapse of
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