Dec 2005

Hundreds of cities will be in real trouble within a decade, says the United Nations in recent report. In China, where urbanization has been extreme in the past fifteen years, 400 out of the 670 biggest cities already have serious water deficits. Elsewhere, many cities are depleting underground stocks and finding that salt water is getting into the aquifiers.

An architect with a green heart speaks his mind on paths a professional should choose.
We were singularly fortunate
in having a guru in Mr.Laurie

Farmers in over 200 villages across the State have joined hands to revive traditional agricultural practices and conserve seed diversity through community seed banks, Vijayalakshmi K P N writes.

At Nidanegilu, Haveri district, Karnataka, farmers have come together for a quiet revolution—sustainable agriculture through the conservation of biodiversity: to discuss the protection of diversity in traditional farming systems which is largely based on seeds—through community seed banks.

Our village folk often blend innovation with simplicity to evolve effective systems for farming and storage of grains. Kudilgi is one such example, Shree Padre tells us.

Malehalli, Kudligi taluk, Karnataka, may not have very much to show, but the indigenously developed crop-storage system would certainly surprise experts. Time out of mind, farmers in the village have a superior method of preserving Jowar grains. The effectiveness of their system is eye-opening considering the fact that Jowar grains are hard to store thanks to their susceptibility to pest attacks.