The Ministry of External Affairs of the Government of India is extending help to Afghanistan for establishing an Afghanistan National Agricultural Science and Technology University (ANASTU) and a Genetic Garden of Afghanistan at the Tarnak Farm in Kandahar under the auspices of ANASTU.

It will be prudent to take anticipatory action on managing excess or deficient rainfall. MSSRF’s experience in Koraput shows that an effective method of managing monsoon will be the establishment of gene, seed, grain and water banks. The gene & seed banks will help to introduce contingency plans to suit different weather probabilities, while the grain & water banks will help to ensure food and water security. The water bank consists of water harvested during rainfall, while the gene bank will provide a wide range of genetic variability to enable the farmer for match the variety with the monsoon behaviour.

Today (23 March 2016) is World Meteorological Day.

Today (22 March 2016) is observed as the World Water Day. The importance of water in all aspects of human life needs hardly any elaboration. In our country, inter-state water conflicts are growing.

MSSRF had initiated ‘Custom Hiring Centres of Farm Implements’ in three villages in Vidarbha in 2012. MSSRF’s experience with respect to the functioning of these centres indicates the enormous reach of the centres to the most marginalized sections of the village community.

Today (21 March 2016) is the International Day of Forests. This is to remind us of the critical role played by forests in climate regulation, protection of hydrologic cycles, conservation of biodiversity and provision of a wide range of minor forest produce which protect the lives and livelihoods of tribal and other forest dwellers.

Myanmar is the last country in the old British Empire to take to the democratic pathway of governance.

A recent article in Down to Earth (1-15 March 2016) has described the serious malnutrition prevailing in several parts of Maharashtra, particularly Amaravati district.

Dr Jose Graziano Da Silva, DG of FAO has recently warned that achieving the zero hunger target is a challenging task and that the battle for eliminating hunger is far from over. This is a timely warning since there is complacency in the food production and consumption areas.

Pulses are the dried edible seeds of cultivated legumes and belong to the family of peas, beans and lentils. The protection of stored agricultural products against insect attack is essential for safe and steady supply of high quality food. Insect damage and pulses may amount to 10-40% of the stored grain.

On the occasion of the International Women’s Day, it will be appropriate to remind ourselves of the significant contributions being made by women to our nation’s food and nutrition security. Over 60 % of all agricultural work is done by women.

“Disasters halt progress and are a hurdle to socio economic development of nations,” said Tamil Nadu Governor, Dr. K. Rosaiah during the release of the book “Disaster Management in India: Evolution of Institutional Arrangements and Operational Strategies” authored by Dr. Mohan Kanda IAS, former member of the National Disaster Management Authority.