Oceans cover about 71 per cent of the earth’s surface, but remain mostly unmapped. Since an efficient way to study oceans is through sound, Earth System Science Organisation-National Institute of Ocean Technology (ESSO-NIOT) has been developing various devices that can help monitor the underwater world.

The LTTD plant, commissioned and demonstrated successfully off Kavaratti, Lakshadweep in 2004, has given people in the island easy access to potable water.

With their capacity to absorb hydrocarbons and non-polar lipid and the ability to survive in harsh conditions, microalgae have emerged as a viable alternative. NIOT recently isolated more than 260 algal strains and cultivated them to produce bio-diesel.

Spread across eight countries, the Hindukush-Himalaya region supports a population of 234 million. Its increased vulnerability in the context of climate change calls for a forum to address the concerns of the people through scientific consensus. Experiences of a common scientific language amongst the stakeholders of the Arctic Council may be a significant takeaway towards this.

Economic distress, coupled with social isolation and remoteness of location often leads to farmers committing suicide in India. Based on a nation-wide survey the paper outlines how rich farmers, as opposed to the poorer ones, are able handle agricultural indebtedness from alternate sources of income.

Precision agriculture is expected to address the challenges posed to the Indian agricultural sector, especially in the context of resource scarcity and climatic variability.

Climatic variability in India is making small and marginal farmers vulnerable to crop failures. The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, introduced in 2016-17 pledges to bring farmers within its safety net.

Green Revolution should not become Greed Revolution

Over dependence on groundwater poses a tough challenge to the agriculture sector, especially in water scarce regions and during dry spells. Measures such as precision farming, incentivising farmers for rational use of groundwater and imparting knowledge about recharge methods may be possible solutions.

The method of drip irrigation has several advantages over the flow method. Despite this, only 14.5 per cent of its potential is being utilised in Indian agriculture. Concerted efforts to encourage more states to engage in drip irrigation can help combat increasing water scarcity in agriculture dependent regions of the country.