Kudumbashree, Kerala’s flagship programme for women’s livelihood security, has been in existence now for over two decades. Its contributions to food security and nutrition has recently been highlighted by the High Level Panel of Experts of the Committee on World Food Security in its new report titled “Multi-stakeholder partnerships to finance and improve food security and nutrition in the framework of the 2030 Agenda.”
Documenting the Kisan Long March
On March 6, 2018, a farmers’ protest march under the banner of the All Indian Kisan Sabha (AIKS) began from CBS Chowk in Nashik. The swelling sea of marching peasants and workers, wearing red caps and carrying red flags and banners, ended their 200 km march at the historic Azad Maidan in Mumbai in the early hours of March 12, 2018. The six-day march or the Long March, as the march came to be called, was watched on television screens across the country with growing admiration and support.
Address by the Chairperson on the occasion of the First FAS Annual Public Lecture
I am indeed honoured to have this opportunity to make an intervention on the occasion of the public lecture by Dr M. S. Swaminathan. I am an activist of the All India Kisan Sabha, the oldest and the largest peasant organization in the country. The All India Kisan Sabha, since its inception in 1936 onwards, has consistently argued in favour of using advancements in science and technology to increase agricultural production and productivity.
Minimum Support Price for Kharif Crops, 2018-19
The Union Government announced minimum support prices (MSP) for 17 agricultural commodities (14 kharif crops) on July 4, 2018. The announcement came in the backdrop of the assurance provided by the Prime Minister to sugarcane farmers that the Government is going to provide MSP for kharif crops at one and half times of production cost. However, a closer look at the MSP reveals that for no crop was MSP more than 50 per cent of production cost.
Sources of Energy and “Time-Poverty” Among Rural Women
It is well known that women play an integral role in the procurement as well as use of cooking energy, particularly from biomass. Existing gender roles within households impose a differential burden on men and women, with women having to bear most of the adverse effects of time-consuming and unsafe sources of energy for cooking and lighting.
Women’s Education in Odisha: A District Profile
Data from the fourth round of the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 (NFHS-4) show that education of girls and women continues to be neglected in rural areas of Odisha. District Fact Sheets from NFHS-4 show that every second female aged 6 and above in rural areas of six districts of south Odisha had not attended school.
A Note on Farm Harvest Prices
Farm Harvest Price or FHP is a critical variable in determining incomes of farmers from crop production. Farm harvest prices are also used to estimate the contribution of agriculture to national incomes. In this post, we examine how farm harvest prices are defined, collected and reported in India.
Does Market Intervention Scheme Really Help Potato Farmers?
Potato prices are volatile. In January 2018, because of very low prices, potato farmers abandoned their produce in large numbers in villages of Uttar Pradesh. Some farmers even dumped their produce in front of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister’s residence to register their protest.
“How do Small Farmers Fare?” in Journal of Economic Literature
The Book titled “How do Small Farmers Fare? Evidence from Village Studies” finds a place in the list of annotations that appear in the December 2017 issue of the Journal of Economic Literature (Vol. 55, No. 4).
The WTO and Food Security: Beyond the 11th Ministerial Conference
At the 11th Ministerial Conference (MC 11) of the WTO in 2017, member countries engaged on eight issues related to agriculture. The possibility of finding a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes failed, as talks at the MC 11 collapsed due to the divergent views of member countries as well as strong opposition by the US.
