The report carries a comprehensive statistical analysis on variegated aspects of accidents and suicides in India. It offers country statistics for in-depth analysis of the factors related to accidents and suicides, and for formulation of policies for effective intervention.

The 29th edition of UNEP’s Foresight Brief explores the use of plastic in agriculture and the significant waste problem this entails which impacts on soil health, biodiversity, productivity and food security. Plastics are used extensively in farming, from plastic coated seeds to mulch film.

The number of people affected by hunger globally rose to as many as 828 million in 2021, an increase of about 46 million since 2020 and 150 million since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to this report that provides fresh evidence that the world is moving further away from its goal of ending hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition in all its forms by 2030.

Many countries have made a commitment to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by or around 2050. If some sectors have residual emissions, these must be compensated for by removing CO2 from the air and storing it.

46 out of the 47 countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) submitted a first nationally determined contribution (NDC) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) as of 31 December 2020; South Sudan submitted an intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) back in 2015 but has yet to ratify the Paris Agreement.

Region-wise analyses highlight that the agricultural growth in the western, central and Bundelkhand regions significantly depend upon the basic infrastructure including adequate power to the agricultural sector, better road network, and irrigation development, though the variable power to agriculture was insignificant in Bundelkhand.

Agriculture sector in India is a primary source of livelihood for a majority of the population. Low and stagnant income in the sector remains a focal point of policy debate in India. The most prominent pathways to enhance farmers’ income is the adoption of improved agricultural technologies.

Indian Agriculture continues to be vulnerable to weather vagaries despite self-sufficiency in food grain production. Climate change and increased extreme weather events in recent decades as well as uncertainty in prediction of those events further add to the woes of the farmers causing widespread losses of agricultural output.

These guidelines are intended to assist countries in understanding the agronomic parameters involved in the computation of the agricultural component of the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) indicator 6.4.1 on the change in water use efficiency over time.

This policy document builds upon NRAA’s vision as outlined above and incorporates integral policy measures for sustainable rainfed agriculture, inclusive of recognizing new vulnerabilities such as climate change, farmers’ distress resulting in seasonal migration, severe malnutrition in rainfed areas, and India’s commitment to the UN Sustainable