The Green Revolution was India’s first industrial agricultural revolution that replaced the traditional farming system completely. But the adverse consequences of Green Revolution in the form of stagnation in production aggravated the problems of the farmers in the era of post-Green Revolution in 1980s and 1990s. The late 1990s witnessed an emergency of debt-driven suicides and rapid indebtedness that had taken hold of the countryside across the nation.

Survey data collected in 2007 from three districts in Andhra Pradesh, this article assesses the performance of 72 primary agricultural credit cooperatives. It finds that these credit cooperatives tend to be used as political instruments and, as a result, borrowers prioritise all debt obligations to microfinance institutions, informal moneylenders and others, before primary agricultural credit cooperatives. The authors suggest that if the performance of these credit cooperatives does not improve, a larger government role in the supply of credit may undermine the culture of repayment.

The question of 'what changes do we need to empower women smallholders and achieve food security?' has been asked repeatedly.

Strong rural organizations like producer groups and cooperatives are crucial to hunger and poverty reduction. They allow small producers to play a greater role in meeting growing food demand on local, national and international markets, while improving their own economic, social and political opportunities.

Village cooperatives to get new responsibility

This article looks at a system designed and implemented by members of an indigenous community in central Ecuador, which, by localising food production, distribution and consumption, ties together a series of efforts that provide a safeguard against the precarious nature of local employment and fluctuating food prices. Results so far show that this collective action is strengthening community cohesion, and demonstrate how initiatives based on the concept of food sovereignty can address some of the clear inequalities of our globalised food system.

This bill has been drafted by Goa Law Commission to prevent sale of agricultural land to non agriculturists. It proposes to conserve water bodies too and deals with the aspect of contract farming, co-operative farms and farming estates.

There is a need to break yield barriers through multidimensional approch to achieve food security on a sustainable basis for the people of this country. Cooperatives can play an important role in this direction due to their proximity to farmers. The Indian Farmers' Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), since over the last four decades, is providing services to farmers and cooperatives through various programmes, besides ensuring fertilizers availability.

Bioenergy could help bring food security to the world's poorest continent, say Lee R. Lynd and Jeremy Woods.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v474/n7352_supp/full/474S020a.html

Non timber forest products (NTFPs) play a vital role in sustaining rural communities, particularly those living adjacent to forest areas. In India, it is estimated that over 50 million people are dependent on NTFPs for their subsistence and derive their earnings from these products after consuming about 60% of NTFPs.

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