Amid the international financial crisis, the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has warned that falling food prices and reduced access to credit are likely to hit the agricultural production, threatening global food security.

floods Kosi breach yet to be plugged The breach in the Kosi embankment that caused the devastating flood in Bihar may not be plugged before March 2009. The deadline for completion of the work was in November, but the state government extended it by four months. Though the government did not cite any specific reason for this, media reports link the delay to non-availability of

Seed multinationals rush for patents SIX leading multinational seed companies, BASF, Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Bayer and Dow, have claimed patent rights on seeds and knowledge designed to combat the impact of climate change in agriculture. They have filed 532 applications in various patent offices for such seeds and plant genomes. Monsanto and BASF have a us $1.5 billion

By Devinder Sharma

Outsourcing food production will leave behind a trail of hunger and food scarcity for the native populations.

By ELISABETH ROSENTHAL

VITORIA-GASTEIZ, Spain