Young farmers in Ratnagiri are successfully preserving the unique diversity of the region by integrating small scale agriculture with livestock production.

Spiralling prices of pulses have shown India's dependence on imports. Pulses are integral to India's diet but not its food policy. As a result, supply cannot meet demand. To understand the causes, its consequences and the solutions, read this DTE report.

Rice is the latest in a series of brand extensions.

Marico has been experimenting with healthy and functional foods under the Saffola brand name for some time now. In the last few years, the brand has been extended to low-sodium salt and atta mixes for diabetics besides the core cooking oil. Rice was the latest addition to that list.

The statistics are grimly familiar. According to the latest National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, every other child in the USA now has a body-mass index (BMI) at or above the 85th centile on age-specific national growth charts for ideal weight gain.

Could an African caterpillar be the new beefsteak? As the world diverts more of its grain harvests into producing meat, some scientists are pushing policymakers to take a closer look at insects as an environmentally friendlier source of protein. Whereas a cow needs to eat roughly 8 grams of food to gain a gram in weight, for instance, insects need less than two. The U.N.

Food security is a growing concern worldwide. More than 1 billion people are estimated to lack sufficient dietary energy availability, and at least twice that number suffer micronutrient deficiencies. Because indicators inform action, much current research focuses on improving food insecurity measurement.

Shireen Vakil Miller

The anomaly between impressive economic growth and appalling rates of malnourishment is not peculiar to Bihar. The country as a whole records malnourishment rates that do not reflect the economic growth. A scene in Madhya Pradesh.

Several issues, ranging from sustainability to health, may interest the consumers in the corn content of their food. However, because restaurants are excluded from the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990, national chain restaurants provide nonspecific ingredient information and small businesses supply none.

The fonio-husking machine, invented by Rolex Laureate and mechanical engineer Sanoussi Diakite, is helping prevent a delicious, West African cereal from disappearing. His machine is liberating villagers, especially women, from the traditional, labour-intensive process of preparing fonio by hand.

Agricultural prices have fallen heavily since their peaks in the first half of 2008: some are already at the levels seen in early 2007 before the recent spike began. Thanks in part to economic downturn, prices are expected to continue falling in 2009. Prices of inputs such as fertiliser and oil, and ocean freight rates, have also come down; and by even larger fractions than those of outputs.

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