GREEN TEAM: Microsoft India chairman Ravi Venkatesan with the Mumbai-based Novices@work team in Bangalore on Friday. The team will represent the country in the global Imagine Cup contest in July in France. The challenge of

The farmers of the State are not availing full benefits of their hard work. There remains a big difference between the prices of foodgrains produced by them and the being sold in the markets. Middle men are enjoying the farmers' hard labour. According to a report, sharbati wheat was sold Rs 2200-2500 a quintal in Ratlam but did the farmers reap the profits of this sale. It is also a matter of consideration that if quality crops are produced then the farmers would benefit. Earlier, sharbati wheat was produced in the Bhopal division and adjoining places.

Soil would be analysed and data recorded on cards for further maintenance Farmers in Haryana henceforth will be able to not just judge the health of their soil, but also improve its fertility with the help of soil cards to be issued to them. In an innovative move, the Haryana Agriculture Department has a plan to issue free soil cards to farmers to help them improve their produce.

paddy cultivation in India has often been associated with increasing greenhouse gas emissions. Indian scientists have now shown it is the other way round. A study says paddy sequesters organic

Awareness, protests cut tobacco cultivation in southwestern districts Farmers say it destroys soil fertility Amanur Aman, Kushtia Tobacco cultivation in seven southwestern districts which got a big boost several years ago is declining due to awareness about its harmful effect on soil and health following protests and campaign and also because of farmers' need to grow more food. Farmers now say its cultivation decreases fertility and deposits harmful ingredients in soil.

Soil experts are being asked for their views on a new strategy to protect England's soils for the future. Defra has published a consultation on the Soil Strategy, which includes an aim to halt the loss of carbon from soil. Soils contain huge amounts of carbon and there is some evidence to suggest that carbon levels are declining in some soils, resulting in the release of CO2 into the atmosphere and contributing to climate change.