Tissue culture employs different methods to produce genetically engineered plants.

Institutional support helped rehabilitate the Irulas of Tamil Nadu after their traditional occupation of snake catching was outlawed.

Prominent among those exploiting the domestic and export potential for tissue cultured plants are SPIC and E I D Parry.

Tissue culture can help scientists prevent destruction of genetic diversity.

The Thar of Pakistan is an arid region troubled by long spells of drought, rapidly falling groundwater levels, abysmally low literacy levels and rudimentary medical centres. But the crisis facing the Thar today stems from beyond all this. It can be traced

The Centre for Application of Science and Technology to Rural Areas, set up in 1974, was a bold effort at bringing appropriate technology to the people. But the attempt failed to take off because it did not involve the people.

The government's target oriented distribution of ASTRA stoves, specially designed for rural homes, is an example of how efforts to take science to the rural areas can be hampered.

K S Jagadish, a professor of civil engineering at IISc, has been associated with ASTRA since its inception in 1974 and was its convenor for six years. Down To Earth spoke to him recently in Bangalore about ASTRA and its work. Excerpts:

Global environmental concerns throw open the South to Northern intervention, whereas the South has limited interest in intervening in Northern affairs. After Rio, the South finds all the cards stacked against it.

A determined group of youngsters in Shaheed Nagar who started a weekly newspaper find their objectives are slowly being realised.