A newly updated report from the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) highlights many key facts and trends on how the world uses and manages its freshwater supply.
Agriculture-related activity is responsible for around 70% of freshwater use. Here are some other interesting facts from the report:
Less than 3% of the world’s water is freshwater.
Hariyali Kisaan Bazaar (HKB) is an innovative chain of rural agricultural supermarkets set up in India since 2002 by DCM Shriram Consolidated Ltd. (DSCL).
HKB is an innovative effort aimed at empowering farmers and meeting the needs of rural households by providing access to agricultural products, services and retail. Established in the countryside, the stores offer:
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Ethiopian scientist and plant breeder Gebisa Ejeta has been awarded the 2009 World Food Prize for his work on drought and weed-resistant varieties of sorghum. Ejeta, who is only the second African to win the food prize, will receive the award on October 15, in a ceremony held by the Word Food Prize Foundation in
In March 2008, the Indian Farmers Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO) launched a project to leverage communication technology, in particular mobile telephony, to disseminate expert agricultural knowledge to small-scale farmers in rural India. The newly created business, IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL), is a joint venture between one of India’s largest retailer of agri-inputs (IFFCO) and
Sometimes simple solutions looking at the issue of timing and planting cycles can provide effective solutions.
For example, in India, mustard seeds were planted in September and harvested in late December/January.
But often, up to 30% of the harvest was often lost to frost.
In response, breeders worked on a seed with a shorter duration period, which enabled
Improving access to credit is essential to allow farmers to invest and grow. The Grameen Foundation is one of the leader in the field of microfinance and its loans are changing women’s lives.
For example, in India, Ellevva and her husband, Durgiah, live in a small, one room house made of mud and sticks. Before taking
