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Climate Change And Its Impact On Agriculture

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The  “Global Risks Report 2020”  published by lists  Climate Change  as the top global threat over the next decade while the Global Climate Risk Index places India as the fifth most vulnerable country due to events catalyzed by climate change. The past few years have seen an increase in awareness of climate change impact on the Indian agricultural ecosystem both among policymakers as well as the general populace. Problem According to the  Economic Survey , agriculture, at present employs around 49% of the Indian workforce while 16% of our GDP comes from agricultural and its allied activities. In addition to these, agriculture is central to the food security of the nation and any ripple in this sector is bound to cause a domino effect in the whole economy. Climate change and myriad issues associated with it such as greenhouse gas emissions, increased frequency of extreme weather outcomes, average annual temperatures taking a northward shift and rising sea levels will certainly
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SumArth redefining ‘Sons of the soil’ to ‘Daughters of the soil’

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According to the Economic Survey 2017-18, the agricultural industry employs more than 50 percent of the total workforce in India and contributes around 17-18 percent to the country’s GDP. Talking about women, India’s agricultural industry employs 80 to 100 million female farmers. From preparing the land, selecting seeds, transplanting the seedlings, applying manure/fertilisers/pesticides and then harvesting, winnowing and threshing, women work harder and longer than male farmers. Despite all their hard labour in the field, National Commission for Women ’s data suggests that Bihar’s agricultural industry employs 85% of female but they are not officially treated as farmers, and are either labelled as “agricultural labourers” or “cultivators”.  It is rare to hear narratives of women working in agriculture and its allied activities in Bihar. Be it farmers’ suicide or drought or flood or any government scheme, whole media is seen flooded with male farmers’ visuals only. But here I w
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Don’t just worry about grocery shops’ shelves. Worry about farmers as well.

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Which shop did you rushed to first as you heard of lockdown? Grocery shop, isn’t it? Who provides us with the raw materials of the groceries? Obviously, farmers. So, can you imagine your life without farmers? I cannot. Because farmers provide us with one of the most basic necessities of life i.e food. Since the coronavirus pandemic started globally, one scene has been common everywhere—empty grocery store shelves as families rushed to stores preparing to settle for long run. But as the shoppers and consumers buy food items, have they thought of the farmers that produce our food? Farmers that today are in the fields, in this coronavirus pandemic, often without sick pay or health insurance, planting and harvesting our nation’s food supply. According to Food and Agriculture organisation of United Nation, agriculture, with its allied sectors, is the largest source of livelihoods in India. 70 percent of its rural households still depend primarily on agriculture for their livelihood,
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#PeriodPaath: Open Letter To District Magistrate For Providing Better Menstrual Hygiene

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To The District Magistrate Gaya Subject: Requesting to provide better menstrual hygiene facilities for girls in Gaya Respected Sir, Most humbly and respectfully, I would like to draw your attention towards the much-needed menstrual hygiene and related facilities in Gaya. As you are aware that menstrual practices still face social, cultural and religious restrictions in many parts of India, therefore, it is need of the hour to create awareness about menstrual hygiene. Gaya being a small town is not left with these restrictions. More than being hygienic, people are much concerned about the ill norms and cultural beliefs associated with menstruation. The adolescent girls are not prepared and made aware about menstruation so they face numerous difficulties at home, schools, and work places. Some get afraid, some are ashamed and some even feel cursed about it. India’s 113 million adolescent girls are vulnerable at the onset of menarche. Adolescence is said to be one of the mos
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Male fraternity is not to be blamed always for everything

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As per Census 2011, the population of India is more than 121 Crore with 48.5% females, 949 females to 1000 males in rural India against 929 females to 1000 males in urban India. Therefore, contribution of male can not be supressed by that of female. The female literacy rate according to the 2011 census is 64.63% whereas the male literacy rate is over 80%. Again, the decision making can not be taken over by female. As per Census 2011, the workforce participation rate for females is 25.51% against 53.26% for males. So, it is bit difficult for females to manage things all alone without the help of men. Women in India are becoming independent but the number is still very less in comparison to men. I always bought into the popular arguments that men and women were basically the same and that we only became different under the influence of culture, environment and society. But then several events changed my tune. I learned that God had created men and women uniquely differen
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“I Wish People Stopped Obsessing Over The Sex Of My Unborn Child”

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In the current era, when India is running awareness campaigns like “ Beti Bachao Beti Padhao “, the desire for sons remains strong among Indian parents. The  sex ratio at birth  (SRB) has dropped continuously since Census 2011, coming down from 909 girls per thousand boys in 2011-2013 to 896 girls in 2015-2017, says the latest SRS Statistical Report. This data suggests that girl children are still unwanted by the majority of Indians. I am almost five months pregnant, so the most frequently asked questions are, “Is that a boy or a girl?” and “Do you want a baby boy or baby girl?” These questions are really disappointing and sometimes even depressing. Why do people fail to understand that it’s not in my hands to produce a child with the gender of my choice? And how can it matter to a mother if it is a boy or a girl? Why is it necessary to know the sex of the child? I am just surprised at how rarely anyone asks a question related to how my pregnancy is going
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A letter to my unborn daughter- Set yourself free

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It’s been around 30 weeks of my pregnancy and I do not know if you are a girl or a boy, because pre-natal sex determination is crime in India. But I really do not know why I always feel the strength inside which reminds that you are one of the strongest girls. This feeling gives me immense pleasure and I enjoy every moment with you. But I also want you to know that being a girl is not easy to sustain in our society.  “Don’t shout! Be polite! Don’t argue! Maintain your modesty! Be a good wife/ daughter/ sister! You are the nose of the family!”- you would be asked for these and many more commands in all your life. But you do not need to follow it blindly.  Life of a girl is heavily fed on guilt and it becomes more tough as you grow up. Sometimes we are brought up making us feel guilty of our existence. In all the situation whether you are beautiful, ugly, fat, thin, tall or short, the society puts you down. If you are beautiful, you are forced to feel guilty because you would
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