farming
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Ever noticed how a field can look drenched, yet the plants still thirst? Sunlight pulls water into the air, streams carry it away, and only a fraction reaches the roots. Imagine if every drop could travel straight to the spot where life begins the root itself. The Origins of Drip Irrigation The story begins in Read more
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During a lecture, my professor casually dropped the phrase: “Precision farming is like using GPS for soil.” At first, I thought he was joking. Soil? With GPS? Broo, that image stuck in my head. I mean, we track Uber rides with pinpoint accuracy but still throw fertilizer across fields like it’s confetti. So I did Read more
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One day, during our Agricultural Heritage course, we had an objective-type question. Among all the options, one word caught my eye Vrikshayurveda. I had never really paid attention to it before, but for some reason, it hit me differently that day. Out of curiosity (and habit), I did what I always do went deeper and Read more
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I was deep into mid-exam prep, flipping through my Crop Production notes the usual stuff on cereals, pulses, cropping systems. Then I came across a section titled “Ratooning in Sugarcane.” I stopped. Hold on. Farmers can grow a second sugarcane crop without even replanting? That line hit me. Not just because it was part of Read more
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A few days ago, I was watching a startup pitch show where a young student presented a climate-resilient agri-startup. It wasn’t some high-tech, buzzword-heavy thin it was simple, smart, and rooted in solving real problems for farmers. That moment made me pause. Since then, I’ve seen YouTube videos of students composting on balconies, growing food Read more
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One question that’s been quietly sitting in the back of my mind, popping up during lectures, field visits, even while eating lunch… Can organic farming really feed the world in a warming future? It’s not just an academic thought. Every time I hear someone say “organic is the future” or see big, bold labels in Read more
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Let me start with a quick scene: Imagine you’re standing on a rooftop in peak May. It’s 46°C. Your phone says “feels like 51.” The sky looks like a blur. You step back inside and think Is this it? Is this our future? We’re all feeling the heat, literally and emotionally. And when things get Read more
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In recent years, farming has landed on the frontlines of climate chaos. Heatwaves scorch fields. Droughts empty wells. And when the skies finally open, it’s often a deluge washing away topsoil, and with it, the hopes of farmers. These aren’t one-off events anymore. They’re patterns. Industrial agriculture once hailed as the path to food security Read more
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One day, I was casually scrolling through my Google feed when I saw a headline: “International Millets Day Celebrated Worldwide” And my first reaction? What? Millets Day? That’s a thing now? Out of curiosity, I tapped the article. It said the UN had declared 2023 as the International Year of Millets, with India playing a Read more
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If you had to name one plant that could survive in a wasteland with blazing sun, cracked soil, and barely a drop of water aloe vera would be it. It doesn’t just survive harsh conditions. It thrives in them. That’s partly because aloe vera belongs to a unique group of plants known as CAM plants Read more
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A few months ago, I was growing fenugreek in my college field. Every morning, I’d check the plants bright green leaves stretching out, that faint methi aroma in the air, soil still moist from last night’s watering. There’s something oddly satisfying about watching a seed turn into something edible. I’d pluck a few leaves, crush Read more
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It was one of those bus ride back from college the kind where the road feels endless, and my thoughts start drifting like clouds over the fields outside. I had just slipped into my usual window seat, the breeze nudging through the open pane. I wasn’t in the mood for music. My mind was busy Read more
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This week we went on an educational visit to CRIDA – the Central Research Institute for Dry-land Agriculture as a part of our course work from Seed Technology and Crop Production. It was about 2-hours drive from our college and we traveled together in our college bus. As soon as we arrived and stepped off Read more
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A few weeks ago, I attended a hydroponic farming workshop about an hour from home. The setup looked like science fiction: neat rows of lettuce, no soil in sight, roots dangling in nutrient-rich water. Halfway through, I raised my hand and asked the question bugging me: “Is this considered organic?” The trainer paused, smiled awkwardly, Read more
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An ancient idea, modern science, and a spark of curiosity that’s how I discovered biochar, and why I believe it might change farming in India. The Corridor Question That Sparked It All First semester of B.Sc. Agriculture, subject: Agricultural Heritage. Our professor was wrapping up a lecture on plant nutrients when one word made me Read more
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I was 19 when mum sent me to buy 1 kg of tomatoes. Simple task, nothing big. Back then, I already “knew” organic food was better chemical-free, healthier, kinder to the soil. But honestly? I didn’t really understand what that meant beyond a few textbook lines. At the store, I stood staring at two baskets. Read more
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I was scrolling through my phone one evening when I stumbled upon a short clip: a farmer in Maharashtra explaining how an AI-powered weather advisory had saved his cotton crop from unseasonal rains. It struck me the same technology that drives global industries is now guiding decisions in small village fields. For farmers standing at Read more
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I still remember sitting in class on a hot May afternoon when our professor said, “Farmers are no longer just food growers, they are frontline climate fighters.” That line stuck with me. Because if you talk to farmers in Telangana today, you’ll hear the same worry: the monsoon comes late, paddy fields dry out, and Read more
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In India, we don’t often think of seaweed beyond the beach but as an agriculture student, I see it as both a superfood and a climate-smart farming opportunity. It’s one of those rare resources that nourishes people, heals ecosystems, and creates livelihoods all at once. What’s So Great About Seaweed? Seaweed is basically nutrition wrapped Read more
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I was watching a Sadhguru video on YouTube during his Save Soil campaign when one line stayed with me: it takes hundreds of years to form just a handful of healthy soil. As an agriculture student, that shook me. Because the same soil that takes centuries to build is being degraded in just decades and Read more
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Soil isn’t just dirt under our feet it’s a living system. It stores water, supports crops, and provides a home for billions of microbes. At its heart is Soil Organic Carbon (SOC), formed from decomposed plant and animal matter. SOC is what gives soil fertility, resilience, and structure. Just as importantly, it acts as a Read more
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Farming today feels less predictable than the weather forecast and the forecast itself is getting worse. But what if crops themselves could adapt rewritten to handle stress like pros? That’s where CRISPR comes in, the gene-editing tool quietly reshaping the future of food. My First Spark With CRISPR I still remember my professor saying, “CRISPR Read more
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If you grew up near a paddy field, you know the landscape: mirror-flat water, green blades, the soft croak of frogs. What you might not know is that those flooded fields are quietly belching out a powerful greenhouse gas methane and it matters for climate, crops, and farmers’ futures. Why Rice Paddies Make Methane Rice Read more
