Zinc (Zn) is the most important micronutrient required for sustainable crop production, particularly for rice and wheat crops. Therefore, on-farm trails (OFTs) were conducted at seventeen different locations during 2006-08 to evaluate the direct and residual application effect of Zn, applied through zinc sulphate heptahydrate under rice-wheat (RW) cropping sequence.

Investigations and experience on truth of natural plant life surrounding us revealed that 1) soil is living, 2) health of cattle influences biodiversity as well as recycling of biomass and 3) quality of water. It is "soul" content of alternate farming.

Stagnating yields, negative impact on environment, soil health and farmers' economy were some of the side effects of green revolution and provided fuel to search new and unexploited areas to ensure increased productivity through eco-friendly or evergreen farming.

Given that the controversy over success and failure of Bt technology still exists, this paper discusses the available field studies that have addressed agro-economic questions of Bt cotton cultivation in India. Since a meta-analysis of studies can give only partial conclusions, owing to differences across study methodologies and coverage, this paper takes a different strategy, i e, looking not simply at differences between Bt farms and non-Bt farms, but at the experience of farmers before growing Bt and after switching to Bt.

The more a farmer spends on fertiliser and pesticide, which he believes that he must to maintain yields from his gradually decaying parcel of land, the more is the rise in the disease burden amongst those who produce the food and those who consume it. It is not just about one shortcoming in the way India calculates food price. It is about a fundamental gap in the economic theory of calculating inflation based on food prices.

Balancing the conflicting interest of farmers, intermediaries and consumers is a tightrope walk for the Indian government even when there is price tranquility. This balancing exercise has become nightmarish in recent years with food inflation showing persistency and turbulence. These developments prompted the Cabinet Secretary to constitute an inter-ministerial group (IMG) to manage overall inflation with a focus on prices of primary food items in February 2011.

The study examines the performance and returns to Bt cotton vs Non-Bt cotton in the state of Maharashtra. The study has been undertaken at the request of Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India.