Clay minerals are natural materials well known for their role in retention and persistence of organic and inorganic compounds in soil. Clay minerals are being modified through different processes to alter their charge and surface properties tailored for specific purposes. Modified clays in general include pillared layered clays, organoclays, nanocomposites, acid and salt-induced and thermally and mechanically induced modified clays. Pillared organoclays and nanocomposites constitute a novel class of materials, mainly one kind of modification of expanding 2 : 1 clay minerals.

There is a need to break yield barriers through multidimensional approch to achieve food security on a sustainable basis for the people of this country. Cooperatives can play an important role in this direction due to their proximity to farmers. The Indian Farmers' Fertilizer Cooperative Limited (IFFCO), since over the last four decades, is providing services to farmers and cooperatives through various programmes, besides ensuring fertilizers availability.

In foothills of Shiwaliks due to presence of torrents, soil erosion is very serious problem. The flow acquires accelerated velocity at it travels down the slope and consequently becomes highly erosive in nature. Study aea of Baroi Khad (rainy season torrents) lies at Akhnoor Tehsil of Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir state.

Out of the total geographical area of India about 53% suffers from different kinds of land degradation, and Uttar Pradesh accounts for 9.06%. About 4.0 m ha (11.03%) area of the country is suffering from ravine problem. U.P. shares 1.230 m ha (31%) ravine land of the country spread over in 25 districts of the state.

Red sandy dunal soils of Tamil Nadu is called Theri soils. They occupy about 20,000 ha. Tuticorin district has the largest area 11,200 ha. Different interpretative systems have indicated that these are not suitable for agriculture. In this study, tank silt is used to amend the soil and the different physical parameters which make the soil better for cultivation are estimated and their interrelationships are presented.

Human-wildlife conflict is widespread in today’s South Asia and the wider world. Forty-seven elephants, seven leopards and two tigers have been killed in the last twenty months in the forests of northern Bengal. The deaths of elephants were caused in most cases by speeding trains. The problem of
human-animal conflict is increasingly featuring in the media and in discussions. Interestingly, human-animal conflict has a rich history and dates back to the pre-historic times.

In an atmosphere marked by a growing confrontation, the Assam Forest Department and a dominant section of the Assamese nationalists and conservationists argue that the Kaziranga National Park is facing imminent danger from its neighbouring habitats. The poor farmers, fishermen, and petty traders in the neighbourhood refuse to give up their land and be rehabilitated. This article journeys briefly into some of the issues to help understand the complex contest over both conservation practices and ownership of a prized space.