Home / Current Article

Insecticides are essential for enhancing agricultural productivity; however, their persistence in agro ecosystems poses significant environmental and human health risks. Persistence refers to the prolonged presence of insecticidal residues in soil, water, air and biota, commonly expressed through half-life values. Based on persistence, insecticides are classified as non-persistent, moderately persistent and highly persistent, with organochlorine insecticides exhibiting extreme stability, bioaccumulation and biomagnification. Environmental processes such as leaching, volatilization and adsorption redistribute insecticides rather than eliminate them, resulting in long-term ecological contamination. Persistent residues adversely affect soil organisms, aquatic life, wildlife and beneficial insects, while chronic human exposure is linked to neurological disorders, reproductive toxicity and developmental abnormalities. Past incidents, including the Endosulfan tragedy and Bhopal gas disaster, underscore the urgent need for safer pest management strategies and stricter regulatory control.

Antimicrobial resistance is one of the major public health problems especially in developing countries where relatively easy availability and higher consumption of medicines have lead to disproportionately higher incidence of inappropriate use of antibiotics and greater levels of resistance compared to developed countries (WHO, 1996). The use of medicines, especially antibiotics, in livestock and dairy animals is essential for disease prevention and treatment. However, excessive or improper use of antibiotics can lead to antibiotic resistance, where bacteria become resistant to drugs, making infections harder to treat. This not only affects animal health but also poses serious risks to humans through residues in milk, meat, and the environment (Smith & Jones, 2019). Organic milk production plays an important role in reducing antibiotic resistance by strictly limiting the use of antibiotics in dairy farming. In organic dairy systems, routine, preventive, and growth-promoting use of antibiotics is prohibited (FAO, 2011; APEDA, 2023).

Regenerative agriculture has re-emerged as a transformative paradigm in response to intensifying climate change, widespread soil degradation, and the ecological limitations of conventional agricultural systems. Approximately one-third of global agricultural land is degraded, while agriculture contributes nearly 25% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Regenerative agriculture emphasizes ecosystem restoration, soil carbon sequestration, biodiversity enhancement, and farm resilience. This review synthesizes recent scholarly evidence (2022-2025), market assessments, and global case studies to evaluate regenerative agriculture?s environmental, economic, and climate-mitigation potential. Findings indicate that practices such as no-till farming, cover cropping, diversified rotations, livestock integration, compost application, and agroforestry can sequester up to 8.4 Mg C ha-1 yr-1, improve water-use efficiency by 20-30%, and reduce external input dependence by 20?50%. Case studies from the United States, Europe, and India demonstrate scale able transitions with co-benefits including carbon credits, drought resilience, and improved farmer livelihoods. Despite adoption challenges, policy incentives, carbon markets, and technological integration position regenerative agriculture as a critical pathway toward netzero and nature-positive food systems.

Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs) have become one of the most significant institutional innovations in Indian agriculture, especially for empowering small and marginal farmers through collective action. While policy support, market linkages, and financial assistance are essential for FPO sustainability, the internal strength of these organisations largely depends on group dynamics. Group dynamics refers to the interactions, relationships, participation, leadership patterns, norms, and collective behaviour of members within a group. In states like Odisha, where agriculture is dominated by smallholders, rainfed farming, and socially diverse communities, effective group dynamics plays a decisive role in determining the success of FPOs. This article discusses the concept of group dynamics in FPOs, its key components, relevance to FPO performance, challenges commonly observed in Indian and Odishan contexts, and practical strategies to strengthen group functioning for long-term sustainability. The article is written in a popular and extension-oriented manner for farmers, students, practitioners, and development professionals.

Epizootic ulcerative syndrome (EUS) is a severe fish disease caused by the oomycete Aphanomyces invadans, affecting both wild and cultured fish in freshwater and estuarine systems. The infection causes skin ulcers, deep muscle necrosis, and granulomatous lesions, leading to significant economic losses, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Outbreaks are influenced by seasonal and environmental factors, including low water temperatures, poor water quality, flooding, low dissolved oxygen, and stress. The pathogen's deep tissue invasion reduces the effectiveness of conventional treatments, and its persistence in sediments makes eradication from natural water bodies difficult. Effective management requires integrated strategies, combining strict biosecurity, environmental monitoring, quarantine of new stock, and enhancement of fish immunity through proper nutrition and stress reduction. Innovative monitoring technologies, including AI-based image analysis and real-time tracking of water quality, enhance the timely detection of EUS and support more effective outbreak management.

Tribal regions of Odisha are rich in traditional crops such as millets, pulses, and green leafy vegetables, yet malnutrition remains a serious concern (National Family Health Survey-5). This article is based on a field-based research study conducted in Koraput district of Odisha, a predominantly tribal area. The study explores farmers' awareness, adoption behaviour, and constraints related to nutrition-sensitive agricultural practices. The findings reveal that while tribal farmers produce many nutritious foods, limited nutrition awareness, inadequate extension support, and resource constraints restrict their consumption at the household level. The article highlights how nutrition-sensitive agriculture, through practices such as homestead nutrition gardens, crop diversification, and nutrition education, can improve dietary diversity and family health. It emphasizes the need to integrate nutrition goals into agricultural extension programmes so that farming not only ensures food availability but also leads to better nutrition and healthier tribal communities (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2017).

Soil Acidity as a Constraint: Soil Acidity is a long-standing constraint being faced by agricultural productivity in the context of the province of Odisha, located in the country of India. Recent estimates have found more than half of the agricultural lands in the province to be soil acidic in nature due to high rainfall, intense weathering, as well as continuous leaching of base cations (Government of Odisha, 2025). Soil Acidity can be defined as soils marked by aluminum toxicity, toxicities of metals such as manganese, phosphorus fixation, as well as low microbial populations (Sharma & Gupta, 2006). The present study compiles existing scientific research work on soil Acidity affecting agricultural lands within the province of Odisha.

Sulphur is gradually being identified as the fourth element along with nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in Indian farming. The large application of high analysis fertilizer, reduced application of organic manures, and increase in crop intensification have resulted in the deficiency of sulphur, which is an area of grave concern regarding soil fertility resources covering the whole agro-climatic region of the Indian subcontinent. The primary topics that this paper would cover include the application of sulphur in crops, the extent of sulphur deficiency in Indian soils, the effect on crop productivity, and optimal use.