Empowering organic cotton growers through plant clinics in Balochistan
Pakistan is among the top five largest cotton producing countries in the world. Although Punjab and Sindh have remained major cotton producing provinces since 1947, a sharp increase in global demand for organic cotton is offering a great opportunity to Pakistan in general, and Balochistan in particular is set to get maximum benefit due to…
The role of earthworms in sustainable agriculture
Sustainable agriculture means the production of food from plants or animals using different agricultural techniques that protect communities, the environment, and animal welfare. The extensive use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers to boost crop yields may have resulted in good yields and productivity, but it has caused the efficiency of the soil to deteriorate throughout the world day-by-day.…
The price of organic farming…prison time?
Judges in France are now considering an appropriate punishment for one organic winemaker who has refused to spray his vines with pesticides. Without spraying, they say he could be contributing to further infestation of the leafhopper Scaphoideus titanus in the region. As the Guardian in the UK reports, Emmanuel Giboulot now faces a 6-month prison sentence and a €30,000 fine for failing…