Genetic engineering is used to modify the food we eat. But do we know enough about its effect on us?
For as long as we know, the food we eat is grown in farms and fields by farmers who sow seeds and harvest them every season. Adulterations in food products sold loose, such as pulses or sugar in the local kirana stores, is quite common.
But we never worry about adulterations while buying packaged food from the shelves of our favourite shop. After all, they pass through several quality checks. But a study by Delhi-based non-profit Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) has found that packaged food items have genetically modified (GM) ingredients in them.
Human-induced climate change has led to several extreme weather events, including excessive rainfall which causes disease pathogens to transmit easily and more rapidly through the floodwaters
It is an early morning for 18-year old B C Kaushalya Kumari and her friends. Residents of Kandy, a city surrounded by mountains in Sri Lanka, the students are on a mission. They are in a nearby village, making a list of areas where dengue mosquitoes breed. The plan is to clean up these areas and put up wastebins everywhere...
It is said that when the British Governer General Warren Hastings brought the water hyacinth to India in the 18th century, thinking it was a flower, he couldn't have imagined that was actually a deadly weed.
In the guise of development, what allows us to be callous with earth's resources? A study conducted by Indian Institute of Soil Science shows that majority of the soil in India is deficient in secondary nutrients, such as sulphur, and micronutrients, such as zinc, boron, iron, copper and manganese. The question then is how nutritious can our food be if it is grown on malnourished land? Many other villages are suffering, like Jaduguda and Kolaghat, because the polluter does not take the responsibility of the waste, burdening locals with unseen consequences...
Did food shape our history or history shape our diet? What role does climate play in the way we eat today? How did our food habits shape up? Read on to find out.
Kuku jumps from her bed the moment the doorbell rings. Today is her birthday and she is excitedly waiting to meet her friends in the evening. She opens the door and sees a delivery man carrying a big backpack. He smiles at Kuku and hands her a package. Kuku looks at it and screams, “Ma! Nanaji’s gift has arrived!”
Down To Earth travels to the desert state of Rajasthan to find out about the traditional food habits of the people in one of the driest regions of the country. We discovered that so many things grow in the wild and traditional knowledge of these will ensure that you have plenty to eat in the harsh desert environment. But is this traditional knowledge losing its ground slowly?.
Down to Earth is Science and Environment fortnightly published by the Society for Environmental Communication, New Delhi...
As usual, I woke up in the morning thinking about what I would do that day. It wasn't a special day, my routine was all planned-up like other days. It was a holiday, I didn’t have to go to school. I was determined to do something new, see something different. I was thinking about going with my family to watch a movie or something like that. I don’t watch movies often but my exams had just ended the day before. Many ideas came to my mind, but that day I don’t know why...
We often hear that health is wealth. But how well is it understood and applied is difficult to ascertain.
This time, we bring to you a story on a nutritional study undertaken by our five GSP (Green Schools Programme) Gold schools, for assessing their students’ health. A few students in the age group of 12–15 volunteered from each school to participate in the study...
Health, Food and Environment are closely related. All living beings have to eat. We eat food to keep our bodies healthy and strong, so that we can go about doing our day to day work. A wide variety of foods is available to us. In fact, our food can vary from region to region. For example, people living in coastal areas might eat a lot of sea food (fish, prawns, etc).
