SciDev.Net

This article presents four years of field research into the commercialisation of genetically modified Bt cotton in Andhra Pradesh, India.

The author, Glenn Stone, challenges the assumption that the rapid spread of Bt cotton is due to farmers carefully assessing the technology on a small scale before adopting it more widely.

Instead, Stone likens the process to a "craze", arguing that Bt cotton technology has disrupted farmers' learning process, as they rely less on experimentation and observation and more on advertising and copying their neighbours.

The article includes critical commentaries by leading scholars from Europe and the United States.

This article discusses herbicide-resistant transgenic crops (HRCs) and their relevance to Indian agriculture. The Delhi-based authors present their assessment of the key issues arising from herbicide-resistant (HR) technology.

Although the Indian government has not identified HR technology as a priority under its draft biotechnology policy, the authors discuss the potential contributions to weed control, and impacts on agricultural labour, crop breeding and the seed and pesticide industries. They also consider the emergence of herbicide resistance.

They conclude that HRCs may be useful in Indian weed-control regimes, but that technical issues and socio-economic and environmental implications need to be evaluated individually.

The discussions are relevant to other developing countries assessing whether to encourage the development and adoption of HRCs in their own agricultural systems.

This paper maps African countries' knowledge base through patent applications and publications. It shows South Africa as academically, and technically, the strongest country of the continent. The number of publications is growing in other African countries, but patenting remains limited all-round.

The paper ends on a positive note, arguing that African countries already possess the basis for knowledge-driven development.

The authors of this report use a "computable general equilibrium" model to assess current and future economic impacts of Bt cotton. The document argues that the potential advantages of Bt cotton adoption are likely to be greater in poorer countries — especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, it predicts that the benefits of Bt cotton adoption would be larger than the benefits of dismantling trade-distorting subsidies that rich countries use to support cotton cultivation and exports.

The econometric model used by the researchers does not measure environmental or human health effects, so cannot evaluate the impact of these effects on overall welfare. The paper is clearly presented and accessible to non-economists.

This article analyses Indian initiatives to mitigate climate change associated with a predicted rise in greenhouse gas emissions. It describes four scenarios for emissions, as modelled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and discusses India's vulnerability to the associated impacts of climate change. The article then goes on to describe ongoing national mitigation strategies — highlighting improvements made in petrol and diesel quality, forest conservation policies, the growing use of renewable energy sources and the research initiatives put in place by India's National Communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change to study greenhouse emissions.

This collection of reports summarise the findings from a collaborative project between the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and India's Ministry of Environment and Forests that involved eight Indian research institutes. The reports look specifically at the predicted impacts of climate change on sea level, water resources, agriculture, forestry, energy and human health in India. Each report includes a section looking at the policy implications of the predicted impacts and/or the need for further research.

This collection of nine research articles, published by the Indian Academy of Sciences, presents the latest findings of a network of studies conducted by leading scientific institutes and researchers in India. They examine the likely national impact of climate change on issues such as water availability, tropical cyclone frequency, changes in forest type and malaria transmission rates. The collection also includes an analysis of current and predicted trends for greenhouse gas emissions from India, as well as commentary on mitigation strategies for ensuring sustainable development.

The World Bank provides assistance to India to reform the country's power sector at the state level. This site details these efforts — for example, Orissa, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are supported by a lending instrument of the bank called Adaptable Program Loan (APL). The document is also available as a pdf [152KB].

Before submitting its initial National Communication to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, India prepared various reports on climate change, vulnerability and adaptation. This executive summary outlines the findings of an Energy and Resources Institute project funded by Winrock International.

This briefing paper was written for members of the Indian parliament. It provides a basic introduction to the science of climate change, the impacts predicted for India, and considers linkages between global warming and the country's economy, and food and water security.

This paper was prepared for a COP-8 side event by the Indian delegation in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme. It is a case study of climate-induced impacts in India's Orissa state — based on household data — with links to food security and rural development.

Coping strategies to reduce vulnerability are important in areas prone to recurring floods and cyclones. The strategies vary from minor dietary changes and increased reliance on off-farm income, to major adjustments including disposal of assets and out-migration. The results of this work suggest that 96 per cent of the participating households have adopted at least one strategy to address drought, flood or cyclone vulnerability.

The report makes five key recommendations to reduce vulnerability to climate-induced natural disasters. First, that coping mechanisms should be supported by scientific crop research to reduce losses due to extreme events. Second, that as far as agriculture is concerned, temporary monetary reliefs should be replaced by a permanent solution. Third, that drought proofing should be prioritised over drought relief. Fourth, that the feed requirements for livestock in affected farming communities be addressed. Fifth, that governments and specialised non-governmental organisations create self-help groups to support local communities.

Electricity consumption in India has more than doubled in the past decade, and demand is continuing to outstrip supply. Despite large investment into the power generation sector, India suffers from an electricity deficit and peak supply shortages.

This paper has three parts, an overview of electricity in India; models, scenarios and results for future electric options in India; and conclusions. It examines the government's role in electricity generation, the source fuels used for generation, and problems associated with power distribution. The results of the model and scenarios lead to the conclusion that the near-exclusive government ownership, a supply-side orientation, and tariff distortions led to an unsustainable path before 1990. A more flexible energy and technology mix would provide a useful hedging strategy for sustaining demand in the future.

An excellent, comprehensive analysis, with useful background and various energy scenarios make this important reading for anyone interested in India's energy future.

This is the last of a four-part Foreign Policy Centre article titled "India as a new global leader" and argues that energy security will be a major challenge for India's future. It provides many examples of ongoing initiatives to meet the country's growing energy demand.

The first part of the article considers how democratic politics have influenced India's growth patterns. It then argues that India's energy vulnerability is greater than that of China, for example, because of a greater dependence on petroleum products shipped from the Gulf region. An analysis of India's energy sector shows that the country's natural gas demand is quickly outgrowing India's production capacity. Setting this in a context of foreign policy, the article then analyses the constraints on remedying this energy vulnerability.

This informative, well-written report is valuable reading for those interested in energy and foreign policy.

This official report to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), published by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, is a comprehensive document on climate change in India.

The report assesses India's vulnerability and adaptation to climate change, and also provides a greenhouse gas emission inventory from 1994 — something the country is not obliged to include under the UNFCCC. The report also documents India's initiatives on sustainable development, and includes an analysis of the constraints and capacity needs of the country.

Despite its rapidly growing economy, India maintains the stance of a developing country in international climate change negotiations, reluctant to commit to emission reduction strategies. This speech is an early and important example of how India's stance has been expressed and shaped during the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change negotiations leading to the Kyoto Protocol. It was delivered by former Minister of Environment and Forests Saifuddin Soz in 1997 to COP-3 in Kyoto.

Soz outlines two key messages. Developed countries must accept adequate commitments to reduce their emissions, and developing countries should be assisted in building their capacity through transfer of financial and technological resources from developed countries. Almost a decade later, these messages are as pertinent as ever.

This article addresses the pattern of public-private sector partnerships in agricultural research in India, and outlines the implications for policy reforms. The researchers use the innovation system framework to analyse the factors that shape the relationship between the public and private sectors. They use detailed cases studies to illustrate the difficulties and capabilities of public-private interactions.

The paper concludes that although an agricultural innovation system is emerging in India, public-private interactions are neither widespread nor effective. Historically, the administration practices of public agencies have hindered interaction between the public and private sectors. The authors argue that institutional learning and experimentation could change the agricultural research system in India.

This paper examines the role that Indian civil society plays in science and innovation through a case study of agro-processing research in a civil society-led initiative. It investigates how a non-governmental organisation and other key players participate at different stages of the innovation process, highlighting the importance of this type of initiative for research that aims to help the poor.

The article questions existing assumptions and conventional ways of organising agricultural research that place research at the beginning of the innovation chain, followed by extension and application. It uses the innovation systems framework to assess the many players, partnerships and feedback loops involved in the development of spirulina algal technology, including foodstuffs and vitamin supplements, in India. The author says "the idea of innovation as a systems concept does not diminish the importance of science, but instead, locates it in different relationships and positions it along the innovation trajectory". According to the author, this has important implications for how research and development should be organised if they are to benefit the poor. The diverse sources in the innovation process need to be acknowledged to make research and technological development most useful for wider society, and strategies must be devised that are responsive to the needs of users.