• India: June quarter growth seen strongest since December 2007
• India: Monsoon seen normal next week, crop area grows
• US: Judge's ruling uproots use of biotechnology beets

• Nepal: Vedic Organic Agriculture conference planned for 24 September
• Nepal to host first International Workshop on Organic Agriculture, Food Safety, and Purity through Vedic Science
• Organic produce for world peace, and healthier livelihoods for farmers

• Canada opposes EU GM crop ban permission proposal
• Farmers bear brunt of Pakistan's deadly floods
• UK: Britons fret as meat and milk from cloned cow offspring enter food chain

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Positive Trends
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

India: June quarter growth seen strongest since December 2007
27 August 2010 - According to a Reuter's forecast, India's economy probably grew an annual 8.7 per cent in the June quarter, its strongest pace since the December quarter of 2007, the median forecast of 21 economists showed. The economy has been riding on robust manufacturing activity and the outlook for farm output has brightened following good monsoon rains. (more)

India: Monsoon seen normal next week, crop area grows
20 August 2010 - Monsoon rains are likely to be normal next week in most parts of the country, boosting prospects for rice, cane, oilseeds, and cotton crops, the weather office said on Friday. Total monsoon rainfall since June 1 is only 3 per cent below normal, raising hopes of a surge in food output versus last year, when a drought triggered a sharp rise in inflation. The monsoon, which provides about 80 per cent of total rainfall in most parts of the Asia's third-largest economy, is the main source of irrigation for more than half of Indian farms. (more)

US: Judge's ruling uproots use of biotechnology beets
14 August 2010 - A federal judge has revoked the government's approval of genetically altered sugar beets until regulators complete a more thorough review of how the scientifically engineered crops affect other food. The ruling by US District Judge Jeffrey S White on 13 August means sugar beet growers won't be able to use the modified seeds after harvesting the biotechnology beets already planted on more than 1 million acres spanning 10 states from Michigan to Oregon. Judge White expressed little sympathy for any disruption his decision might cause. He noted in his 10-page ruling that regulators had time to prepare for the disruption because he had already overturned the deregulation of the genetically altered beets in a decision issued last September. Andrew Kimbrell, the Center for Food Safety's executive director, hailed the decision as a major victory in the fight against genetically engineered crops. (more)

A US federal judge bans planting of genetically engineered beets
13 August 2010 - A federal judge on Friday banned the planting of genetically modified sugar beets engineered by Monsanto in a ruling that marks a major setback for the biotech giant. US District Judge Jeffrey White ruled in 2009 that the US Department of Agriculture had approved Monsanto's genetically modified sugar beets without adequate environmental study. (more)

India approves grain export to Bangladesh
6 August 2010 - India has allowed the export of 300,000 tonnes of non-basmati rice and 200,000 tonnes of wheat to Bangladesh, a government statement said on Friday, as good rainfall and higher planting have boosted crop prospects. India, which curbed grain exports in recent years to head off domestic price rises, made the announcement after two global suppliers cancelled deals to ship some 65,000 tonnes of Black Sea wheat to Bangladesh after Russia curbed grain exports. Government officials say if rice output from this year's summer-sown crop is good, India may further ease controls on grain exports. (more)

India: Monsoon rises to normal in main crop areas - weather office
2 August 2010 - Monsoon rains were about 3 per cent above normal in July, the highest for the month since 2005, making a repeat of last year's crop failure and food-led inflation surge unlikely. Farm Minister Sharad Pawar said heavy rains would recharge water bodies, boost soil moisture, and make the soil more fertile. (more)

India: Revived monsoon promises relief for economy - Q and A
29 July 2010 - Monsoon rainfall was 38 per cent above normal in the past week, the highest weekly downpour in the current June-September season. India's June-September monsoon rains are a key factor for global commodities markets as they influence output of various crops in India. The following are questions and answers on why the monsoon helps Indian farmers. (more)

Brazilian court suspends release of Bayer's genetically modified maize
28 July 2010 - In a landmark ruling published 27 July, the Paraná Federal Court revoked authorization for the commercial release of Bayer's Liberty Link maize and censured CTNBio's actions. A court ruling now prohibits Bayer from marketing Liberty Link maize -- resistant to the herbicide glufosinate -- anywhere in the country due to the absence of any plan for post-release monitoring. (more)

India: Monsoon rains turn normal in July, raise hopes for strong harvest
27 July 2010 - Monsoon rainfall in the key crop-planting month of July has been normal, recovering sharply after a 16 per cent deficit in June, two sources in the weather office told Reuters on Tuesday. 'Good rains in the crucial month of July will help bumper production for summer crops,' said L S Rathore, head of the agricultural meteorology division of the weather office. (more)

India: Monsoon revival boosts oilseed, rice sowing
23 July 2010 - Oilseeds and rice planting in India jumped this week after the vital June-September rain revived in key crop regions, putting the country on track to achieve the projected 4.5 per cent growth in the farm sector. The India Meteorological Department has forecast good rainfall in the eastern, central, and western parts of the country in the coming week, which will give another boost to planting of crops. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Nepal: Vedic Organic Agriculture conference planned for 24 September
24 August 2010 - Two international conferences will take place in Nepal in September: one on Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture and the other on Consciousness-Based Education. The agriculture conference will present the knowledge of Science and Veda for complete food security, purity, and harmony. (more)

Nepal to host first International Workshop on Organic Agriculture, Food Safety, and Purity through Vedic Science
14 July 2010 - An international agriculture conference featuring experts in Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture and food safety and purity will be held in Nepal this coming autumn. Leading agriculturalists will also participate in the conference, which is scheduled for 24 September. (more)

Organic produce for world peace, and healthier livelihoods for farmers
20 June 2010 - Maharishi World Peace Vedic Organics, a team of organic farming experts, has begun importing 5,000 pounds (US) of fresh fruits and vegetables from several tropical nations near the United States, to support the Maharishi Vedic Pandits on the Invincible America Assembly in Iowa. The group has been invited by government leaders to help train farmers in those countries to convert from conventional farming to organic and sustainable agriculture. (more)

India and United Kingdom: Effects of rising world consciousness seen in agriculture and health
18 June 2010 - Rising coherence in world consciousness is being reflected in many countries now, in the form of progress in organic agriculture and improved health of the general population, for example. In India, the states of Sikkim and Kerala are starting to convert many hectares of land to organic agriculture. And in the UK, anti-smoking legislation has led to a 'swift and significant' drop in the number of heart attacks, saving the Health Service millions of pounds. These developments were featured in a recent report on the Maharishi Channel, as the effect of large coherence-creating groups of Yogic Flyers all over the world. (more)

Organically cultivated, wildcrafted herbs produce purest VedAroma essential oils
1 June 2010 - Maharishi VedAroma essential oils are made from organically cultivated or wildcrafted herbs resulting in purest, highest quality essential oils. Herbs are grown on farms around the world, including Algeria, South Africa, and Bulgaria. (more)

Transforming life to bring greater balance in Nature: Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture
29 May 2010 - British business executive Dr Anthony Hardy concluded his presentation on the recent Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture course in Holland, commenting on one of its main themes: current transformations from fragmented knowledge to total knowledge in every area of life, which are leading to greater balance in Nature. Significant among these major transformations is Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture, which 'is truly nourishing to all aspects of life in the environment', he said. (more)

Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture: Solution for reducing the effect of carbon emissions
26 May 2010 - Continuing his presentation on Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture, British business executive Dr Anthony Hardy emphasized that soil fertility is fundamental and must be seen as a whole, rather than using chemical inputs in isolation, which have damaging influences. He also pointed out that organic farming is known to take significant amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere, storing it in the soil, thus reducing the effects of carbon emissions. (more)

Nepal to lead the world in the field of organic agriculture
25 May 2010 - A leading Nepalese businessman and former government leader, Mr Deepak Baskota is working to make Nepal the first country to exclusively grow organic food. Mr Baskota is the National Director of the Nepal Maharishi Vedic Foundation, and is planning an international conference in September on Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture. (more)

Practical, profitable solutions for rising worldwide food demand: Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture
25 May 2010 - A British business executive who attended the recent 16-lesson course on Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture in MERU, Holland, commented on its timely significance in offering practical, profitable solutions to major problems in the next 40 years, stemming from: projected world population growth, corresponding rising demand for food, and the effects of estimated global climate change. (more)

Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture: Pure food for a good environment, removal of poverty, a better world
22 May 2010 - Dr Michele Caccia continued his recent presentation, explaining that Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture is Unified Field-Based Agriculture, Consciousness-Based Agriculture: 'Consciousness is primary; everything is wholeness in motion, the dynamics of silence,' Dr Caccia quoted Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as saying. Dr Caccia is one of four individuals appointed by Maharishi to administer Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture worldwide. (more)

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Flops
10 Short Summaries of Top Stories

Canada opposes EU GM crop ban permission proposal
28 August 2010 - The Canadian government has voiced concerns about a European Union proposal to allow member states to decide whether to ban genetically modified (GM) crops. n 2004 Canada, the United States, and Argentina filed a complaint against the EU's GM crop policies with the World Trade Organization (WTO), arguing that a de facto EU moratorium on new cultivation approvals between 1999 and 2003 was against global trade rules. The complaint against the EU was largely backed by a WTO panel in 2006. In 2008 the United States began steps to retaliate against the EU after the bloc failed to comply with the WTO ruling, but later suspended the action. Washington could resume its moves to retaliate. (more)

Farmers bear brunt of Pakistan's deadly floods
16 August 2010 - For generations, the Indus River was a lifeline. Now it has turned destroyer, ripping up rice, wheat, and sugar cane crops and leaving behind bloated corpses of cows and goats. When the floodwaters recede, millions of farmers who used the Indus to irrigate their crops -- and propel Pakistan's economy -- face an uncertain future. The United Nations warns that unless farmers in hard-hit Punjab and Sindh provinces manage to plant their winter crop of wheat in mid-September as normal, there might be food shortages in the region and the nation as a whole. In the north, where the floods began nearly three weeks ago, fruit farmers are also hurting. (more)

UK: Britons fret as meat and milk from cloned cow offspring enter food chain
4 August 2010 - Britain's food watchdog said it had found that meat from the offspring of a cloned cow had entered the UK food chain and had been eaten, stirring controversy over whether such products are ethical. 'While there is no evidence that consuming products from healthy clones, or their offspring, poses a food safety risk, meat and products from (them) are considered novel foods and would therefore need to be authorized before being placed on the market,' the FSA said. It had traced two bulls born in Britain which began life as embryos harvested from a cloned cow in the United States, and one was slaughtered in July last year. The FSA said it was also continuing an investigation into reports milk from the offspring of cloned animals had entered the food chain in Britain. (more)

US farmers urge sanctions against EU's GM crop ban
28 July 2010 - The largest US farm group has urged the Obama administration to begin steps towards imposing sanctions on the European Union in a long-running dispute over the EU's treatment of genetically modified crops. The American Farm Bureau Federation, in comments given to the administration on Monday, complained the EU still has not complied with a 2006 World Trade Organization ruling against its 'de facto' moratorium on approving new varieties of biotech crops for sale in the 27-nation bloc. US farmers have widely embraced genetically modified crops, but the technology is viewed with suspicion by many European consumers because of perceived safety concerns. Washington began steps in January 2008 to retaliate against the European Union, but later suspended that action. The Farm Bureau initially supported the US government decision not to retaliate, but now the group said it has changed its mind. (more)

Roundup resistant weeds pose environmental threat
21 June 2010 - When the weed killer Roundup was introduced in the 1970s, it was said it could kill nearly any plant while still being safer than many other herbicides, and it allowed farmers to give up harsher chemicals and reduce tilling that can contribute to erosion. But 24 years later, a few sturdy species of weed resistant to Roundup have evolved, forcing farmers to return to some of the chemical herbicides they abandoned decades ago. The trend has confirmed some food safety groups' belief that biotechnology won't reduce the use of chemicals in the long run. (more)

US: High court lifts ban on biotech Roundup resistent alfalfa
21 June 2010 - The United States Supreme Court ruled that a federal judge went too far when he banned the planting of genetically engineered alfalfa seeds after claims that the plants might harm the environment. In a 7-1 vote Monday, the court reversed a federal appeals court ruling that had prohibited Monsanto from selling alfalfa seeds because they are resistant to the popular weed killer Roundup. Monsanto's alfalfa is made from genetic material from bacteria that makes the crop resistant to Roundup. (more)

Study: Shrinking glaciers to spark food shortages
10 June 2010 - Nearly 60 million people living around the Himalayas will suffer food shortages in the coming decades as glaciers shrink and the water sources for crops dry up, a study said Thursday. Those that do count heavily on glaciers like the Indus, Ganges, and Brahamaputra basins in South Asia could see their water supplies decline by as much as 19.6 per cent by 2050. Scientists for the most part agree glaciers are melting at an accelerated rate as temperatures increase. Most scientists tie that warming directly to higher atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. More than 90 per cent of glaciers worldwide are in retreat, with major losses already seen across much of Alaska, the Alps, the Andes, and numerous other ranges, according to researchers in the United States and Europe. (more)

EU to overhaul GM crop approval system, opening way to large-scale GM cultivation
4 June 2010 - The European Union is to radically overhaul its approval system for genetically modified (GM) crops from next month, opening the way to large-scale GM cultivation in Europe, EU sources said on Friday. With most Europeans showing no appetite for GM produce in food, the proposals due to be adopted on 13 July will give the EU executive Commission greater freedom to approve new GM varieties for cultivation in return for letting EU governments decide whether or not to grow them. The plan would allow large-scale commercial planting in pro-GM countries such as Spain, the Netherlands, and the Czech Republic. 'Although we welcome the move to allow countries to ban GM crops, it is being pushed to unblock the approvals process and allow more GM crops to be grown,' said Adrian Bebb, food and agriculture campaigner with Friends of the Earth. (more)

Q and A - What happens if the European Union relaxes GMO rules?
4 June 2010 - The EU executive European Commission has drawn up plans for a radical overhaul of the 27-nation bloc's rules on genetically modified (GM) crop cultivation, according to sources, which if approved could see huge growth in plantings in Europe. Following are questions and answers the plans raises. (more)

Amazon up in smoke, even when deforestation slows
3 June 2010 - Brazilian farmers are setting more fires in parts of the Amazon where deforestation has slowed, according to a study on Thursday that shows weaknesses in a UN plan for slowing climate change. Big fires, set by farmers to clear land for agriculture, are the main cause of deforestation but they continue to set smaller fires to maintain their plots -- and the damage is often hidden from satellite imaging because they burn under the tree canopy. The extra blazes, used to clear regrowing trees and undergrowth and add nutrients to the soil, release large amounts of greenhouse gases stored in vegetation and so partly negate the climate benefits of a drive to brake deforestation. Deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon has meant a loss of 19,000 sq km (7,300 sq mile) of forest a year from 1998-2007, releasing 280 million tonnes of carbon a year, the study said. (more)