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Utkarsh Ghate

Indian Institute of Science, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Alumnus

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Phone: 91-9424102440
Address: Director, Gram Mooligai (Village herbs) company Limited, Madurai city, Tamilnadu state & Durg city, Chhattisgarh state, India,
ph. 91-9424102440, web- https://ccd.org.in

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Utkarsh V Ghate

Ankur Patwardhan

Dharmendra Tripathi

Anastasia Pantera

Agricultural University of Athens

BIrsa Agricultural University, Ranchi

IFAD Research and Knowledge

The M.S. Unieversity of Baroda, Gujrat, India

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Papers by Utkarsh Ghate

Agro-Forestry & Natural Farming for Bioeconomy, Speedy Net Zero Carbon and Climate Change Resilience in India

Journal Agriculture Research, 2025

Boosting agroforestry and low emission farming on 85 million ha i.e. 25% of India's landmass can ... more Boosting agroforestry and low emission farming on 85 million ha i.e. 25% of India's landmass can offset about additional 750 Million ton CO 2 Equivalent green house gas (GHG) emissions i.e. nearly 50% % of Indian GHG emissions by 2050. This is over 2 times the to the tune of 522 MtCO2E i.e. 22% of India's total GHG emission of nearly 2,959 million ton CO 2 equivalent/ year in 2023. This can help India meet its net zero target to be carbon neutral close to 2050 as per the global target, ahead of its declared plan to be next zero by 2070 at COP26 at Glasgow in 2021.

Grassland Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Introduction to Hill Forests in India: Habitat Analysis Error

Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology, 2025

Due to population viability issues, Cheetah brought to India from Africa and their Indian progeny... more Due to population viability issues, Cheetah brought to India from Africa and their Indian progeny were confined to the enclosures since 2.5 years, and fed with livestock meat and refrained from hunting in the open. Grasslands, savanna or semi-arid habitat in western Indian states of Rajasthan or Gujarat may be more suitable habitat for the African Cheetah subspecies introduction in India than the forested, hilly tracts in the Madhya Pradesh state such as Kuno national park, where their current location. Cheetah mainly dwell or hunt in the plains savanna habitat in Africa. Cheetah diet in Africa mainly consists of Antelopes (grown up weight<50 kg) or small mammals like hare and occasionally livestock such as sheep, goat comprise. Breeding and release of such small mammals in the Cheetah habitat and community participation may be helpful, than the "Chital" i.e. Spotted deer i.e. (full grown weight >80 kg) prevailing and promoted at Kuno presently.

Bamboo farming as green timber for Net Zero carbon emission -Nature Based Solution (NBS) for India

Journal of Diversity Studies, 2025

Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource due to its fast vegetative growth and with little ... more Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource due to its fast vegetative growth and with little watering after 1-2 years. Its used to ecorestoration of the degraded land, carbon sequestration, and also poverty alleviation through crafts microenterprises, as a Nature Based Solution (NBS) for the climate change-being both mitigation and adaptation tool [1]. It is a crucial strategy tool in the agroforestry and construction sector towards "net zero" carbon emissions as it absorbs more carbon per unit area than tree species [2]. Bamboo occupied about 11.4 million i.e. 16% of the 66.7 million forest in the country and 4% of the nation's land area in 2003 [3]. It rose by 30% to 15 million ha by 2021 to cover nearby 20% of the forest area of 70 million ha [4], possibly due to the National Bamboo Mission's efforts to plant and use Bamboo since 2012. Remarkably, the majority 10 out of 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDG) of the UN vide Box 1 [5]. It will also help the corporate such as Telecom companies or CSR (corporate social responsibility) partners to meet their environmental/ "net-zero" targets.

Ayurveda and Herbs as "Fusion Medicines": Alternatives or Adjuvants to Address Antimicrobial Resistance-A Review

International Journal of Biomedical and Clinical Research, 2025

The herbal and traditional systems of medicines including Ayurveda and Chinese present many valua... more The herbal and traditional systems of medicines including Ayurveda and Chinese present many valuable bioactives for further research and development to contain the rising anti-microbial resistance (AMR) worldwide. These include Asparagus, Indian ginseng (Withania somnifera), Indian berberis (Tinospora cordifolia), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Indian Kudzu (Pueraria tuberosa) among others. They can act synergistically including with the modern antibiotics for better efficacy, safety and saving cost and pain, efforts. The mechanism of action of promising Bioactives such as "Quercetin" and "Curcumin" includes quorum sensing (QS), inhibition of biofilm, destruction of cell wall or disruption of cell cycle, antioxidant nature and modulation of host immunity. Poor bioavailability of bioactives is a challenge and nanotechnology can help in higher efficacy.

Urban wildlife and protected areas in India

Parks 11 (3): 29-34, 2001

Contrary to popular belief, urban areas can serve as significant wildlife refugia, a value that n... more Contrary to popular belief, urban areas can serve as significant wildlife refugia, a value that needs to be understood and maximised amidst the rampant urbanisation that characterises many parts of the world. Indian case studies show that rational biodiversity assessments through amateur naturalists can serve as an efficient tool to monitor and plan for sustainability of urbanisation. Cities harbour between a quarter to half the total biodiversity in their biogeographic region. However, over half the total urban biodiversity is lost in the city core – the most human impacted zone. Further, up to half the total organisms are confined to a few patches of remnant forests, grasslands or wetlands. Such refugia often occur as part of university or defence premises, which now need to be specifically protected against any land use changes, so biodiversity may continue spreading to other urban sinks (such as public places and home gardens). Complementary biodiversity-friendly strategies include the planting of native plants to provide pollen and fruits for birds, insects and mammals, besides serving as larval food for several butterfly species. Native fish may be reintroduced in ponds and rivers, after removing invasive alien species such as water hyacinth.

People's biodiversity register: a record of India's wealth

Amruth (FRLHT), 1996

Living resources were till recently viewed as a common heritage of mankind. Now they are subject ... more Living resources were till recently viewed as a common heritage of mankind. Now they are subject to two, somewhat conflicting systems of rights embodied in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariff. On the one hand they are viewed as sovereign property of nation states. On the other, they are being accepted. as an intellectual property of enterprises, which have manipulated or even simply discovered them. Intellectual property rights are also being established over the knowledge of many types of uses of these resources. There are important challenges in all this for a country like India, rich as we are in biodiversity resources, and folk and traditional knowledge of properties and uses of these resources. Unfortunately, India is a poor country in terms of well-organized, well-substantiated, well documented information. In the current information age, it is imperative that we overcome this weakness and establish sound systems of access & benefit sharing (ABS) to be equitable, fair & sustainable.

Intellectual property rights on biological resources: Benefiting from biodiversity and people's knowledge

Current Science 77 (11) 1418-1425, 1999

The Indian Patent Act is being amended, in part, because of our commitments under General Agreeme... more The Indian Patent Act is being amended, in part, because of our commitments under General Agreement on Trade and Tariff (GATT). Similar considerations have prompted us to formulate a Protected Plant Varieties Act. At the same time, a National Biological Diversity Act is also on the anvil in response to our commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD has advanced beyond the conventional intellectual property rights (IPR) regime to accept the sovereign rights of nations over their biodiversity resources, and the need thereof to share benefits of commercial applications of traditional knowledge of sustainable uses of biodiversity resources with local communities. It is important for India to benefit from these provisions and create a legislative framework that would be a model for other developing countries as well. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are now being extended to biological resources, beyond the conventional domain of mechanical and chemical innovations. On this new biological frontier, considerable pertinent knowledge and resources already exist in the public domain, and CBD has clearly accepted the need to respect and share its benefits with these public-domain resources. These considerations must be reflected in the Amended Patent Act. It is also vital that we ensure a proper harmonization of the provisions of the new Patent Act, Protected Plant Varieties Act, and the Biological Diversity Act. In this article we discuss measures for disclosure of country of origin, relevant public knowledge or agreements in the IPR applications under these acts.

Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation (CAMP) for wild medicinal plants of North-East

Conservation Assessment of Medicinal Plants (CAMP) workshop report , 2003

In all, 34 experts assessed 50 medicinal plants species for IUCN red listing criteria. Of these, ... more In all, 34 experts assessed 50 medicinal plants species for IUCN red listing criteria. Of these, 46 were found to be threatened (70%), maximum being from Arunachal Pradesh (35), followed by Meghalaya (24), Sikkim (21) and Assam (16). Of the red listed taxa, 9 were critically endangered (CR) of which 2 are global, being endemic here, not found elsewhere. Endangered (EN) taxa are 22 (global- 3), while 26 are vulnerable taxa (VU, global- 2). In all, 7 taxa are globally threatened in this region- These are Amentotaxus assamica, Citrus macroptera var. annamensis, Coptis teeta, Gymnocladus assamicus, Nepenthes khasiana, Piper pedicellatum and P. peepuloides. The 50 assessed taxa belong to 45 genera from 33 flowering plant families, while 1 taxon is a non flowering plant (a tree fern). Orchidaceae is the most represented family (6 species), followed by Piperaceae (4 species), Valerianaceae and Ranunculaceae (3 species each).

Conservation assessment & management prioritisation for the medicinal plants of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttaranchal

by Utkarsh Ghate and Vijayasankar Raman

Conservation assessment & management prioritisation for the medicinal plants (CAMP) workshops reports, 2003

In all 71 medicinal plants species or tax (including varieties) were assessed in terms of extinct... more In all 71 medicinal plants species or tax (including varieties) were assessed in terms of extinction threat using IUCN red listing criteria. In all, 60 were found threatened in north western Himalayas in India, of which 19 are globally threatened as endemic to India, not found elsewhere. Jammu & Kashmir hosted 59, while Himachal Pradesh 60 (85%) of the threatened taxa. Uttarakhand 48 (70%). In all, 12 taxa are critically endangered (CR: global- 5), 22 are endangered (EN, global- 6), while 28 are vulnerable (VU, Global- 7). trade has threatened 93% of the taxa. Lilicaeae was the most represented family (10 taxa) followed by Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae (all 5 species each). Aconitum was most diverse genus (5 pecies) ollowed by Rheum (4 species). Some of the famous speices assessed include Dactylorrhiza hatagirea, Nardostachys jatamansi, Aconitum chasmanthum, In all 50 experts in 5 working groups conducted the assessment.

Doubling Indian Agri Export through Natural Farming Management, Horticulture & African Markets

Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research 11(4): 37-48, 2024

Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and ration... more Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and rational use of the growing Indian agriculture surplus and consequent glut, farmer distress. Study Design: The study is exploratory type and was conducted by literature survey and discussion with farmers, experts and industry. Methodology: The study was conducted by field visits to exporting, farmer exporters and experts during 2017 to 2022 by visiting farmers in Amaravati and Palghar districts, exporters in Mumbai city and experts at Pune city. Their data were triangulated with the literature from reputed agri-research institutions. Results: Doubling agri export can help to doubling farmer's income (DFI) as export price is premium and profitability higher, besides increasing foreign exchange. Fruits & vegetables (F&V) is the largest agri-export segment globally but meagre 9 th rank among Indian agri-export basket.

Ayurveda and Bioactives as Adjuvant for Dna Modulation in Cancer Treatment & Adverse Drug Reaction [ADR] – A Glimpse of Traditional Indian Nanotechnology

Qeios, Mar 27, 2024

Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin and herbs such as “Tulsi”/ Holy basil [Occimum sanctum ... more Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin and herbs such as “Tulsi”/ Holy basil [Occimum sanctum L.] can provide relief from Adverse drug reaction [ADR] caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients. About 50% patients face moderate ADR issues such as nausea, vomiting, headache, and fewer [20-30%] serious ones [hair loss, loss of fertility and immunity]. The growing recurrence or resistance of cancers to chemotherapy and antimicrobial resistance [AMR] are other emerging challenges in addressing the global cancer burden, among the top causes of death. Two targets of herbal/ bioactive actions include topoisomerase that affects cell replication and telomere length and it may reduce
resistance/ recurrence also. Patients with special conditions the old, children and less developed countries with low health budgets can especially develop from it.

Agroforestry and Organic Farming Scope in India towards Net Zero

Indian Forester, Jul 12, 2023

Net zero emissions goals, recently accepted globally, provide huge scope for vigorous agroforest... more Net zero emissions goals, recently accepted globally, provide huge scope for
vigorous agroforestry growth to increase India's tree cover in 10 years from
25% of country's land area to 33% by 2030. However, agroforestry may be
able to meet 25% of the ambitious target of 2.5-billion-ton CO equivalent 2
offset pledged by India by then. Forestry is already carbon +ve sector but can
absorb more carbon by promoting selective forest tree felling to trigger
young trees growth. Green buildings code and certified timber initiative can
help in it and need to be promoted rather than “hands-off” forestry. Organic
farming practices can sequester double this amount of carbon if promoted
countrywide. Sacred groves i.e. forest patches dedicated to deity provide
traditional vistas of balancing conservation and utility as depicted here with
a case study from Pune district. Their declaration as “heritage sites” under
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 can help in their future sustenance.

Artificial Intelligence & Nature Based Solution in Agriculture — BT Cotton Pest Management Case in India

Qeios, Jan 26, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based pest management advisory, based on integrated pest management ... more Artificial intelligence (AI)-based pest management advisory, based on integrated pest management (IPM), provided to cotton farmers on smartphones, resulted in a reduction in pest attacks & up to 22% higher income in the 1 year 2020-21 in Ranebennur, Karnataka, and Wardha, Maharashtra states. However, no significant benefit was seen in a multistate experiment in 2021-22 due to unusually high rainfall, resulting in lower pest attacks. The artificial intelligence was used in pest detection & counting insect numbers in the pheromone trap to decide if threshold numbers were reached for pesticide spraying decisions. This was 1-2 weeks in advance of mass pest emergence and could control it to reduce crop damage. It required manual trap checking by the farmers on a weekly basis, which many farmers disliked. Artificial intelligence coupled to remote sensing, GIS, and/or farm sensors can benefit the farmers by cutting costs, increasing yield, and enabling cleaner production. Lower environmental pollution and less risk to farmers and consumers are cobenefits of the AI-IPM package. However, mating disruption technology, a competitor, includes putting 4-6 pheromone traps per acre for the mass capture of moths. It is organic-compatible, and another competitor is the mechanical growing degree day (GDD)-based IPM advisory, such as that provided by the startup "Fasal." These are unintelligent, mechanical, but very effective algorithms. Thus, a cautious, logical, and gradual approach is needed in promoting AI in agriculture, also keeping in mind its impact on labour displacement.

Antimicrobial Ayurveda Crops as Superfoods for Export, Conservation & Farmers’ Benefit

Qeios, Dec 31, 2023

Antimicrobial resistance is growing worldwide and presents risks such as a pandemic. It is caused... more Antimicrobial resistance is growing worldwide and presents risks such as a pandemic. It is caused by the overuse or misdirected use of antibiotics. Regulation of antibiotic use can be accompanied by herbal drugs such as turmeric, pepper, & clover, etc., that have been found to be effective for millennia with no emergence of resistance reported, due to their polyphenols and alkaloids or combination, also emerging as "superfoods" due to their inclusion in the regular diet. Combined herbal therapy may be synergistic, preventing the evolution of resistance among the microbes. The cultivation of such superfoods can double farmers' income due to the growing demand and low input costs and save threatened wild herbs from extinction.

Quercetin- herbal bioactive nanotechnology for osteoarthritis & elderly health

Brazilian Journal of Development, Dec 22, 2023

Quercetin is rapidly emerging “bioactive” in the western world in the form of food supplement or ... more Quercetin is rapidly emerging “bioactive” in the western world in the form of food supplement or healthy ingredient to address several lifestyle issues such as cardiovascular, hypertension and diabetes issues, obesity and cancer. It is a flavanoid found common in some healthy fruits and vegetables/ spices such as Red Onion, Coriander, Pomegranate, Asparagus, Green Tea, Coffee etc. It is highly anti-inflammatory and sold as over the counter food supplement in the western world to address cardiovascular, hypertension and diabetes issues. Osteoarthritis, an auto-immune disease prevails among the musco-skeletal diseases that comprise 4th most disabling conditions among elders globally but no proven drug yet (Shen et al, . Quercetin has shown to attenuate it in vivo, in vitro and even limited human trials by scavenging free radicals that and preventing the loss of bone/ cartilage/ muscle. However, quercetin bioabsorption is low so we propose its conjugation with non-polar amino acid viz. Glycine for multiplier effect. Glycine is a key component of Glutathione, the natural antioxidant in the human body. Glycine alone shown to improve collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro and its deficiency may cause osteoarthritis, vide literature. So its conjugate with Quercetin boost the Glutathione level &amp; improve body’s own antioxidant system , to reduce the cartilage loss and prevent osteoarthritis.

Scalable Adaptation Model for Sustainable Agriculture Livelihoods Under Changing Climate: A Case Study from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh

This paper illustrates the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climat... more This paper illustrates the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC) project in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh States of India during the period of 2014-2019 by World Bank and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the supervision of Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India. The main objective of the SLACC project was to improve the adaptive capacity of the rural poor to climate variability and change affecting farm-based livelihoods, through community-based interventions. This paper primarily focuses on implementation process of the SLACC project its outcome. For this purpose, authors tried to understand the role of stakeholders in the climate change adaptation process, climate resilient interventions development, dissemination and implementation of interventions, involvement of communities, small and marginal farmers and other vulnerable groups from communities, the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (onwards NGO) and Self Help Groups (onwards SHG) and capacity development programs for line department officers and farmers. This project has demonstrated outstanding results in some key areas that helped resource poor farmers to cope-up the climate change. At large scale this project has developed the enormous potential to fulfill sustainable development goals. The implementation of SLACC project in other states with local stakeholders can be fruitful to reduce the climate change impact by improving the adaptive capacity of resource poor communities.

BBioactives & Traditional Medicinal Systems for Cancer Relief: A Global Glimpse

Journal of Pharmaceutics and Drug Research, 2025

The growing the global cancer burden, 2nd leading cause of death, faces the challenge of the recu... more The growing the global cancer burden, 2nd leading cause of death, faces the challenge of the recurrence or resistance of cancers to chemotherapy, besides higher risk of antimicrobial resistance [AMR] due to the weakened immunity post chemotherapy. Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin, among others from traditional Systems of Medicine such as Ayurveda, Chinese, Unani & Homeopathy can provide relief and aid in faster or better recovery during Cancer treatment, as adjuvant to the modern treatment viz. chemotherapy by alleviating its strong Adverse drug reaction [ADR] observed among majority of the cancer patients. ADR issues include nausea, vomiting, headache, and fever, loss of hair, loss of fertility and immunity. Bioactives influence the Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to apoptosis of tumor cells to control the cancer, besides targeting topoisomerase the limiting the cell replication and telomere length.
Keywords: Ayurveda, Neoplasm peptides, Unani, Homeopathy

Eco-Agriculture for Herbs & Bioactives Trade, Export, Biodiversity Conservation and Consumer Health in India

Open Access Journal of Agricultural Research (OAJAR), 2025

Medicinal Plants trade has grown by 100% to over 0.6 million ton/ year in the past 2 decades in I... more Medicinal Plants trade has grown by 100% to over 0.6 million ton/ year in the past 2 decades in India mainly due to the growth in the consumption of cultivated herbs such as Mint, Holy Basil, Indian Ginseng and spices. Wild medicinal plants comprised 70-80% of the raw material (about 0.3 million ton/year) in 20th century. About 200 i.e. 25% of the highly traded species (800) face overharvest driven extinction risk. However, emergence of the herbal industry (single, simple species) besides the growth of the traditional Ayurvedic industry (multi-species, complex) doubled the cultivation stock share to 50% e.g. Psyllium and Drumstick. Polyphenols are the emerging bioactive principles in the herbs, as the key drivers of the medicinal effect, besides erstwhile alkaloids and steroidal saponins etc. that won fame earlier. Hence, various eco-agri-techniques to increase polyphenol contents in herbs are identified viz. a) varietal breeding, b) organic inputs, c) mycorrhiza/ bio-fertilizers, d) micronutrients, e) cultural/ agronomic practices f) elicitors. Such agri-techniques can improve the active ingredient especially polyphenol content by 50% to 100% and is profitable for the manufacturing industry and the farmers. Indian Government has supported medicinal plants cultivation for the last 2 decades especially of the threatened herbs but it needs to improve by natural farming (NF) techniques and labeling the ingredient content, safety parameters with industry partnership and species in export demand.

Keywords: Medicinal Plants; Ecorestoration; Natural Farming; Health; Phytochemicals

Cheetah Reintroduction in India: Review of Eco-restoration Policy Gaps

Asian Journal of Research in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 2024

Recent Introduction of the African Cheetah in India is more emotion than ecology. Th... more Recent Introduction of the African Cheetah in India is more emotion than ecology. These are still kept in the enclosure, and served meat than let them hunt. We find following gap in this inter-continental animal transfer-1) Cheetah mainly dwell or hunt in the plains savanna habitat and not hill forests of the Kuno National Park (KNP), 2) Cheetah mainly hunt on antelopes (weight< 50 kg) that are rare at Kuno and not on Chital (Spotted deer, weight > 60 kg) prevailing at Kuno, 3) Hares, Pigs and small livestock such as sheep, goat make 30% the Cheetah diet in Africa but ignored/ excluded at Kuno, making it unviable. The imported Cheetah yet await release into the wild due to the risk of prey deficit, pathogens and depredation by Tiger, Leopard, Hyena etc. About 8 i.e. 40% of the 20 Cheetah imported have died, similar to the translocations success rate within Africa. We suggest (1) exploring grassland prevalent sanctuaries in Gujarat-Rajasthan states (2) release Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), pigs, barking deer, wild boars and hares as prey in the wildlife reserve, not just Chital, (3) permit low human disturbance and grasslands in KP & surroundings, including livestock, (4) develop Savanna corridors and network management of wildlife reserves adjoining Kuno (Madhav, Gandhisagar, Ranthambor, Kailadevi) or farther (Tal Chhaper WLS, Churu district & Jaroda closed area, Nagaur district) as the later report multiple times antelope density than KNP.

Doubling Indian Agri Export through Natural Farming Management, Horticulture & African Markets

Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research, 2023

Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and ration... more Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and rational use of the growing Indian agriculture surplus and consequent glut, farmer distress.
Study Design: The study is exploratory type and was conducted by literature survey and discussion with farmers, experts and industry.
Methodology: The study was conducted by field visits to exporting, farmer exporters and experts during 2017 to 2022 by visiting farmers in Amaravati and Palghar districts, exporters in Mumbai city and experts at Pune city. Their data were triangulated with the literature from reputed agri-research institutions.
Results: Doubling agri export can help to doubling farmer’s income (DFI) as export price is premium and profitability higher, besides increasing foreign exchange. Fruits & vegetables (F&V) is the largest agri-export segment globally but meagre 9th rank among Indian agri-export basket. Focussing on larger or costly market segment such as fruits & vegetables having higher productivity & surplus, rather than the cereals can help. Recent natural farming mission can aid in it and safeguard consumer and farmer’s health such as from the cancer. Indian F&V production more than doubled in the past 2 decades to exceed grains production, due to their health benefits. Maximum residue level (MRL) is the export benchmark so promoting low/ no pesticide techniques under the recent Indian natural farming (NF) mission can help to triple Indian agri-exports to $ 100 billion by 2030 from $35 billion in 2023, through horticulture, dairy and tea, cocoa that are in demand and valued. African markets can be tapped as it imports majority of its food and has less entry barriers. Policy may focus on fruits like Banana and premium for NF produce.
Conclusion: Focusing on fruits & vegetables (F&V), dairy, lipids & adopting the low/ no “pesticide residue” standard etc. can boost Indian agri-exports.

Agro-Forestry & Natural Farming for Bioeconomy, Speedy Net Zero Carbon and Climate Change Resilience in India

Journal Agriculture Research, 2025

Boosting agroforestry and low emission farming on 85 million ha i.e. 25% of India's landmass can ... more Boosting agroforestry and low emission farming on 85 million ha i.e. 25% of India's landmass can offset about additional 750 Million ton CO 2 Equivalent green house gas (GHG) emissions i.e. nearly 50% % of Indian GHG emissions by 2050. This is over 2 times the to the tune of 522 MtCO2E i.e. 22% of India's total GHG emission of nearly 2,959 million ton CO 2 equivalent/ year in 2023. This can help India meet its net zero target to be carbon neutral close to 2050 as per the global target, ahead of its declared plan to be next zero by 2070 at COP26 at Glasgow in 2021.

Grassland Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) Introduction to Hill Forests in India: Habitat Analysis Error

Asian Journal of Environment & Ecology, 2025

Due to population viability issues, Cheetah brought to India from Africa and their Indian progeny... more Due to population viability issues, Cheetah brought to India from Africa and their Indian progeny were confined to the enclosures since 2.5 years, and fed with livestock meat and refrained from hunting in the open. Grasslands, savanna or semi-arid habitat in western Indian states of Rajasthan or Gujarat may be more suitable habitat for the African Cheetah subspecies introduction in India than the forested, hilly tracts in the Madhya Pradesh state such as Kuno national park, where their current location. Cheetah mainly dwell or hunt in the plains savanna habitat in Africa. Cheetah diet in Africa mainly consists of Antelopes (grown up weight<50 kg) or small mammals like hare and occasionally livestock such as sheep, goat comprise. Breeding and release of such small mammals in the Cheetah habitat and community participation may be helpful, than the "Chital" i.e. Spotted deer i.e. (full grown weight >80 kg) prevailing and promoted at Kuno presently.

Bamboo farming as green timber for Net Zero carbon emission -Nature Based Solution (NBS) for India

Journal of Diversity Studies, 2025

Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource due to its fast vegetative growth and with little ... more Bamboo is a sustainable and renewable resource due to its fast vegetative growth and with little watering after 1-2 years. Its used to ecorestoration of the degraded land, carbon sequestration, and also poverty alleviation through crafts microenterprises, as a Nature Based Solution (NBS) for the climate change-being both mitigation and adaptation tool [1]. It is a crucial strategy tool in the agroforestry and construction sector towards "net zero" carbon emissions as it absorbs more carbon per unit area than tree species [2]. Bamboo occupied about 11.4 million i.e. 16% of the 66.7 million forest in the country and 4% of the nation's land area in 2003 [3]. It rose by 30% to 15 million ha by 2021 to cover nearby 20% of the forest area of 70 million ha [4], possibly due to the National Bamboo Mission's efforts to plant and use Bamboo since 2012. Remarkably, the majority 10 out of 17 "Sustainable Development Goals" (SDG) of the UN vide Box 1 [5]. It will also help the corporate such as Telecom companies or CSR (corporate social responsibility) partners to meet their environmental/ "net-zero" targets.

Ayurveda and Herbs as "Fusion Medicines": Alternatives or Adjuvants to Address Antimicrobial Resistance-A Review

International Journal of Biomedical and Clinical Research, 2025

The herbal and traditional systems of medicines including Ayurveda and Chinese present many valua... more The herbal and traditional systems of medicines including Ayurveda and Chinese present many valuable bioactives for further research and development to contain the rising anti-microbial resistance (AMR) worldwide. These include Asparagus, Indian ginseng (Withania somnifera), Indian berberis (Tinospora cordifolia), Neem (Azadirachta indica), Indian Kudzu (Pueraria tuberosa) among others. They can act synergistically including with the modern antibiotics for better efficacy, safety and saving cost and pain, efforts. The mechanism of action of promising Bioactives such as "Quercetin" and "Curcumin" includes quorum sensing (QS), inhibition of biofilm, destruction of cell wall or disruption of cell cycle, antioxidant nature and modulation of host immunity. Poor bioavailability of bioactives is a challenge and nanotechnology can help in higher efficacy.

Urban wildlife and protected areas in India

Parks 11 (3): 29-34, 2001

Contrary to popular belief, urban areas can serve as significant wildlife refugia, a value that n... more Contrary to popular belief, urban areas can serve as significant wildlife refugia, a value that needs to be understood and maximised amidst the rampant urbanisation that characterises many parts of the world. Indian case studies show that rational biodiversity assessments through amateur naturalists can serve as an efficient tool to monitor and plan for sustainability of urbanisation. Cities harbour between a quarter to half the total biodiversity in their biogeographic region. However, over half the total urban biodiversity is lost in the city core – the most human impacted zone. Further, up to half the total organisms are confined to a few patches of remnant forests, grasslands or wetlands. Such refugia often occur as part of university or defence premises, which now need to be specifically protected against any land use changes, so biodiversity may continue spreading to other urban sinks (such as public places and home gardens). Complementary biodiversity-friendly strategies include the planting of native plants to provide pollen and fruits for birds, insects and mammals, besides serving as larval food for several butterfly species. Native fish may be reintroduced in ponds and rivers, after removing invasive alien species such as water hyacinth.

People's biodiversity register: a record of India's wealth

Amruth (FRLHT), 1996

Living resources were till recently viewed as a common heritage of mankind. Now they are subject ... more Living resources were till recently viewed as a common heritage of mankind. Now they are subject to two, somewhat conflicting systems of rights embodied in the Convention on Biological Diversity and the General Agreement on Trade and Tariff. On the one hand they are viewed as sovereign property of nation states. On the other, they are being accepted. as an intellectual property of enterprises, which have manipulated or even simply discovered them. Intellectual property rights are also being established over the knowledge of many types of uses of these resources. There are important challenges in all this for a country like India, rich as we are in biodiversity resources, and folk and traditional knowledge of properties and uses of these resources. Unfortunately, India is a poor country in terms of well-organized, well-substantiated, well documented information. In the current information age, it is imperative that we overcome this weakness and establish sound systems of access & benefit sharing (ABS) to be equitable, fair & sustainable.

Intellectual property rights on biological resources: Benefiting from biodiversity and people's knowledge

Current Science 77 (11) 1418-1425, 1999

The Indian Patent Act is being amended, in part, because of our commitments under General Agreeme... more The Indian Patent Act is being amended, in part, because of our commitments under General Agreement on Trade and Tariff (GATT). Similar considerations have prompted us to formulate a Protected Plant Varieties Act. At the same time, a National Biological Diversity Act is also on the anvil in response to our commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The CBD has advanced beyond the conventional intellectual property rights (IPR) regime to accept the sovereign rights of nations over their biodiversity resources, and the need thereof to share benefits of commercial applications of traditional knowledge of sustainable uses of biodiversity resources with local communities. It is important for India to benefit from these provisions and create a legislative framework that would be a model for other developing countries as well. Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) are now being extended to biological resources, beyond the conventional domain of mechanical and chemical innovations. On this new biological frontier, considerable pertinent knowledge and resources already exist in the public domain, and CBD has clearly accepted the need to respect and share its benefits with these public-domain resources. These considerations must be reflected in the Amended Patent Act. It is also vital that we ensure a proper harmonization of the provisions of the new Patent Act, Protected Plant Varieties Act, and the Biological Diversity Act. In this article we discuss measures for disclosure of country of origin, relevant public knowledge or agreements in the IPR applications under these acts.

Conservation Assessment and Management Prioritisation (CAMP) for wild medicinal plants of North-East

Conservation Assessment of Medicinal Plants (CAMP) workshop report , 2003

In all, 34 experts assessed 50 medicinal plants species for IUCN red listing criteria. Of these, ... more In all, 34 experts assessed 50 medicinal plants species for IUCN red listing criteria. Of these, 46 were found to be threatened (70%), maximum being from Arunachal Pradesh (35), followed by Meghalaya (24), Sikkim (21) and Assam (16). Of the red listed taxa, 9 were critically endangered (CR) of which 2 are global, being endemic here, not found elsewhere. Endangered (EN) taxa are 22 (global- 3), while 26 are vulnerable taxa (VU, global- 2). In all, 7 taxa are globally threatened in this region- These are Amentotaxus assamica, Citrus macroptera var. annamensis, Coptis teeta, Gymnocladus assamicus, Nepenthes khasiana, Piper pedicellatum and P. peepuloides. The 50 assessed taxa belong to 45 genera from 33 flowering plant families, while 1 taxon is a non flowering plant (a tree fern). Orchidaceae is the most represented family (6 species), followed by Piperaceae (4 species), Valerianaceae and Ranunculaceae (3 species each).

Conservation assessment & management prioritisation for the medicinal plants of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh & Uttaranchal

by Utkarsh Ghate and Vijayasankar Raman

Conservation assessment & management prioritisation for the medicinal plants (CAMP) workshops reports, 2003

In all 71 medicinal plants species or tax (including varieties) were assessed in terms of extinct... more In all 71 medicinal plants species or tax (including varieties) were assessed in terms of extinction threat using IUCN red listing criteria. In all, 60 were found threatened in north western Himalayas in India, of which 19 are globally threatened as endemic to India, not found elsewhere. Jammu & Kashmir hosted 59, while Himachal Pradesh 60 (85%) of the threatened taxa. Uttarakhand 48 (70%). In all, 12 taxa are critically endangered (CR: global- 5), 22 are endangered (EN, global- 6), while 28 are vulnerable (VU, Global- 7). trade has threatened 93% of the taxa. Lilicaeae was the most represented family (10 taxa) followed by Apiaceae, Asteraceae, Ranunculaceae (all 5 species each). Aconitum was most diverse genus (5 pecies) ollowed by Rheum (4 species). Some of the famous speices assessed include Dactylorrhiza hatagirea, Nardostachys jatamansi, Aconitum chasmanthum, In all 50 experts in 5 working groups conducted the assessment.

Doubling Indian Agri Export through Natural Farming Management, Horticulture & African Markets

Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research 11(4): 37-48, 2024

Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and ration... more Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and rational use of the growing Indian agriculture surplus and consequent glut, farmer distress. Study Design: The study is exploratory type and was conducted by literature survey and discussion with farmers, experts and industry. Methodology: The study was conducted by field visits to exporting, farmer exporters and experts during 2017 to 2022 by visiting farmers in Amaravati and Palghar districts, exporters in Mumbai city and experts at Pune city. Their data were triangulated with the literature from reputed agri-research institutions. Results: Doubling agri export can help to doubling farmer's income (DFI) as export price is premium and profitability higher, besides increasing foreign exchange. Fruits & vegetables (F&V) is the largest agri-export segment globally but meagre 9 th rank among Indian agri-export basket.

Ayurveda and Bioactives as Adjuvant for Dna Modulation in Cancer Treatment & Adverse Drug Reaction [ADR] – A Glimpse of Traditional Indian Nanotechnology

Qeios, Mar 27, 2024

Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin and herbs such as “Tulsi”/ Holy basil [Occimum sanctum ... more Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin and herbs such as “Tulsi”/ Holy basil [Occimum sanctum L.] can provide relief from Adverse drug reaction [ADR] caused by chemotherapy in cancer patients. About 50% patients face moderate ADR issues such as nausea, vomiting, headache, and fewer [20-30%] serious ones [hair loss, loss of fertility and immunity]. The growing recurrence or resistance of cancers to chemotherapy and antimicrobial resistance [AMR] are other emerging challenges in addressing the global cancer burden, among the top causes of death. Two targets of herbal/ bioactive actions include topoisomerase that affects cell replication and telomere length and it may reduce
resistance/ recurrence also. Patients with special conditions the old, children and less developed countries with low health budgets can especially develop from it.

Agroforestry and Organic Farming Scope in India towards Net Zero

Indian Forester, Jul 12, 2023

Net zero emissions goals, recently accepted globally, provide huge scope for vigorous agroforest... more Net zero emissions goals, recently accepted globally, provide huge scope for
vigorous agroforestry growth to increase India's tree cover in 10 years from
25% of country's land area to 33% by 2030. However, agroforestry may be
able to meet 25% of the ambitious target of 2.5-billion-ton CO equivalent 2
offset pledged by India by then. Forestry is already carbon +ve sector but can
absorb more carbon by promoting selective forest tree felling to trigger
young trees growth. Green buildings code and certified timber initiative can
help in it and need to be promoted rather than “hands-off” forestry. Organic
farming practices can sequester double this amount of carbon if promoted
countrywide. Sacred groves i.e. forest patches dedicated to deity provide
traditional vistas of balancing conservation and utility as depicted here with
a case study from Pune district. Their declaration as “heritage sites” under
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 can help in their future sustenance.

Artificial Intelligence & Nature Based Solution in Agriculture — BT Cotton Pest Management Case in India

Qeios, Jan 26, 2024

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based pest management advisory, based on integrated pest management ... more Artificial intelligence (AI)-based pest management advisory, based on integrated pest management (IPM), provided to cotton farmers on smartphones, resulted in a reduction in pest attacks & up to 22% higher income in the 1 year 2020-21 in Ranebennur, Karnataka, and Wardha, Maharashtra states. However, no significant benefit was seen in a multistate experiment in 2021-22 due to unusually high rainfall, resulting in lower pest attacks. The artificial intelligence was used in pest detection & counting insect numbers in the pheromone trap to decide if threshold numbers were reached for pesticide spraying decisions. This was 1-2 weeks in advance of mass pest emergence and could control it to reduce crop damage. It required manual trap checking by the farmers on a weekly basis, which many farmers disliked. Artificial intelligence coupled to remote sensing, GIS, and/or farm sensors can benefit the farmers by cutting costs, increasing yield, and enabling cleaner production. Lower environmental pollution and less risk to farmers and consumers are cobenefits of the AI-IPM package. However, mating disruption technology, a competitor, includes putting 4-6 pheromone traps per acre for the mass capture of moths. It is organic-compatible, and another competitor is the mechanical growing degree day (GDD)-based IPM advisory, such as that provided by the startup "Fasal." These are unintelligent, mechanical, but very effective algorithms. Thus, a cautious, logical, and gradual approach is needed in promoting AI in agriculture, also keeping in mind its impact on labour displacement.

Antimicrobial Ayurveda Crops as Superfoods for Export, Conservation & Farmers’ Benefit

Qeios, Dec 31, 2023

Antimicrobial resistance is growing worldwide and presents risks such as a pandemic. It is caused... more Antimicrobial resistance is growing worldwide and presents risks such as a pandemic. It is caused by the overuse or misdirected use of antibiotics. Regulation of antibiotic use can be accompanied by herbal drugs such as turmeric, pepper, & clover, etc., that have been found to be effective for millennia with no emergence of resistance reported, due to their polyphenols and alkaloids or combination, also emerging as "superfoods" due to their inclusion in the regular diet. Combined herbal therapy may be synergistic, preventing the evolution of resistance among the microbes. The cultivation of such superfoods can double farmers' income due to the growing demand and low input costs and save threatened wild herbs from extinction.

Quercetin- herbal bioactive nanotechnology for osteoarthritis & elderly health

Brazilian Journal of Development, Dec 22, 2023

Quercetin is rapidly emerging “bioactive” in the western world in the form of food supplement or ... more Quercetin is rapidly emerging “bioactive” in the western world in the form of food supplement or healthy ingredient to address several lifestyle issues such as cardiovascular, hypertension and diabetes issues, obesity and cancer. It is a flavanoid found common in some healthy fruits and vegetables/ spices such as Red Onion, Coriander, Pomegranate, Asparagus, Green Tea, Coffee etc. It is highly anti-inflammatory and sold as over the counter food supplement in the western world to address cardiovascular, hypertension and diabetes issues. Osteoarthritis, an auto-immune disease prevails among the musco-skeletal diseases that comprise 4th most disabling conditions among elders globally but no proven drug yet (Shen et al, . Quercetin has shown to attenuate it in vivo, in vitro and even limited human trials by scavenging free radicals that and preventing the loss of bone/ cartilage/ muscle. However, quercetin bioabsorption is low so we propose its conjugation with non-polar amino acid viz. Glycine for multiplier effect. Glycine is a key component of Glutathione, the natural antioxidant in the human body. Glycine alone shown to improve collagen synthesis by articular chondrocytes in vitro and its deficiency may cause osteoarthritis, vide literature. So its conjugate with Quercetin boost the Glutathione level &amp; improve body’s own antioxidant system , to reduce the cartilage loss and prevent osteoarthritis.

Scalable Adaptation Model for Sustainable Agriculture Livelihoods Under Changing Climate: A Case Study from Bihar and Madhya Pradesh

This paper illustrates the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climat... more This paper illustrates the implementation of the Sustainable Livelihoods and Adaptation to Climate Change (SLACC) project in Bihar and Madhya Pradesh States of India during the period of 2014-2019 by World Bank and National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) under the supervision of Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India. The main objective of the SLACC project was to improve the adaptive capacity of the rural poor to climate variability and change affecting farm-based livelihoods, through community-based interventions. This paper primarily focuses on implementation process of the SLACC project its outcome. For this purpose, authors tried to understand the role of stakeholders in the climate change adaptation process, climate resilient interventions development, dissemination and implementation of interventions, involvement of communities, small and marginal farmers and other vulnerable groups from communities, the role of Non-Governmental Organizations (onwards NGO) and Self Help Groups (onwards SHG) and capacity development programs for line department officers and farmers. This project has demonstrated outstanding results in some key areas that helped resource poor farmers to cope-up the climate change. At large scale this project has developed the enormous potential to fulfill sustainable development goals. The implementation of SLACC project in other states with local stakeholders can be fruitful to reduce the climate change impact by improving the adaptive capacity of resource poor communities.

BBioactives & Traditional Medicinal Systems for Cancer Relief: A Global Glimpse

Journal of Pharmaceutics and Drug Research, 2025

The growing the global cancer burden, 2nd leading cause of death, faces the challenge of the recu... more The growing the global cancer burden, 2nd leading cause of death, faces the challenge of the recurrence or resistance of cancers to chemotherapy, besides higher risk of antimicrobial resistance [AMR] due to the weakened immunity post chemotherapy. Bioactives such as Curcumin and Quercetin, among others from traditional Systems of Medicine such as Ayurveda, Chinese, Unani & Homeopathy can provide relief and aid in faster or better recovery during Cancer treatment, as adjuvant to the modern treatment viz. chemotherapy by alleviating its strong Adverse drug reaction [ADR] observed among majority of the cancer patients. ADR issues include nausea, vomiting, headache, and fever, loss of hair, loss of fertility and immunity. Bioactives influence the Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress leading to apoptosis of tumor cells to control the cancer, besides targeting topoisomerase the limiting the cell replication and telomere length.
Keywords: Ayurveda, Neoplasm peptides, Unani, Homeopathy

Eco-Agriculture for Herbs & Bioactives Trade, Export, Biodiversity Conservation and Consumer Health in India

Open Access Journal of Agricultural Research (OAJAR), 2025

Medicinal Plants trade has grown by 100% to over 0.6 million ton/ year in the past 2 decades in I... more Medicinal Plants trade has grown by 100% to over 0.6 million ton/ year in the past 2 decades in India mainly due to the growth in the consumption of cultivated herbs such as Mint, Holy Basil, Indian Ginseng and spices. Wild medicinal plants comprised 70-80% of the raw material (about 0.3 million ton/year) in 20th century. About 200 i.e. 25% of the highly traded species (800) face overharvest driven extinction risk. However, emergence of the herbal industry (single, simple species) besides the growth of the traditional Ayurvedic industry (multi-species, complex) doubled the cultivation stock share to 50% e.g. Psyllium and Drumstick. Polyphenols are the emerging bioactive principles in the herbs, as the key drivers of the medicinal effect, besides erstwhile alkaloids and steroidal saponins etc. that won fame earlier. Hence, various eco-agri-techniques to increase polyphenol contents in herbs are identified viz. a) varietal breeding, b) organic inputs, c) mycorrhiza/ bio-fertilizers, d) micronutrients, e) cultural/ agronomic practices f) elicitors. Such agri-techniques can improve the active ingredient especially polyphenol content by 50% to 100% and is profitable for the manufacturing industry and the farmers. Indian Government has supported medicinal plants cultivation for the last 2 decades especially of the threatened herbs but it needs to improve by natural farming (NF) techniques and labeling the ingredient content, safety parameters with industry partnership and species in export demand.

Keywords: Medicinal Plants; Ecorestoration; Natural Farming; Health; Phytochemicals

Cheetah Reintroduction in India: Review of Eco-restoration Policy Gaps

Asian Journal of Research in Animal and Veterinary Sciences, 2024

Recent Introduction of the African Cheetah in India is more emotion than ecology. Th... more Recent Introduction of the African Cheetah in India is more emotion than ecology. These are still kept in the enclosure, and served meat than let them hunt. We find following gap in this inter-continental animal transfer-1) Cheetah mainly dwell or hunt in the plains savanna habitat and not hill forests of the Kuno National Park (KNP), 2) Cheetah mainly hunt on antelopes (weight< 50 kg) that are rare at Kuno and not on Chital (Spotted deer, weight > 60 kg) prevailing at Kuno, 3) Hares, Pigs and small livestock such as sheep, goat make 30% the Cheetah diet in Africa but ignored/ excluded at Kuno, making it unviable. The imported Cheetah yet await release into the wild due to the risk of prey deficit, pathogens and depredation by Tiger, Leopard, Hyena etc. About 8 i.e. 40% of the 20 Cheetah imported have died, similar to the translocations success rate within Africa. We suggest (1) exploring grassland prevalent sanctuaries in Gujarat-Rajasthan states (2) release Chinkara (Indian Gazelle), pigs, barking deer, wild boars and hares as prey in the wildlife reserve, not just Chital, (3) permit low human disturbance and grasslands in KP & surroundings, including livestock, (4) develop Savanna corridors and network management of wildlife reserves adjoining Kuno (Madhav, Gandhisagar, Ranthambor, Kailadevi) or farther (Tal Chhaper WLS, Churu district & Jaroda closed area, Nagaur district) as the later report multiple times antelope density than KNP.

Doubling Indian Agri Export through Natural Farming Management, Horticulture & African Markets

Asian Journal of Agricultural and Horticultural Research, 2023

Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and ration... more Aims: We explore the scope of escalating agriculture export in doubling farmers income and rational use of the growing Indian agriculture surplus and consequent glut, farmer distress.
Study Design: The study is exploratory type and was conducted by literature survey and discussion with farmers, experts and industry.
Methodology: The study was conducted by field visits to exporting, farmer exporters and experts during 2017 to 2022 by visiting farmers in Amaravati and Palghar districts, exporters in Mumbai city and experts at Pune city. Their data were triangulated with the literature from reputed agri-research institutions.
Results: Doubling agri export can help to doubling farmer’s income (DFI) as export price is premium and profitability higher, besides increasing foreign exchange. Fruits & vegetables (F&V) is the largest agri-export segment globally but meagre 9th rank among Indian agri-export basket. Focussing on larger or costly market segment such as fruits & vegetables having higher productivity & surplus, rather than the cereals can help. Recent natural farming mission can aid in it and safeguard consumer and farmer’s health such as from the cancer. Indian F&V production more than doubled in the past 2 decades to exceed grains production, due to their health benefits. Maximum residue level (MRL) is the export benchmark so promoting low/ no pesticide techniques under the recent Indian natural farming (NF) mission can help to triple Indian agri-exports to $ 100 billion by 2030 from $35 billion in 2023, through horticulture, dairy and tea, cocoa that are in demand and valued. African markets can be tapped as it imports majority of its food and has less entry barriers. Policy may focus on fruits like Banana and premium for NF produce.
Conclusion: Focusing on fruits & vegetables (F&V), dairy, lipids & adopting the low/ no “pesticide residue” standard etc. can boost Indian agri-exports.

Intellectual property rights and agricultural technology: Linking the micro- and the macro-scales

Economic Development in India, Academic Publishers pp 41-64, 1999

Intellectual property rights (IPR) such as patents and plant varieties act (PVA) i.e. plant breed... more Intellectual property rights (IPR) such as patents and plant varieties act (PVA) i.e. plant breeder's rights (PBR) offer challenges to Indian farming sector given the rich agrobiodiversity and farmers' livelihoods at risk. Way forward is suggested by documentation of the agrobiodiversity, disclosure of country and community of origin of new varieties for commerce and benefit sharing with the original variety contributor community/ country.