Why is it in the News?

Carbon farming offers a versatile solution applicable across diverse agro-climatic regions, simultaneously addressing issues such as soil degradation, water scarcity, and climate variability challenges.

What is Carbon Farming?

• Carbon farming refers to a set of agricultural practices designed to sequester carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it in the soil.
• The primary goal is to mitigate climate change by enhancing carbon capture and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
• Through strategic land management, farmers can play a crucial role in offsetting carbon emissions and promoting environmental sustainability.

Principles of Carbon Farming:

• Carbon Sequestration: The core principle involves capturing carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and storing it in the soil.
  • This is achieved by promoting the growth of plants and trees that absorb carbon from the atmosphere.
• Reduced Emissions: Carbon farming emphasizes practices that minimize greenhouse gas emissions.
  • This includes optimizing fertilizer use, adopting no-till farming, and reducing reliance on synthetic inputs.
• Biodiversity Conservation: Integrating diverse crops and promoting agroforestry practices contribute to biodiversity conservation.
  • This enhances ecosystem resilience and supports sustainable agricultural systems.
• Soil Health: Improving soil health is fundamental to carbon farming.
  • Practices like cover cropping and rotational grazing not only sequester carbon but also enhance soil structure, water retention, and nutrient cycling.

Benefits of Carbon Farming:

• Climate Change Mitigation: The primary benefit is the significant contribution to mitigating climate change.
  • Carbon farming helps offset carbon emissions, acting as a natural solution to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.
• Improved Soil Fertility: The focus on soil health leads to increased fertility and productivity.
  • Healthy soils contribute to better crop yields, reduced erosion, and enhanced resilience to climate-related challenges.
• Biodiversity Enhancement: Carbon farming practices support biodiversity by creating habitats for diverse plant and animal species.
  • This contributes to ecological balance and resilience in the face of environmental changes.
• Economic Opportunities: Farmers engaged in carbon farming may access new revenue streams through carbon offset programs.
  • These initiatives incentivize sustainable practices and provide financial benefits to farmers.

Challenges in Carbon Farming:

• Transition Period: Implementing carbon farming practices often requires a transition period, during which farmers may face initial costs and adjustments to new techniques. Financial support and education are crucial during this phase.
• Market Access: Connecting farmers to carbon offset markets can be challenging. Developing transparent and accessible markets for carbon credits is essential for the success of carbon farming initiatives.
• Education and Awareness: Many farmers may not be familiar with carbon farming practices.
  • Education and awareness programs are necessary to disseminate information, build capacity, and encourage widespread adoption.

Conclusion

Carbon farming is a dynamic and evolving approach to agriculture that holds immense promise in the fight against climate change. By understanding its principles, benefits, and challenges, farmers and stakeholders can actively contribute to a more sustainable and resilient future. The key terms associated with carbon farming provide a foundation for navigating this innovative landscape and embracing practices that benefit both the environment and agriculture.

Why is it in the News?

To revive the population of tigers in Sahyadri Tiger Reserve (STR) — the lone tiger reserve in the Maharashtra western region — the state’s forest department will soon translocate tigers from Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve (TATR) in Chandrapur district.

What are Wildlife Corridors?

• Corridors are essentially habitats and pathways that connect wildlife populations, which are fragmented by human settlements and infrastructure works.
• They are crucial for the long-term survival of the tiger population as they help guard against localised extinctions and ensure the exchange of gene flow, which helps in population diversity.
• Tigers have large home ranges and often travel long distances in search of mates and food.
  • In doing so, they make use of these wildlife corridors and cross several human-dominated landscapes.
• The role played by corridors in conservation is a well-established one and has been incorporated into policy decisions as well.
• Mitigation measures such as underpasses, and wildlife crossings are now routinely ordered to safeguard tigers and other wildlife in projects where linear infrastructure projects fragment habitats.
• Litigation, advocacy, and policymaking have all contributed to this.
  • The construction of an overpass on the National Highway- 7 to protect the migratory route of tigers underneath between the Kanha and Pench Tiger Reserves is one instance of embedding mitigation measures to protect corridors.
• Tigers routinely use the space beneath the elevated stretch of the highway to cross the forests.
  • In 2014-15, the National Tiger Conservation Authority and Wildlife Institute of India (WII) mapped 32 major tiger corridors in the country across four broad tiger landscapes – Shivalik Hills and Gangetic plains, Central India and Eastern Ghats, Western Ghats, and the North East Hills.

Is Translocation the Best Approach for Tiger Recovery?

• Tiger translocation projects have been undertaken in India since 2008.
  • Sariska Tiger Reserve, in 2008, and Panna Tiger Reserve, in 2009, have witnessed successful tiger reintroduction and translocation projects.
• There have also been failures and shelving of reintroduction plans, like in the case of Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha, which was the country’s first inter-state translocation project.
• However, before choosing translocation, other available options such as habitat improvement, prey augmentation, strengthening of tiger corridors, and vigilance improvement should be assessed.
• Even after translocations, one must ensure that corridors are strengthened and they are free of major disturbances.
  • This will ensure the dispersal of tigers to other source population areas.

Why is it in the News?

Delhi LG V K Saxena recently recommended a (NIA) probe against jailed Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving political funding from Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a New York-based pro-Khalistan organisation that is banned in India.

What is Sikhs for Justice (SfJ)?

• Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) formed in 2007, is a US-based group seeking a separate homeland for Sikhs, a “Khalistan” in Punjab.
• Its founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a law graduate from Panjab University and currently an attorney at law in the US, is the face of SFJ and its legal adviser.
• Panun had launched the secessionist Sikh Referendum 2020 campaign, an initiative that eventually became defunct.
  • He was among the nine individuals designated as “terrorists” by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
• ‘Referendum 2020’, claimed it wanted to “liberate Punjab from Indian occupation”.
• In Pannun’s words, “SFJ in its London Declaration (in August 2018) had announced to hold the first-ever non-binding referendum among the global Sikh community on the question of secession from India and re-establishing Punjab as an independent country.”

Banned in India:

• India refers to Gurpatwant Singh Pannun as a terrorist, and has banned SFJ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967.
• The Home Ministry’s 2019 notification issuing the ban says: “In the garb of the so-called referendum for Sikhs, SFJ is actually espousing secessionism and militant ideology in Punjab, while operating from safe havens on foreign soils and actively supported by inimical forces in other countries.”
• Currently, almost a dozen cases are registered against Pannun and SFJ in India.

Why is it in the News?

There’s a new group of COVID-19 variants within the Omicron JN.1 lineage “which have demonstrated increased transmissibility and immune resistance” recently detected in the United States.

What is the New Covid-19 Variant FLiRT?

• FLiRT variants are sub-lineages of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
• Detected in the United States, this variant group has been named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) FLiRT variant KP.2 and is a spinoff of JN.1.11.1.
• According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), FLiRT has led to increased hospitalisation rates, although it has not significantly raised mortality rates.
  • Its primary impact is on the upper respiratory tract.
• The rapid emergence and diversification of the JN.1 variant and its descendant, KP.2, which shows significant alterations in spike (S) protein structure and increased resistance to existing vaccines, underscore the necessity for further research to understand the implications for public health and vaccine development.

Where does the name come from?

• The letters of FLiRT variation are derived from the technical names of the mutations:
  • F and L are included in one, and R and T which is included in another.

What are the emerging symptoms?

• Symptoms associated with FLiRT are similar to those of other Omicron subvariants, including sore throat, cough, fatigue, nasal congestion, runny nose, headache, muscle aches, fever, and possible loss of taste and smell

Transmissibility:

• This variant is highly transmissible and can impact immunity and overall health.
• This variant spreads via respiratory droplets of the person to others or touching infected surfaces such as faucets, furniture, elevator buttons, and kitchen countertops, or coming in close contact with the person who is sick with this variant

Is there a concern for India?

• Currently, there are no reported cases of FLiRT variants in India, and our immunity is acquired.
• Thus far, no new vaccine is recommended.

Why is it in the News?

In a recent study, researchers have discovered a unique subtype of Fusobacterium nucleatum that is more prevalent in colorectal cancer (CRC) tumours.

What is Fusobacterium nucleatum?

• Fusobacterium nucleatum is a species of bacteria commonly found in the human mouth and gastrointestinal tract.
• It is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium, meaning it does not require oxygen to survive.
• While it is a normal component of the oral microbiota, Fusobacterium nucleatum can also act as an opportunistic pathogen, potentially causing infections in various parts of the body.
• In recent research, specific subtypes of Fusobacterium nucleatum have been associated with colorectal cancer tumours, highlighting its potential role in certain diseases.
• It plays a role in periodontal disease and is often associated with various human diseases and infections, including preterm births.
• F. nucleatum can aggregate with other bacteria species in the oral cavity and is considered a key component of periodontal plaque due to its abundance.
• Detection of F. nucleatum typically involves surgical tissue retrieval, faecal tests, or blood tests in patients showing symptoms, and early detection is crucial for preventing further disease progression.

Highlights of the Recent Research:

• Researchers examined genomes of F. nucleatum types from colorectal tumour samples and individuals without cancer. Among its subspecies, only one, known as Fusobacterium nucleatum animalis (or Fna), was consistently found in tumour samples.
• Further genetic analysis divided Fna into two distinct groups, with only one group, Fna C2, being prevalent in colorectal tumours.
• Fna C2 showed higher acid resistance, potentially allowing it to travel from the mouth to the intestines via the stomach.
• Additionally, Fna C2 demonstrated the ability to hide within tumour cells, evade the immune system, and utilize nutrients found in the gastrointestinal tract.