Indians are the world's biggest tea drinkers and producers. Half of the country's entire output comes from the north-eastern state of Assam, but the conditions for many of those who work on its tea plantations are appalling. Workers earn well below the minimum wage and malnutrition is also common. Laws about facilities and conditions on tea estates exist, but many don't comply. Our correspondents Natacha Butler and Vikram Singh went to visit one such estate in the south of Assam.
Rising global temperatures mean drought is increasingly commonplace across the world. Farmers are seeing crop yields diminish as once-fertile lands dry up. This week we’re out exploring innovative water-saving techniques in France, Israel and Peru.
More than fifteen years after the end of a devastating war, we head to the border town of Metkovic where joint Croatian and Bosnian police units now work hand in hand. We also find out why Croatian milk farmers fear new EU rules will damage their businesses. And we meet Renata Poljak, a Croatian multimedia artist who will show you Zagreb like you have never seen it before.
An extraordinary drought is expected in Western Europe this year, with some countries saying they've only seen 30% of their average rainfall. The United Kingdom, Portugal and Spain are among the worst affected, and the dryness is having a catastrophic effect on farmers' yields. In turn, this will drive up prices for fruits, vegetables and meat in countries whose economies have already been hit hard by the financial crisis.
FRENCH PAPERS, Mon. 27/02/12: It’s the annual agricultural show here in Paris, a mandatory stop on the campaign trail. Candidates are eager to woo the farming constituency. Meanwhile, Libération investigates the "forgotten topic" of the campaign: the country’s rough housing projects. And "The Artist" steals the show at the Oscars.
Menton will be holding its 79th annual lemon festival from February 17th to March 7th. Although lemons are grown throughout the Mediterranean, the city of Menton is internationally renowned.
It’s an age-old tradition: February 2nd is Candlemas and in France it’s also Pancake Day. Sweet or savoury, nowadays there are all sorts of recipes and concoctions - something for everyone.
Robert Besse is a restaurant owner in Allas-les-Mines in France’s Dordogne region. Every Saturday, he goes to the market in Sarlat for supplies. But this is a special weekend: it’s the Black Périgord Truffle festival. 15,000 people will flock to the Old Town over the next two days, in honour of the tuber melanosporum, aka the Black Truffle.
Arcachon Bay is an inland sea on the Atlantic Coast, 70 km from Bordeaux, and is also France’s leading oyster farming area. Oysters are produced here all year round, but the Christmas period is a particularly busy one.
France's highest administrative body overturned two Ministry of Agriculture rulings on Monday banning the planting of genetically modified corn. Two government ministries quickly said they were looking for ways to continue blocking the crop.
