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Agroecology (AE) has been widely advanced as an alternative scientific paradigm, a socio-environmental movement and a set of farming practices for mitigating the ecological, social and economic harms associated with chemical-intensive, commercial agriculture. In India, AE has been institutionalised through an array of government schemes, non-governmental interventions and farmer-led initiatives to reduce dependence on external chemical inputs, restore soil health, enhance biodiversity, promote regenerative agricultural practices and encourage the consumption of nutritious food. However, such policies are often unclear about the extent to which social justice is embedded within their design and implementation. Consequently, these interventions are unable to engage with entrenched gender and social inequalities that structure Indian agriculture. This article examines the social relations embedded within agroecological practices to understand their transformative potential. Drawing on three decades of participatory action research conducted by the M. S. Swaminathan Research Foundation in Kannivadi, Tamil Nadu, and by foregrounding the experiences of resource-poor Dalit women farmers, the study highlights both the promise and limitations of AE. While positive ecological and livelihood outcomes are evident, caste and patriarchal structures continue to constrain equitable and just transformation. Addressing these challenges requires formal and informal institutions to explicitly engage with the structures of power, such as caste, class and gender, through an intersectional feminist praxis.
Oryza coarctata is the only halophytic relative in the genus Oryza (Oryza sp.) that is tolerant to high salinity levels lethal to cultivated rice varieties. An excessive accumulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) caused by salinity leads to oxidative stress, although certain ROS also play important signaling roles. This work investigated differences in root redox and ionic homeostasis between cultivated (O. sativa) and wild (O. coarctata) rice species. Root treatment with 10mM H2O2 decreased cell viability in cultivated but not wild rice, and histochemical staining showed greater H2O2 accumulation in wild rice roots under non-saline conditions, suggesting a signaling role. Wild rice showed higher superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity that lowers superoxide (O2-) accumulation. Cultivated rice showed greater K+ loss from the root mature zone through ROS-activated cation channels accompanied by stronger Ca2+ uptake in response to H2O2 application, while wild rice possessed better Ca2+ homeostasis with less H2O2-induced K+ leakage. Cultivated rice also demonstrated much higher sensitivity to hydroxyl radicals (●OH). Wild rice effectively controlled cytosolic Ca2+ homeostasis by Ca2+ efflux systems such as Ca2+-ATPase and CAX, while cultivated rice downregulated RBOH expression that may affect operation of the “ROS-Ca2+ hub” and signaling cascades under salinity.
The carbon sequestration potential of natural and restored mangrove ecosystems was assessed in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, India. A total of eight mangrove species were recorded in the natural vegetation and the restored mangrove site. Hydrological factors, including salinity, temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH, were measured, along with tree density, basal area, aboveground and belowground biomass, and carbon stock. The mean tree density of mangroves in the natural stand was 4199.5 ± 1348.37 trees ha− 1, and the restored site had an average of 4523.3 ± 654.02 trees ha− 1. The basal area of mangroves is from 19.24 ± 15.73 m2 to 66.58 ± 84.57 ha− 1 across both vegetation types. The average aboveground carbon stock for natural mangroves was 260.4 ± 114.15 Mg C ha− 1, whereas for the restored site, the average aboveground carbon stock was 49.21 ± 19.26 Mg C ha− 1. The total average vegetative carbon stock in natural vegetation was 346.3 ± 152.04 Mg C ha− 1, and in the restored area, the mean value was 69.45 ± 26.99 Mg C ha− 1. The natural vegetation exhibited a mean soil organic carbon (SOC) of 11.39 ± 8.4 Mg C ha − 1 and the restored site had an average value of 7.22 ± 5.33 Mg C ha-¹. The SOC content was significantly associated with the species dominance index (p < 0.01). A significant variation in total vegetative carbon was observed among the sampling sites, with the natural site showing Kruskal–Wallis test (Hc) = 29.4 (p < 0.001) and the restored site showing Hc = 18.51 (p < 0.001). The carbon sequestration potential of natural and restored sites of mangrove ecosystems was assessed. The soil organic carbon (SOC) content was significantly associated with the species dominance index (p<0.01). A significant variation in total vegetative carbon was observed among the sampling sites. Salinity showed a significant difference between the natural and restored sites.
Abstract Women play a pivotal role in the small-scale fisheries sector, contributing to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of coastal regions. As India’s fish processing sector shifts towards commercial, export-oriented production, equipping women with modern technologies is crucial for producing high-quality, hygienic products and connecting them with traders. This study examines the gendered experiences of women in post-harvest fishery activities in two fishing villages in Mayiladuthurai district, Tamil Nadu. Despite facing resource depletion, ecological crises and socio-economic inequalities, women using traditional methods and those leveraging modern technologies exhibit different capacities to cope with vulnerabilities. The first group, engaged in traditional processing, faces intense physical labour, drudgery, health risks and low income. In contrast, the second group, part of a fish workers’ collective, has better access to technologies, digital tools and institutional support, which improves their post-harvest activities. Based on qualitative field research, this chapter highlights the occupational vulnerabilities of women in traditional fisheries and demonstrates how collectivisation, new technologies and institutional linkages enhance their adaptive capacities and help them manage gendered vulnerabilities more effectively.
Abstract Background and Aims Mangrove seedlings establish in highly dynamic intertidal environments characterized by tidal inundation, salinity and unstable substrate, where early anchorage and upright orientation are critical for survival and light perception for growth. In crypto-viviparous mangrove Avicennia marina, the functional role of the hypocotyl during post-dispersal establishment remains poorly understood. This study examines the importance of the hypocotyl and the largest diameter adventitious root R1 in contributing to seedling uprightness. Methods A. marina seedlings were grown under controlled conditions in a greenhouse. Adventitious root (R1) was either retained and seedlings replanted vertically (control) or removed, and seedlings replanted at an angle (∼45°) in four cardinal directions. Morphological traits, hypocotyl curvature and root characteristics were quantified. Quantitative morpho-anatomical analyses of the hypocotyl base was carried out for xylem-organization using lignin-specific stains; starch localization and endodermal identity were determined using histochemical staining. Key Results During maternal pre-dispersal development, hypocotyl elongation correlated proportionally with seed mass, reflecting coordinated early ontogeny. Post-dispersal, directional displacement of seedlings induced localized radial thickening and gravitropic curvature at the hypocotyl base. Morpho-anatomical analyses assigned this curvature to increased tension wood formation and modified xylem architecture at the curvature upper end. A distinct starch sheath was consistently observed in the putative hypocotyl endodermis, with localized-variation in staining intensity under specific orientations. No compensatory quantitative changes in root architecture were observed upon mechanical ablation of root R1. However, remaining adventitious roots showed directional growth reorientation to counter to seedling inclination and restore mechanical stability. Conclusion The results demonstrate that restoration of vertical growth in A. marina seedlings upon displacement is achieved through coordinated whole-plant responses involving tension wood formation in the hypocotyl base, together with directional reorientation of adventitious roots. Seedlings integrate graviperception, hypocotyl structural reinforcements and root re-orientation to maintain stability during initial establishment.
