Arid districts such as Kutch in Gujarat, and Barmer and Jaisalmer in Rajasthan mainly have livestock economies and it is not unusual to see thousands of animals-goats, cows, sheep, buffaloes and camels-moving amiably along in search of the next watering hole. It seems counter-intuitive that areas with such low rainfall should provide neighbouring states with meat and milk.

The United Nations says it has increased its annual agricultural aid to Africa from US$2 billion to US$8 billion dollars, according to a statement issued here Thursday by the UN Information Centre in Lagos.
The statement said that the gesture was to stave off hunger on the continent by 2015.
It said the funds would provide a lifeline for private investment in the agriculture, irrigation and transportation sectors, and that the fund is being provided by the office of the Secretary-General of the Millennium Development Goals, Africa Steering Group.

The U.S. Agriculture Department said the number of hungry people in 70 poor nations soared 10.8% last year and will climb at least 1.7% this year, and perhaps much more depending on how the global recession plays out.
The annual USDA survey, which attempts to calculate how many people are consuming less than 2,100 calories a day in countries that do or did receive food aid, is ammunition for the Obama administration in its push to help poor nations feed themselves.