India, April 19 -- S ome of the world's first agricultural societies emerged here, about 9,500 years ago. The country now stands on the brink of an agricultural crisis. The unchecked drilling of deep wells has caused dramatic cases of land subsidence, triggering giant sinkholes across farms, with 684 appearing just in the "bread basket" region of Konya. Major lakes have vanished, or are shrinking rapidly. Climate change is intensifying the crisis. The country recorded its lowest rainfall levels in 50 years, in 2025, with rainfall at 26% below the long-term average. Turkey's bustling mines, meanwhile, continue to use thousands of litres of water per kg of gold extracted. Mining for gold, copper, silver and manganese also releases cyanide int...