Bengal’s weavers revive muslin, spin success

The revival of muslin, a fine cotton cloth famous for centuries, has infused financial stability into the lives of traditional spinners and weavers of West Bengal who were struggling for survival earlier

More attention needed on community mobilizers

Rural development programs often take community mobilization for granted, and those who dedicate themselves to this difficult task are ignored or neglected. This needs to change

Cooking in iron kadhais combats anemia in Jharkhand

A women's collective movement of cooking in iron kadhais that helps in reducing the incidence of anemia in rural women is gathering pace in many parts of Jharkhand

Recurrent floods traumatize people in rural Kerala

Even as Kerala reels under yet another flood due to extreme rainfall, people in the tiny village of Upputhode in the Western Ghats are still traumatized from the loss they suffered in last year’s deluge

Farmers across India revive folk rice varieties

Cultivation of traditional rice varieties is becoming popular in Chhattisgarh, after a campaign to popularize indigenous paddy strains spreads from Kerala to Himachal Pradesh to West Bengal

Coastal communities in Tamil Nadu prepare for disasters

Fishing communities living on the Bay of Bengal coast in Tamil Nadu, who are vulnerable to extreme weather events, are being trained by the Tamil Nadu government to prepare for disasters

Community farming in Goa stops land conversion

Many villagers in Goa have banded together to revive rice cultivation through collective mechanized sowing and transplanting. The success in several villages has now become a catalyst for others

Battling social fault lines in rural water supply

The laudable aim of supplying piped water to all rural homes will have to tackle the existing power equations that deeply divide our society, and are tilted in favor of the elite in villages

Talcher villages suffer from industrial waste

With coal industries and washeries polluting land and water, and adversely affecting health, people around Talcher’s industrial hub hope for better administrative support in effluent management

Collective enterprise fights malnutrition with millets

A collective enterprise in coastal Andhra Pradesh is contributing towards better nutrition of women and children in tribal areas by producing millet biscuits, while also providing stable rural livelihoods

Water availability and quality in rural water supply

The aim of delivering clean water to rural homes has to address the twin challenges of sufficient local availability of this depleting resource and ensuring basic quality standards

Date palms make profitable entrance in Solapur

With climatic conditions similar to that of date-growing Kutch, Solapur farmers have started cultivating date palms, finding the extended growth period worth the wait financially

Traditional millet cultivation by Gonds needs revival

The Gond tribes, custodians of agro-biodiversity in central India, have traditionally grown millets that are suited to local climate and terrain. The dying practice needs revival and encouragement

Tap water in rural homes will increase consumption

Once the central government navigates the tricky issue of water governance, we would need to recognize that tap water in every rural home will expand domestic water usage dramatically

Why Dongria Kondh women prefer childbirth at home

Lack of easy access to government healthcare in Kalyansinghpur, in addition to cultural and dietary differences in hospitals, is forcing Dongria Kondh women in remote villages to opt out of institutional delivery

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