Native cattle breeds gain ground in Tamil Nadu

As global warming becomes increasingly evident across peninsular India, the conservation of indigenous cattle breeds that are hardy and better suited to withstand high temperatures has been gaining ground

Workers of closed tea gardens struggle to make a living

Tribal people in and around the shuttered tea gardens of north Bengal are living on the edge of destitution and are being forced to a life of hard labor and exploitation by local contractors to stave off starvation

Araku Valley takes baby steps to address maternal health

An initiative to reach healthcare services to pregnant women and new mothers in the underdeveloped Araku Valley has seen a measure of success in tribal communities ruled by superstition and regressive practices

Madhubani painters want better deal for their work

Despite global recognition, women painters of the Madhubani folk art form in Jitwarpur village have failed to escape the clutches of middlemen, who corner most of the profits. State initiatives could help stop the exploitation

Why do villagers often ignore obvious yet valuable things?

We need to figure out ways in which people in rural India are able to make reasoned and sustainable choices to lead their lives rather than flow with trends that are more expensive or patently unsuitable

Many farmers across India are returning to their roots

Traditional wisdom combined with modern methods of agro-ecology such as zero budget natural farming is helping Indian farmers in diverse parts of the country to adapt to changing weather patterns

  • Jul 09, 2018
  • Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh & Belgaum, Karnataka

Litchi growers of Muzaffarpur suffer from falling production

Fluctuating weather patterns have started impacting the famous litchi orchards of Muzaffarpur in Bihar, resulting in poor harvests and decreased sweetness of the fruit that is impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers

Assam farmers struggle over loss of orange orchards

New diseases and erratic weather have led to a dramatic drop in orange production, endangering the livelihoods of farmers in northeast India, where it is a major cash crop

Kerala village breaks new ground in sustainable living

What began as a community initiative to revive organic farming in the small village of Vengeri near Kozhikode has today expanded into a sustainable lifestyle that showcases how rural living can indeed be idyllic

Musahars denied healthcare because they are considered untouchables

The despicable practice of untouchability in Varanasi district is keeping the musahar community from accessing state healthcare facilities, and the situation is changing too slowly despite grassroots activism

Will rural women rise up against digital patriarchy?

It remains to be seen whether the digital world of today will become more hostile to women in villages than their physical reality, which is currently dominated by men

Inspired local governance transforms villages in Odanthurai

The Odanthurai village council in southern Tamil Nadu has shown how a Panchayati Raj institution can achieve holistic rural development with the help of wise leadership and community participation

Musahars overcome fear, but face a long road ahead

Tired of being denied basic human rights and held to be untouchables, Musahars in some villages of Varanasi district are speaking up with help from community activists, but a decent livelihood is still far away

Organic farming gathers steam in the Sundarbans

Faced with longer and hotter summers, many farmers in the Sundarbans have embraced organic farming with local crop varieties that are better adapted to a changing climate and fetch adequate returns as well

Mountain women live and work with bent backs

The absence of most men and the nature of work in the farm and forest have left women in Mandal village of Uttarakhand with no option to spend most of their time with bent over double, which severely damages their health

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