Can a pointed pickaxe pierce a pearl?

There are formidable challenges in delivering welfare services to scattered and disenfranchised groups of people in rural India, and the government machinery is ill-equipped to deal with it

Farmers repurpose bore wells for rainwater harvesting

With abandoned bore wells turning hazardous for children, farmers in Tamil Nadu are on a voluntary drive to convert them into rainwater harvesting structures

Gond children learn to conserve forests

With their forests degrading for a variety of reasons, Gond elders are rekindling interest about forest biodiversity among the younger generation, and are inspiring villagers to protect the forests

Kachchh pastoralists struggle as grasslands shrink in Gujarat

Pastoralists from Kachchh walk great distances in search of grazing lands for their sheep in Gujarat, even as pastures disappear or become inaccessible, and climate patterns get ever more erratic

Sinnar farmers switch to multi-cropping for resilient earnings

Growing a variety of crops in different portions of a field, farmers in Nashik district have improved soil health and productivity, reduced diseases and seed-to-sale time, and boosted revenue

Himachal apples give way to pomegranates

Changes in climatic conditions have led to Himachal farmers growing pomegranates, as many find that apple cultivation, other than high-density varieties, is no longer economically viable

Can handlooms provide a viable rural livelihood?

There are reasons not to give up entirely on the rural handloom sector, and we can learn from northeast India on how artisanal weaving can still be an attractive livelihood option

Child cabinets bring students at work back to school

Poverty forces villagers in Kendrapara district to pull children out of school to work and add to household income. Awareness and counseling are now sensitizing parents to let children continue their education

Clams provide lucrative livelihood to coastal women

With increasing popularity of clam meat, an abundant resource in coastal Kozhikode, units processing these mollusks enable women to make a sustainable living without leaving their village

Farmers revert to traditional bio-fences for multiple benefits

Trees and thorny cacti that served as fences protecting crops from cattle, as wind breakers conserving soil moisture, besides providing fertilizer and fodder, are making a comeback in Tamil Nadu

Mental health patients see better days in Jharkhand

Misconceptions about mental health lead to mistreatment of afflicted tribal people in Jharkhand. Awareness initiatives, community support and treatment are now improving their lives

Restored wastelands would improve livestock economy

Degraded wastelands have led to a fodder shortage in underdeveloped Barwani district. Involving communities to restore the wastelands will enable them to rear more livestock, thus improving incomes

Lack of skilled professionals hamstring underdeveloped regions

The severely underdeveloped central and eastern hilly tribal belt in India is poorly served by skilled grassroots professionals such as teachers and paramedics, a problem that has no easy solutions

Chemistry Nobel Prize has a rural Odisha connection

People of Maligaon village in Odisha are for the first time using lithium ferro-phosphate batteries invented by Nobel laureate John Goodenough to store power from their solar mini-grid

Palmyrah tappers move from climbing trees to casting nets

After a drought and a ban on toddy tapping, palmyrah climbers of a coastal village have taken to the sea, practicing sustainable fishing to conserve marine life and earn a livelihood

More Articles >