Of cow urine and human waste: faith, folklore and science

We should explore the potential of waste humans and other animals such as buffaloes produce as a resource for farming or fuel (Photo by Jency Samuel)

While there is a surfeit of folklore on cow urine as a miracle material, the waste of other cattle and humans, which are also dependable resources, should be checked for efficacy

Water stress evaporates once a river flows

After recurrent droughts and acute water scarcity, residents of Mahud have revived Kasal rivulet, leading to availability of water after the monsoon (Photo courtesy Mahud Gram Panchayat)

Residents of drought-wracked Mahud village have revived a rivulet by themselves with some help from district officials. The community initiative has raised the water table and made irrigation possible

Kitchen gardens improve nutritional diversity of Kondhs

After fulfilling the needs of their family, women like Damayanti Patel earn money by selling the surplus from their vegetable garden (Photo by Basudev Mahapatra)

Overcoming taboos and becoming more knowledgeable about abundant local foods, malnourished Kondh people in Odisha are bringing diversity to their food baskets through backyard kitchen gardens

Coastal farmers harvest riches with hardy vetiver

Farmers like Chandrasekar in coastal areas find hardy, perennial grass vetiver a climate-resilient crop that brings good income (Photo by Balasubramaniam N.)

Farmers in India’s east coast, which is vulnerable to cyclones and floods, have found commercial success by growing vetiver, a perennial grass also known as khus that has a variety of uses

Healthcare of elderly suffers with youth migration

The elderly in villages, like Sakharam Dhendle and Pandurang Dhendle in Ghasir, have severe mobility restrictions and spend substantial amounts on medicine (Photo by Abhijeet Jadhav)

With little livelihood opportunities in villages, the youth in rural Maharashtra migrate to cities, leading to delayed healthcare of elderly dependents and increased medical expenses

Accessible education for deprived rural students

Government model schools in rural areas have made quality education accessible for socially and economically disadvantaged children (Photo by Rakhee Roytalukdar)

Established in rural areas lacking in development, state-run model schools in Rajasthan are offering quality education for free to students from socially and economically disadvantaged backgrounds

Kuruba shepherds struggle to retain traditional lifestyle

With demand for Kuruba blankets, and demand for animal manure declining, Kuruba shepherds find it difficult to sustain a pastoral livelihood (Photo by Prabir Mitra)

As demand for sheep wool blankets decline, Kuruba shepherds of Karnataka have started rearing their sheep for meat and milk. They have also taken to farming to boost incomes

Tharuvaikulam boatwrights adapt to changing trends

In a boatyard in Tharuvaikulam, boatwrights who used to build wooden boats, get a wooden frame ready for a fiber boat, preferred by most fishermen nowadays (Photo by Jency Samuel)

With the demand for fiber-reinforced plastic boats increasing after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, wooden boat builders of Tharuvaikulam in Tamil Nadu adapt to growing needs of the marine fishing sector

Local livelihoods curb exploitative labor trafficking

Odisha government has taken steps to curb villagers being trafficked to work in brick kilns of neighboring states (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

To stop poor villagers from becoming bonded migrant labor, the Odisha government needs to strengthen latest steps to cut out middlemen and boost the rural jobs guarantee program with higher wages

Child panchayats spur village leaders to improve services

Members of child-friendly panchayat in villages of Latur district, who are school students, impress upon the gram panchayat to provide basic necessities for their village (Photo by Varsha Torgalkar)

Knowing their rights to life and social protection, school students in child panchayats have compelled rural administrators to provide basic amenities necessary for the development of their villages

Farmer producer companies: let a thousand balloons float

Farmer producer companies have not addressed the problems of the cooperatives of the earlier era and have not been financially sustainable, barring a few (Photo courtesy: MAHAFPC)

While farmer producer companies mushroom across the country because of government’s financial incentives, problems in input delivery and sale of produce persist, making their long-term sustenance difficult

Cattle trade dwindles at Sonepur Mela

Unlike the milling crowds and cattle of the past, very few cattle are seen at Sonepur, appearing more like a village market (Photo by Mohd Imran Khan)

Enforcement of laws related to cattle trade has affected the famed Sonepur cattle fair, with cattle numbers decreasing steadily at the fair and sale dwindling by the year

Himachal’s organic farmers turn market-savvy

‘बाग’ गांव में जैविक खेती करने वाले किसान, समूह में होने के कारण अपनी उपज सीधे ग्राहकों को बेचते हैं और अधिक आय कमाते हैं (छायाकार - दीपान्विता गीता नियोगी)

Collective representation helps smallholder organic farmers in Himachal’s Mandi district sell their produce directly to consumers in Delhi at a premium price, increasing their earnings

Custard apple thrives in Maharashtra’s dryland farms

Minimal irrigation needs, better resistance to pest attacks and good financial returns have led many like farmer-innovator Navnath Malhari Kaspate to take up custard apple cultivation (Photo by Hiren Kumar Bose)

Switching from traditional crops, farmers in rain-shadow areas of Maharashtra have found that growing custard apple suited for varied soil and climatic conditions is highly remunerative

Bamboo eliminates poverty among Wayanad villagers

Bamboo-based livelihoods have lifted villagers, especially women, out of poverty, providing them a sustained income (Photo by Chithra Ajith)

Impoverished villages in Kerala’s Wayanad have found green gold in bamboo handicrafts and utility products, which have helped eliminate poverty and given them a regular source of income

Diversified organic farming can transform Marathwada

Women farmers like Usha Pade have led from the front to adopt organic farming practices (Photo by Swayam Shikshan Prayog)

Smallholder women farmers in the climate-threatened Marathwada region of Maharashtra are ensuring nutritional security and additional income for their families through diversified organic agriculture

India needs poverty fighters to boost rural incomes

Providing farmers with latest technical information is essential to raise productivity and earnings (Photo by Ashlesha Khadse)

Ending endemic economic poverty in the central and eastern parts of rural India needs more numbers of trained foot soldiers to deal with the complex realities on the ground

Stigmatized Lodha tribe starts new life trajectory

An education complex for denotified Lodha tribes has helped the children learn. Their performance has prompted reluctant parents to enroll their children (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

Education and sports have helped the Lodhas, a particularly vulnerable tribal community that was forced to lead an excluded life because they were stigmatized as thieves, to increasingly join the mainstream

Families along Brahmaputra lose land to river erosion

Farmers who have lost their land to river erosion have been forced to stay in makeshift camps, as state government tries to rework a 2015 rehabilitation scheme (Photo by Amarjyoti Borah)

Having lost homesteads and farmlands to river erosion, Assam’s farmers living in makeshift camps seek government intervention, even as state administration tries to rework a rehabilitation scheme announced in 2015

Adivasis in Rajasthan demand better local governance

Women’s collective such as the one in Khajuri panchayat have ensured that the local issues that concern them are discussed in the gram sabha meetings (Photo by Aajeevika Bureau)

Villagers, especially women, are questioning panchayat institutions being used as tools to push government agenda that do not necessarily align with their needs, and want better local governance