Income support to smallholder farmers is similar to palliative measures like minimum support prices or loan waivers that do not address the problem of an unsustainable population living on a fixed resource base
Blog
Irrigation key to fighting poverty in Kandhamal
Groundwater recharge in Kandhamal’s undulating terrain and pumps to lift water are needed to break the nexus between lack of irrigation and poverty in this seriously underdeveloped area of Odisha
Rural India still insensitive to persons with disabilities
In a society steeped in referring people with special needs by their disability, there is a need for concerted efforts to recognize their rights and create inclusivity
Tamil women bank on herbs to boost income
Women in rural Villupuram have quit working as farm labor and have become herbal entrepreneurs to conserve traditional knowledge, revive use of healthy herbs and boost household incomes
Santhal girls shatter social taboo playing football
Teenaged Santhal girls in West Bengal have taken to football despite facing community antagonism. They hope that the sport would deliver them from poor socioeconomic shackles
Village women up in arms against alcoholism
Women in rural Karnataka have banded together to demand a prohibition on liquor because they are at the receiving end of alcoholism of men that leads invariably to domestic violence and financial hardship
The travails of India’s forest dwellers
Tribal people who live in and around forests are being continuously pushed beyond the edge of their meager livelihoods and the land where they live, despite laws that are supposed to protect their rights
Odisha women fight malnutrition with backyard gardens
Women in distressed and malnourished regions of Odisha are growing nutrition gardens to feed their families organic vegetables and legumes consistently through the year at no additional cost
Healthcare of elderly suffers with youth migration
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
Kashidakari women look to grow embroidery earnings
Women in Jodhasar, who have begun embroidering for a living by putting traditional skills they used for embellishing personal clothing to good use, need better market linkages to boost incomes
Beedi rolling robs Murshidabad girls of their childhood
Young girls in rural Murshidabad are pushed by their parents to roll beedis, the poor man’s cigarette, at the cost of their schooling because being able to earn improves their marriage prospects
Palakkad’s priestly community encash culinary tradition
Priests from Tamil Nadu, who migrated to Kerala for temple duties centuries ago, have put their culinary skills to good use, augmenting household incomes and the local economy
Is resettling millions of forest dwellers feasible?
A recent Supreme Court order that will likely lead to the largest ever eviction of forest dwellers in India needs to be seen as a wake-up call for state governments to quickly remedy the situation
Seed guardians of Banswara revive traditional varieties
Village women in Banswara district of Rajasthan are setting an example as organic farmers by adopting and spreading awareness to revive indigenous varieties of crops that boost nutritional security
How development excludes India’s tribal people
Failing to understand the tribal world view and imposing the dominant development paradigm on adivasi communities is affecting their identity and well-being
Karnataka dairy farmers face heat of drought
Dairy farmers in Karnataka have been seriously impacted by the severe drought in most parts of the state as milk yields have fallen and fodder has become more expensive
Maternity homes provide safe haven to tribal women
Pregnant women from tribal villages in Kandhamal that lack roads and mobile phone connectivity have found a safe shelter in intermediary maternity homes that prepare them for institutional delivery
Singing genealogists of Karnataka sustain ancestral profession
The Helavas of Karnataka, who sing family genealogies from carefully maintained records, have practiced the tradition for centuries, and continue to do so despite fading relevance
Tribal women in Rajasthan assert citizen rights
Solidarity groups of tribal women in southern Rajasthan have started taking collective action to claim government entitlements such as food and rural employment
Child marriage ban helps Gond girls pursue dreams
In Gond tribal villages where child marriages were the norm till recently, a resolution by elders to ban marriages before legal age has helped girl children to continue their education