Solapur farmers turn lives around with crop diversification

Women farmers in Solapur are field-trained in growing a wide variety of crops. (Photo by Swayam Shikshan Prayog)

With recurrent droughts, landowning marginal farmers of Solapur in Maharashtra were forced to work as wage laborers till they switched from cash crops to horticulture and millets for an economic turnaround

Kanas villagers make water safe through simple interventions

Iron removal plants have made tube well water potable, reducing water-borne diseases drastically. (Photo by Rakhi Ghosh)

Water from ponds and tube wells made safe for consumption through simple and easy to maintain solutions have reduced water-borne diseases in coastal Odisha and has enabled village women to utilize the saved time more productively

Deepsea fishermen need early warning after Cyclone Ockhi

Fisherman Amaladasan stands beside a poster showing photos of 70 fishermen missing from Vallavilai village in Kanyakumari district since Cyclone Ockhi. (Photo by M M Paniyil)

Hundreds of lives could have been saved from the ravages of Cyclone Ockhi if deepsea fishermen were able to carry better communications gear onboard and if there was a better system of early storm warning

Winter farming technologies boost incomes in cold desert

Growing fruits and vegetables is a challenge in Ladakh as the farming season is restricted to just four months. (Photo by Sharada Balasubramanian)

With the farming season limited to just four months in Ladakh, villagers have turned to innovative, low-cost technologies to grow vegetables in winter that improves diets and boosts incomes, but smallholder farmers need post-harvest support

New drought manual may aggravate farm distress

Recurring droughts have reduced the annual income of Ramvithal Valse, a farmer from Sonwati villlage in Latur district of Maharashtra, by 80% in the past 6-7 years. (Photo by Nidhi Jamwal)

Strict parameters set by the central government has made it tougher for the states to declare a drought and seek relief funds from New Delhi

Madhya Pradesh farmers unite to fight lantana infestation

Women harvesting small millets from a farm that was earlier infested with lantana. (Photo by Manu Moudgil)

Villages in eastern Madhya Pradesh have come together to rid their land of lantana, an invasive species that have taken over 4% of the India’s land area, and have reclaimed their farms by cultivating millets and oilseeds

Santhal tribes revive tradition for safe drinking water

Reviving the traditional practice of keeping water on a raised platform and tilting it to take water prevents contamination. (Photo by Shahnawaz Alam)

By reverting to the traditional practice of keeping water pots in a garsadi, a raised platform, villagers in Jharkhand have successfully prevented contamination of drinking water, improving health in households

Does rural India have a level field for opportunities and aspirations?

Will children growing up in rural India be able to fly like a kite or will they forever live like a grasshopper? (Photo by Thaths)

Unless children growing up in India’s villages have access to equality of opportunity in its broadest sense, it is unlikely that they will ever be able to soar like a kite but will be condemned to live the life of a grasshopper

Fishers successfully farm crabs in estuaries, protect mangroves

Mangrove crab farming has emerged as a lucrative option for Sindhudurg fishing communities. (Photo by Prashanth Vishwanathan/UNDP India)

Many coastal communities in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district have turned protectors of mangroves because they are earning supplementary incomes by farming crabs in estuaries with help from the state government and development agencies

Nepal’s organic manure could work wonders for Indian farmers

Farmers from Dhulikhel area are actively using Jhol Mol that has improved their crop productivity. (Photo by Nivedita Khandekar)

Nepal’s traditional bio-pesticide and fertilizer Jhol Mol is suited for many smallholder Indian farmers as well, as it can be easily made in a farm without resorting to artificial chemicals that are harmful for soil health

Community rebuilds life after Cyclone Phailin wrecked their fishing hamlet

The fishing hamlet of Golabandha was severely damaged after Cyclone Phailin. (Photo by M. Basudev Rao)

Ravaged by Cyclone Phailin, people of a fishing village buried their differences and emerged with a strong sense of unity to rebuild their lives at a relocation site

Digital inclusion still far from rural India

Mobile connectivity is still poor in the poorer parts of the country. (Photo by Ramesh Soni)

Even as a digital revolution sweeps across India, people in the more impoverished and remote parts of the country have to struggle to bridge the digital divide and a level playing field is still a distant dream

Cooking imposes heavy burden on rural women

Fetching water and collecting fuel wood are arduous chores for most village women. (Photo by Abhijeet Jadhav)

The simple act of cooking takes on a difficult dimension due to lack of easy access to fuel and water, forcing women in rural India to walk long distances to get them, increasing drudgery and leading to health hazards that call for immediate action

Enabavi banishes chemicals for rich organic rewards

Practicing organic farming, farmers no longer have health issues. (Photo by G.V. Ramanjaneyalu)

Switching to organic farming, a Telengana village has turned its arid lands into lush green farms, overcoming the scourge of farmer suicides and health problems in the process, and increasing household earnings