Small fishers on the Kerala coast venture out in the rough Arabian Sea during the monsoon season for a living, but there’s very little help they get in the way of easily accessible forecasts
Blog
Books in tribal languages help rejuvenate school learning in central India
An initiative that produces books in tribal dialects in an underdeveloped area of Madhya Pradesh is helping tribal children to not only become better learners in school but is also reconnecting them with their indigenous culture and traditions
Varoti villagers demonstrate the power of collective action
A new model of active engagement between villagers, the implementing non-profit and a corporate philanthropic foundation in Varoti village in Maharashtra shows a new way forward for development interventions through the corporate social responsibility route
Singur emerges as procurement hub for local farmers
Once the infamous political battlefield centered on the construction of a car factory, Singur in West Bengal has become a beacon of hope for local farmers, who sell their produce wholesale at fair prices at a state government promoted marketplace
Farmers in Maharashtra fear loss of kharif harvest, blame Met department
Farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions of Maharashtra are expecting a decline in crop yield during the autumn harvest and are holding the India Meteorological Department responsible for incorrect forecasting
Village entrepreneurship as a key to rural growth
The active promotion of enterprises in rural India is a possible way to further growth in the countryside and there’s need to examine their possibilities and limitations in order to tackle the problem of burgeoning unemployment
Grassroots innovation using curd reduces farming costs in Bihar
A curd mixture using copper has become popular in many parts of northern Bihar despite a lack of scientific validation because it has cut the cost of cultivation while increasing productivity for many small and marginal farmers
The shape of India’s non-profits in the 21st century
NGOs in India need to adapt to the shifting landscape of India by working in tandem with the state and markets, and retain their difference. This is a critical reform or perish phase for them.
Tribal women of Sundargarh make organic farming a life-changing economic activity
Tribal communities in Sundargarh district of Odisha have revived the traditional practice of growing food without the help of chemical fertilizers and made it viable economically by making pragmatic changes
Safflower cultivation sees drastic fall despite benefits
Despite its many health advantages, the cultivation of safflower for its oil is declining across India because farmers are not finding a ready market and are discouraged by the low prices it fetches
Tribal village in Palghar ensures water availability through summer
Residents of water-scarce village of indigenous people in Mokhada have collectively built a concrete embankment on a dry rivulet to harvest rainwater and become water-sufficient
Is direct benefit transfer really a panacea for the rural poor?
Given the complex and varied situations in rural India, the results of the direct benefit transfer method are so far mixed at best and debilitating at worst, as seen in the subsidies for farm equipment and fertilizers
Odisha village continues to keep traditional art alive
The iconic village of Raghurajpur in Puri district is home to over 300 artists who are still actively practicing traditional forms of painting and dance while keeping pace with the digital age
Collective farm gate procurement offers solutions to cover price crashes
Farmer producer companies have started to play an important role in procurement from smallholders, which guards against price crashes that has been plaguing marginalized farmers across the country despite record harvests
The unsuitable boy of India’s cattle economy
The problem of male cattle in India, the world’s largest milk-producing country, remains in limbo even as farmers grapple with latest government regulations that severely restrict cattle trade and culling
Millets travel from tribal farms to dinner tables
The indigenous Dongria Kondh community in Odisha is helping to restore the popularity of native varieties of millets that can grow in droughty weather conditions, even as millet products gain traction among affluent consumers for their many health benefits
Tie and dye add color to women’s lives in Nosariya
Learning the traditional art of coloring fabrics is enabling many women in rural Bikaner to add an additional source of household income in an area where patriarchy makes it difficult for them to step out of their villages
For some more blades of grass
Instead of raising a hue and cry to protect cows, more immediate action is required to make fodder available to the large cattle population in the country by controlling the menace of unwanted shrubs and weeds in India’s pastures and forests
Marathwada farmers face bleak sowing season
Although the Maharashtra government has announced a loan waiver, deeply indebted farmers of Marathwada still do not know how they will get the money to buy farm inputs this sowing season ahead of the monsoon
Facebook, WhatsApp curbing child marriages in Assam
At a time when social media is being used to spread lies and malicious rumors, a group of young people in Assam are using WhatsApp and Facebook groups to prevent child marriages in the underdeveloped district of Darrang