Featured Story

her life

Skill training empowers girls, raises hope for gender parity

Skill development trainings are not only helping rural communities fight poverty in Assam but are also empowering girls to aspire big, overcoming challenges posed by social stigma and deep-rooted gender disparity

her life

Solar pumps brighten lives of Kutch’s salt farmers

Agariyas, the traditional saltpan workers in the Little Rann of Kutch, have switched from diesel to ecofriendly solar-powered pumps to lift brine that have boosted their earnings from saved costs

her life

Chhattisgarh makes headway on tribal rights

Chhattisgarh has taken encouraging steps to recognize and implement rights of forest communities but more effort is required needed at the village level to boost livelihood opportunities for indigenous people

her life

Doll makers of Bengal face bleak prospects

The wooden doll makers of Natungram in Burdwan district have traditionally done good business during Durga Puja, but this festive season has brought little cheer to them due to reduced orders

her life

GI tag boosts demand for Waigaon’s turmeric

Farmers of Waigaon in Maharashtra have received a GI tag for organically grown turmeric that is rich in curcumin, known for its multiple health benefits. The cultivators hope to cash in on the increase in demand

her life

Gram swaraj in a globalizing world

Mahatma Gandhi’s vision of economically self-sufficient villages is at a distinct variance with the ideas and policies of liberalization, trade and globalization. Is it possible to strike a middle path?

her life

Soligas in tiger reserve win battle over forest rights

After the jungles they inhabit were declared a wildlife sanctuary, the Soliga tribe in southern Karnataka has made history by winning a legal battle over their traditional rights to forestland and produce

her life

Mobile labs in rural Odisha promote science-based solutions

With a science-based approach learnt from mobile science labs through the audiovisual medium, tribes in Odisha have adapted simple measures that have helped in reducing their health problems

her life

Bhimshankar village makes the most of nature’s trail

Residents of Yelavali village inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra have made a collective decision to promote responsible ecotourism that is providing them with a sustainable livelihood

her life

Naga villagers revive traditional crafts and weaves

Villagers of Diezephe near Dimapur have revived their traditional crafts and weaves by adapting to market demands and by using modern tools, and have found themselves an ecofriendly livelihood

her life

Farm ponds improve lives of Singhbhum women

Constructed to ensure water security for cultivators, farm ponds have also helped rural women by reducing their daily treks to fetch water for domestic needs, and improving their personal health and hygiene

her life

Rural youth: old prejudices or real disadvantages?

Despite long-held notions that young people in villages lack better life opportunities, the current situation of youth in urban areas and their proximate countryside is not too different in many parts of India

her life

Upland farmers shift to coffee for better prospects

Suffering losses from traditional crops of ginger and cardamom, farmers in the mountainous areas of Kalimpong and Darjeeling in West Bengal have started growing organic coffee for better returns

her life

Rural community at receiving end of temple town’s sewage

Commercial establishments catering to religious tourism in the temple town of Guruvayur have contaminated the ground and surface water of a village in Thrissur by releasing raw sewage into natural drains

her life

Tripura’s fish farmers net benefits of captive fisheries

Fish farmers in the Sepahijala district of Tripura have formed collectives to successfully rear fish seeds and table fish. This collective livelihood initiative has increased their incomes by reducing risks and costs

her life

Women farmers suffer due to unequal land rights

Although they are often the actual cultivators, the lack of land rights among women farmers in Odisha has resulted in chronic distress because they are unable to get government loans or compensation over crop loss

her life

Assam village become trailblazers in adaptive agriculture

From seed banks to rainwater harvesting, one village on the banks of the Brahmaputra River has spread innovative agriculture through the region, as farmers battle against worsening floods and droughts

her life

India’s traditional wisdom in coping with extreme weather

In large parts of the subcontinent where floods or droughts are annual or recurring events, people in rural areas have evolved location-specific strategies to deal with the disasters and unusual weather

her life

Bengal youth lead revival of heritage rice varieties

A bunch of young professionals have chosen to stay back in their villages in Uttar Dinajpur in West Bengal to revive the heritage of folk rice varieties that were once cultivated by their ancestors

her life

Kerala moves swiftly to treat Attapady’s tribes

The lynching of a mentally ill tribal youth has spurred Kerala to create jobs for tribes living in the progressive state, besides surveying them to identify the mentally ill, treat them and rehabilitate them