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How coronavirus is changing life in the village
From silent play grounds to schools becoming quarantine centers, COVID-19 has upended village life. For the farmer who feeds the nation, receiving pandemic ration is the most unwelcome change
When hazards overlap – flood preparedness during pandemic
Planning and preparedness for floods during the pandemic should be tailor-made for regions, as the impact would be different across flood typologies
Mandatory registering on Co-WIN hampers universal vaccination
Erratic mobile connectivity, digital illiteracy and lack of devices to access the portal have made inclusivity in vaccination impossible in remote villages of Odisha
Nutritious meals ensure food security of marginalized during lockdown
Distribution of cooked meals sustain vulnerable tribes, the differently-abled and other needy people who do not have the resources to meet their basic needs
Bihar floods and COVID-19 – Is there a connection?
As available data point to a probable connection between floods and a higher incidence of positive coronavirus cases, the overlap needs to be considered in planning for 2021 monsoon
Why we need a gender-sensitive pandemic management
Mitigatory measures need to recognize the fact that infected women and women caregivers get a differential treatment in villages due to discriminatory and insensitive perspectives
Forest-dependent tribes lose income to forest fires
Unable to collect mahua flowers and other forest produce because of fires in Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve, tribal communities already impacted by the pandemic have lost their livelihood
Community seed banks help conserve climate-resilient crops
Combining community knowledge and scientific ways, farmers conserve stress-tolerant landraces in their fields, and distribute the seeds to other farmers through community seed banks
Empowered women dairy farmers create ripple effect
With the development of dairy cooperatives, some exclusively for women, dairy farming which supplemented agricultural income has led to full-fledged businesses and successful women micro-entrepreneurs
Increased farm work adversely affects women’s nutrition
Spending more time for agricultural activities besides attending to household needs leave very little time for women to cook proper meals, impacting their nutrient intake
COVID-19 and rural India: Is no news good news?
With lack of requisite health infrastructure and testing facilities, besides testing hesitancy among villagers, there is no clear picture on the impact of the pandemic in rural India
Lack of facilities in villages hamper COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment
An inadequate rural healthcare system, a lack of awareness about the spread of coronavirus, combined with the difficulty in home isolation leads to increase in number of infections in Odisha
Villagers are on a do-or-die agitation against coal pollution
Villagers near Kulda mines have been fighting against coal pollution for over a decade. With no respite after representations and court cases they took to renewed protests in January
Technology enables villagers access health consultations remotely
e-Sanjeevani, a technological application, enables rural patients consult doctors via mobile phones. It has come in handy for remote COVID-19 consultations during the pandemic and the lockdown
Participatory theatre helps frontline workers cope with burn-out
Allowing the audience to change the way a play progresses has helped frontline workers acknowledge personal pandemic fears and learn the importance of peer learning and support
Why villagers are against a proposed marina
Government proposes to develop a marina of international standards to promote tourism. Residents of coastal villages oppose it, fearing an impact on their livelihood and the ecology
Volunteers enumerate patients in remote villages, deliver medicines
Where villagers lack access to health facilities, district administration and development organizations enlist volunteers to monitor patients’ health and deliver COVID-19 medicines at their doorstep
Solar energy enables medical service during power cuts
With sustainable solar power, community health center is able to treat patients uninterruptedly, provide emergency care, bring down diesel expenditure for generators, and serve as a model
Lack of local livelihoods forces men to migrate far
With no industrial jobs, and low wages in agriculture, men from Bhagabanpur in Maldah district migrate to faraway places like Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, to make a living
Constraints that prevent farmers from becoming prosperous
Land holding size, water availability, funds and markets impact farmers’ incomes. This second piece of a four-part series explores constraints and viability of mixed farming for farm prosperity