Features
Volunteers in Odisha ensure stranded migrants do not go hungry
Social service personnel working on migration issues network with philanthropists, administrators and volunteers to ensure stranded Odia migrants and other state migrants in Odisha are fed
Use of machaan for mixed cropping boosts farmers’ income
Smallholder farmers utilize space efficiently, growing creepers on machaan and shade-loving plants underneath. This mixed cropping with different growth period eliminates risk and improves farm income
After lockdown distress, villagers are unwilling to migrate again
Having suffered during the lockdown, villagers do not wish to migrate again to cities for work. This would impact the rural as well as urban economy
Designers ensure physical and financial health of handloom weavers
Fashion designers working with handloom artisans ensure that their financial needs are met despite lack of work during lockdown, and keep their morale high by being in touch
How a tribal community took measures to guard itself against COVID-19
Though remote, Sittilingi Valley in Tamil Nadu, has a sizeable population that migrates for work. This prompted a proactive panchayat leadership to rally the community around to safeguard itself
Thousands of smallholder women poultry farmers lose business to coronavirus misconceptions – I
More than ten thousand tribal and Dalit small holder poultry farmers who had successfully built cooperative enterprise and escaped poverty, were forced to cull chickens due to rumors linking spread of coronavirus to chicken consumption
New seedless grape variety shows enormous export potential
A new seedless variety developed by a farmer-innovator of Maharashtra has better qualities than existing varieties and is a big draw in the export market
Closure of seasonal hostels leaves migrants’ children in the lurch
While the lockdown left migrants stranded at destination sites, their children staying in seasonal hostels had to be sheltered with relatives or had to fend for themselves
Fishermen brace themselves to sail through COVID-19 storm
With the nationwide lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus, fishermen and women whose livelihood depend on a daily catch find it hard to meet household needs
Women dairy farmers ensure safe delivery of milk during lockdown
Adopting safety measures during coronavirus scare, women dairy farmers ensure supply of milk to consumers, while protecting the livelihood and economic interests of its member farmers
Mishing women practice social distancing by solo weaving
Women of Mishing tribe, who weave traditional clothes in groups at a community center, now weave alone at home, practicing social distancing to check the spread of coronavirus
Community college helps tribal women pursue vocational education
As we commemorate International Women’s Week, young tribal women in remote villages pursue vocational education towards their livelihood, in a college in familiar surrounds at timings that suit them
Seed festivals put spotlight on conservation of indigenous seeds
As we commemorate International Women’s Week, in remote villages of Odisha, women farmers, traditional custodians of seeds, are conserving indigenous seeds, reviving soil health and nutritional biodiversity
Life skills education prevents child marriages among Odiya tribes
Life skills education empowers tribal girls with knowledge, self-awareness and decision making capacities, helping them rise above social customs and pressures. It has resulted in decline of child marriages
Nand Gawalis struggle to sustain pastoralist lifestyle
Traditional pastoral communities find upkeep of indigenous cattle and migratory lifestyle unsustainable because of shrinking common grazing lands, restricted access to forests and water shortage
Community kitchens help tribal children overcome malnutrition
Rough terrains hampering access to anganwadi centers and hence nutritious food, men bring anganwadi ration to the village; women cook in a common facility and feed the children, to fight malnutrition
Community sows seeds of conservation, saves rare endemic trees
A species recovery program implemented in a degraded sacred grove that the local community sought to restore has resulted in conservation of endemic and threatened species of trees
Land allotment helps single women live with dignity
The Odisha government’s free allocation of land, combined with the central government’s housing funds, have enabled single women in rural areas to build houses for themselves
Land rights on pastures empower deprived communities
Giving land rights to landless and nomadic people in Maharashtra on degraded pastures have provided these marginalized communities with a reasonable livelihood
