Field Journal
Trouble brews in Bengal’s tea gardens
While India is the second largest producer of tea in the world, the tea gardens in Bengal face many issues. A few initiatives will help the tea gardens thrive.
Mangoes bring sweet returns in Jharkhand
From barren fields to flourishing mango orchards, Rajkumar Yadav's journey showcases the transformative impact of Birsa Harit Gram Yojna on rural livelihoods in Jharkhand.
‘More than my food business, it’s about uplifting my community’
A training programme prompted her to start her own ragi-based food business. After a successful start, she has expanded the business and now trains other women in her village for better livelihood.
Right to Health: A Holistic and Empathetic Approach
‘My health, my right’, is the theme for this year’s World Health Day, to ensure that everyone gets good health services, drinking water, air and nutrition, among other things. Here is how we can make it work.
A ‘berry’ good farmer leads the way in Jharkhand
Switching from traditional crops and adopting new techniques, a woman farmer – in addition to being a mother and a college student – tastes sweet success growing strawberries.
Revamped play schools make learning fun in Haryana
A youth-led governance programme transforms Haryana’s anganwadis into fun learning centres for children, while empowering the staff to be proactive and confident.
Growing chicks empowers women beyond financial gains
In rural Jharkhand, women seeking a way out of poverty get trained to start a small poultry business, and taste financial success and empowerment.
Reclaiming Rajasthan’s Khakhunda: From barren lands to green pasture
Residents of Khakhunda village in Rajasthan come together and frame bylaws to transform their barren commons that had also been encroached upon, into a green pasture land.
Mobile medical units going a long way in Jharkhand
In the remote villages of Jharkhand where communities lack healthcare services, mobile medical units that offer free consultations, treatment and referrals are improving people’s health.
MGNREGA — How more rural women can join the workforce
Appointing women mates has increased the participation of women in the rural workforce. But identifying and addressing issues will ensure choosing the right candidates and produce better results.
From toil to triumph
Driven by the need for an increased income, this homemaker from a Jharkhand village started a bio-resource centre, fostering healthier crops and paving the way towards adopting sustainable agricultural practices.
Millet farmer cooking up a storm in her Jharkhand bakery
After taking to modern farming methods and getting a higher yield, this woman farmer from Hutar village in Jharkhand embarks on a successful entrepreneurial journey by making and selling millet sweets.
Bengal teens fight for safer menstrual waste disposal
A group of young women in rural Bengal is redefining empowerment by challenging stigma surrounding menstruation, paving the way for a more inclusive and enlightened society.
Banyan tree to a proper classroom, Bengal teacher brings sea change
A head teacher posted at the primary school in the remote village of Gobindpur in West Bengal goes beyond his academic responsibilities to revamp the dilapidated school and transform the village.
Filling mental health treatment gap in villages
Mental illnesses go undetected and untreated in villages, due to stigma and paucity of mental health professionals. A Pune-based psychiatrist and his team are trying to change that.
Restoring the Sundarbans ecosystem
Proper implementation of mitigation measures and monitoring is needed to restore the mangroves and the rich biodiversity of the Sundarbans ecosystem that has been suffering due to multiple challenges.
Field trainers help Odisha villagers claim forest rights
With the help of trained field trainers, forest-dependent villagers of Keonjhar in Odisha are now increasingly able to file their claim for their rights under the Forest Rights Act.
My Jagriti Yatra: A transformative journey
Aimed at inspiring youth to become entrepreneurs, Jagriti Yatra takes them across India, empowering them and helping them imbibe insights from experts, premier institutions and each other.
Emerging agenda for livelihoods promotion
With increasing digitisation, changing consumption patterns and rising concerns about environment conservation posing novel challenges, fresh perspectives are needed to promote livelihoods of the poor. A new report by Access Development Services looks at these issues.
Maharashtra fisherwomen in deep water due to climate change
Fishers in Maharashtra’s Konkan coast, especially the women dependent on fishing, face hardships as the fish catch declines due to rising sea levels and marine pollution.