Rural India is home of the original gig-economy worker. Enterprising villagers hop from tilling fields to tending shops, to door-to-door selling each day. Read the latest trends in micro-enterprises, rural start-ups and the shifting livelihoods of India’s villagers.
Livelihoods
What’s a tiger reserve without a safari?
The tiny, off-grid destination in North Bengal’s Buxa tiger reserve is a paradise for nature lovers, but its tourism-dependent residents are plagued by a mountain of problems.
The Kolhapur rice tipping the scale one grain at a time
Nearly a decade after getting the recognition it deserved – bagging a GI tag in 2015 – Maharashtra’s fragrant and slender Ajara Ghansal rice is now becoming the foodie’s favourite.
Shrimply Tamil Nadu
Does the sight of shrimp make you hungry? This photo walkthrough shows how shrimp farming is reshaping the environment, livelihoods and social relations in a coastal village of Tamil Nadu.
Flower farming is no bed of roses
Welcome to the world of Dutch roses and those who usher brief moments of joy in our lives—the growers.
Meet 82-year-old Wani, who runs Kashmir’s last traditional oil mill
Every village in Kashmir once had ox-driven oil presses made of wood and stone until machine extraction came. But one man clings on. Ghulam Mohammad Wani’s mill is the last of its kind in Kashmir.
SFURTI: Helping farmers to become artisans with a novel scheme
Two-third of India lives in villages with limited access to economic agricultural opportunities. SFURTI, a government scheme, is trying to help villages imagine their lives beyond farming – helping them become earning artisans.
Enterprising women: Stories of inspiring micro-entrepreneurs in Maharashtra
Women who run small businesses and micro-enterprises in a village in Maharashtra are entrepreneurial role models, inspiring others to follow in their footsteps.
Why a road is a roadblock for Bonda Tribes in Odisha
A slushy, patchy, potholed road is pushing up transportation costs, preventing tribal inhabitants of Andrahal village in Odisha's Malkangiri district from availing government loans for building pucca houses.
One man’s bamboo quest breaks records
With 96 varieties harvested, farmer Prashant Date sets the record for the largest collection of bamboo in India. His garden is growing and he may venture into the commercial space soon.