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
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.
Conch seashell bangle makers losing their grip in Bengal
Worn by married Bengali women, conch shell bangles have long been part of Bengal’s tradition, but artisans are finding it difficult to keep their grip on their trade because of rising material costs.
Black goats of Kerala’s native tribal hill people on brink of extinction
Kerala’s small but hardy Attappadi black goat is being pushed to the fringes, thanks to climate change, human interventions and the larger Malabar variety that yields more meat and milk.
Lanterns of Bishnupur fading into darkness
The lantern industry of Bishnupur in West Bengal that once sustained hundreds of artisans is on the verge of fading out thanks to the rising cost of raw materials, never mind more affordable electricity.
Overproduction leads to distress sale of cauliflower in Bengal
Vegetable farmers in West Bengal suffer huge losses due to a surplus of cauliflower, never mind high fertiliser and labour costs.