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
Odiya tribes discover the wonders of millets
Being climate-resilient and needing less water – never mind being super nutritious – millets are becoming the crop of choice for Odiya tribes, thanks to the state government’s Odisha Millets Mission.
Earning a lakh from half an acre
Blood, sweat and a little land: how the frail but hardy Pushpa Chhetri earns over a lakh from her half-acre plot of land in Assam.
Farming youth feel emboldened
As the year-long farmers’ protest comes to an end after the government scrapped three contentious farm laws, young people in the farming communities, especially from Haryana and Punjab, feel emboldened by the movement's success.
Rajasthani women stitch their way to high fashion
A young woman’s idea of putting her embroidery skills to good use has resulted in a fashion brand that now employs 22,000 rural artisans and even weathered the pandemic by nimbly setting up online store.
Naga tourism takes a hit due to violence
Nagaland’s Hornbill Festival – a much-awaited cultural extravaganza – was called off because of violence in the region. This comes as local tourism was already suffering because of the pandemic.
Big money in small mustards
Around 3,000 farmers and migrant returnees in Majuli – Assam’s flood-ravaged and eroding river island – reap rewards from growing climate resilient mustard.
Appetite for organic dairy spurs cottage industry
The growing demand for organic, homemade dairy products gives a boost to Kashmiri villagers who once tried to make ends meet by selling unprocessed milk. Now business is booming for curd, butter and paneer.
Protesting farmers won’t back down
Despite a victory, protesting farmers show no sign of ending their demonstration on the roads outside Delhi, with thousands heading into the capital to mark the first-year anniversary of their protest.
Women bet big on rearing rabbits
Rearing rabbits is becoming one of the most lucrative and profitable businesses for women in Nagaland thanks to the huge demand for rabbit meat and low farming costs.