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
Traditional millet cultivation by Gonds needs revival
The Gond tribes, custodians of agro-biodiversity in central India, have traditionally grown millets that are suited to local climate and terrain. The dying practice needs revival and encouragement
Maize loses sheen for Bihar’s farmers
Seemanchal farmers, who switched from wheat and jute to water-friendly maize, are earning less despite high demand and good yield, and look to the government to intervene
It’s raining sand in Rayalaseema
Changes in crop patterns, waning forest cover, an explosion of borewells and the death of a river have produced dramatic effects on land, air, water and forests in Rayalaseema
Raigad farmers cultivate rice with less water
Farmers in many parts of Maharashtra are switching from water-intensive paddy cultivation to the innovative Saguna rice technique that manages soil and water more efficiently while yielding better harvests
Rearing goats empower women in rural Bihar
From just grazing goats, women in rural Muzaffarpur have taken to rearing them and attending to their feed and health needs, empowering themselves with increased incomes in the process
Vineyards of hope amid Marathwada drought
Despite the drought gripping the Marathwada region of Maharashtra, one village in the region has flourished by growing grapes using innovative water saving methods
Weavers breathe fresh life into Bengal’s madur mats
Madur, the traditional woven reed mats of Bengal that saw a decline in use in recent times, have been revived by artisanal weavers with support from social enterprises and the state government
Pepper helps Rabhas to live with tuskers
The Rabha people in Assam have taken to cultivating pepper in their homesteads to discourage elephants from ravaging paddy fields, and to also earn a neat income in the bargain
Kuthampully weavers facing decline in Kerala
For centuries, they have created Kerala's classic off-white and gold sarees and veshtis. Now, low incomes, an ageing workforce, shifting demand and power looms are forcing changes in this traditional occupation