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
Fodder camps save cattle during Maharashtra drought
Providing fodder and water to cattle, government and private fodder camps in drought-affected Satara district in Maharashtra help farmers prevent distress sale of their livestock
Local communities restore Ansupa Lake in Odisha
In a remarkable turnaround, local communities have rejuvenated the weed-infested Ansupa Lake in Odisha in the span of just six months, boosting fishing and income opportunities from tourism
Revival of Lambadi embroidery stems migration
Failing monsoons forced Lambadi tribes in Sittilingi valley of Tamil Nadu to migrate, but a revival of traditional embroidery by women has enhanced household incomes and stemmed migration
Land shaping benefits Sundarban farmers
A combination of reshaping land and harvesting rainwater has helped farmers in the Sundarbans to overcome soil salinity and increase farm incomes. They now need consistent technical support
How an organic experiment went wrong
The wilting of organic paddy in a coastal farm was misdiagnosed as due to soil salinity, but was actually a pest attack brought on by an overdose of organic insecticide and nitrogen-rich manure
Success eggs on Sindhudurg farmers
Demand for eggs and good market linkage have led to once-struggling farmers take up layer poultry, boosting income and earning Wados village a place in India’s egg production map
Kodagu coffee growers struggle after deluge
Coffee planters in Kodagu are still suffering from the effects of incessant rainfall and landslides of August 2018 that resulted in loss of topsoil, crops and yield. Growers are now seeking better reservoir management
Andaman farmers reshape land for better farming
Land shaping has helped farmers in the Andaman Islands increase farm incomes despite limited availability of land, increasing soil salinity and inundations caused by cyclones and tides
Biodiversity takes center stage in Odisha’s silent valley
Forest communities of Mandasaru hills are taking steps to conserve biodiversity in Odisha’s silent valley, even as the world celebrates International Day for Biological Diversity on 22 May