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
After defeating Posco, farmers turn to reclaim betel leaf economy
The formal closure of Posco’s steel plant project in Odisha is seen as a victory of agrarian economy over unwanted industrialization and the betel leaf farmers of Jagatsinghpur are rejoicing, although those who lost their land face new challenges
Jackfruit enjoys a second spring in Kerala
Growing profusely in the state, jackfruit is no longer a neglected crop in God’s own country because it is fetching high returns for farmers and there’s increasing awareness and acceptance of its many uses
Living with the clockwork floods of Barak River
The state seems to be indifferent to the plight of the large number of people settled in the Barak Valley in southern Assam, and they are left to fend for themselves when the river routinely floods its banks every monsoon
Organic farming starts paying dividends in Sikkim
Ever since Sikkim was declared fully organic in January 2016, local farmers say it is helping them increase their incomes, although connectivity for rapid transportation of farm produce continues to be a stumbling block
Pockets of prosperity bloom in Vaishali due to cauliflower seed farming
A combination of modern farming techniques and savvy marketing of cauliflower seeds is providing a large number of young people in Vaishali a lucrative livelihood and has halted out-migration completely
Land comes in between plough and plate
Increasing fragmentation of cultivated land in most parts of India makes it difficult to build supply chains of produce from farm gates to end consumers in an efficient and viable manner
Growing a forest transforms Jharkhand village
The residents of Hesatu village have successfully raised a thriving forest over 365 acres of wasteland without any intervention from the state or civil society organizations that now supports livelihoods in many ways
Bodoland families smart under ravages of climate and conflict
A combination of ethnic conflict and climate change has pushed thousands of distressed families in western Assam towards a precarious existence
A king-sized guava that keeps farmers smiling
The VNR-Bihi variety of guava, which often weighs more than half a kilo and has a long shelf life, is being adopted by farmers across the country in large numbers as it fetches handsome returns