Author: Varsha Torgalkar
How pearl farms bring money to a parched village in Maharashtra
While growing a crop is extremely difficult in drought-affected Marathwada, pearl cultivation becomes an alternative and viable source of income to farmers.
Villagers deify pangolin to protect the animal
In a region where hunting and poaching of pangolins are rampant, villagers pledge to protect them by giving equal reverence to the animal as their village deity
Child panchayats spur village leaders to improve services
Knowing their rights to life and social protection, school students in child panchayats have compelled rural administrators to provide basic amenities necessary for the development of their villages
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
Bhimashankar villagers multiply indigenous seeds
A school in Pune has got a rural community together to cultivate indigenous rice, millets and pulses, and helps them market the native varieties in order to conserve and propagate them
Bhimshankar village makes the most of nature’s trail
Residents of Yelavali village inside Bhimashankar Wildlife Sanctuary in Maharashtra have made a collective decision to promote responsible ecotourism that is providing them with a sustainable livelihood
Solapur farmers turn lives around with crop diversification
With recurrent droughts, landowning marginal farmers of Solapur in Maharashtra were forced to work as wage laborers till they switched from cash crops to horticulture and millets for an economic turnaround