Ground Report
Farmers’ dilemma: How cooperation can address water security
In India's dry regions, farmers face a tough choice – work together on crops or risk losing everything. Cooperation is the key for farm prosperity given serious water shortages in these areas.
Traditional ‘hangadi kheti’ revitalises Rajasthan’s agriculture
In drought-prone Rajasthan, an initiative is helping tribal communities combine hangadi kheti, a traditional multi-cropping method, with modern drip irrigation to use water judiciously and improve their livelihood.
Flood-resistant houses provide sanctuary to Kerala villagers
Project Bhoomika, a social initiative to provide homes for those affected by the floods in Kerala’s Alappuzha district, enables residents to feel safe during the state’s torrential monsoon.
Where farms produce more bricks than crops
Financial needs push farmers in Perera Pur village in Uttar Pradesh lease out their land to kilns. Making bricks with the topsoil of a farm reduces soil fertility, productivity and income, forcing farmers into a vicious cycle of economic challenges.
New tech solution boosts wool felt production, helps herders
Traditionally, nomadic herders made non-woven ornamental felt from animal wool through a laborious process. A new technological solution in the form of a hand-operated roller simplifies the process, helping the artisans make more wool felt fabric.
Tharu women revive their craft towards financial freedom
Crafting everyday items from grass was a way of life for the Tharu community of the Terai region till modernisation took its toll on their traditional craft. Now the Tharu women are reviving their craft, earning money in the process.
Sparking change: How one woman’s dreams lit up an MP village
In rural Madhya Pradesh, Lakshmi Warakade’s transformation from a struggling farm worker to a successful electrician's assistant demonstrates the power of opportunity, determination and community support in breaking the cycle of poverty and inspiring others.
Claiming the streets: SHGs, women and public spaces
In rural India, women are boldly reclaiming public spaces through self-help groups (SHGs) and collectives. These gatherings are transforming village dynamics, challenging patriarchal norms and enabling economic empowerment.
Bahabanga festival: A cultural identity of the Santhals
The Santhals’ practice of welcoming a new season through rituals, songs and dances during the Bahabanga festival showcases their culture, and demonstrates how their lives revolve around nature and agricultural seasons.
Hope mushrooms for these women of flood-prone Barpeta
A few months ago, four brave women from the Bodo tribe in Assam's Barpeta district started a mushroom farm, bringing hope and empowerment to their flood-prone, poverty-stricken village.
Chashi bandhus help communities restore ecosystem in Bengal
In Bankura district of Bengal, known for its barren hillsides, chashi bandhus or farmers’ friends are recognising the importance of arresting rainwater runoff, and implementing measures to transform the landscape and people’s livelihoods.
How a sarpanch led the facelift of his Gujarat village
Suresh Chhanga of Kunariya gram panchayat in Kachchh district has ushered a transformation in his village, with a focus on safe water and sanitation services, demonstrating how villages can lead in achieving Sustainable Development Goals.
With cans of filtered water, she exhibits ‘can do’ entrepreneurial spirit
Unable to sustain her family with an agricultural income, this Jharkhand farmer sees an opportunity in supplying filtered water. With the right support, she establishes herself as a successful entrepreneur and is raring to grow.
Women spearhead claim to community forest rights
In the absence of individual land rights, community forest rights empower tribal women in Gujarat and Odisha, amplifying their voices in village-level decision-making and reaffirming their role in protection and management of their natural resources.
Hakkum Mail wheels in hope for Chhattisgarh’s tribes
Development eluded Sukma district’s tribes due to their remote settlements and sociopolitical conflicts. Hakkum Mail, a new bus service, connects them to services essential for growth and a better quality of life.
Tharu tribes lose identity and livelihood to industrial development
The Tharu tribes of Uttarakhand have a symbiotic relationship with nature. With industrial development bringing in migrants and taking away land, they are at risk of losing their nature-centric way of life and livelihood.
Golden empowerment: Women effect change through turmeric
In a remote village in Jharkhand, women take to turmeric cultivation and processing – learning everything from scratch, transforming their lives and inspiring other women to follow in their footsteps.
Concerted efforts help communities get through Cyclone Remal
While early warning systems help the administration prepare communities to safeguard themselves and their possessions during a cyclone, collaborative post-disaster relief work with other agencies helps people in the Sundarbans recover fast.
Combating desertification and drought in Chhattisgarh
This initiative of Transform Rural India and Hindustan Unilever Foundation is working to restore land and water ecosystems in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh by layering scientific principles while planning and executing local development plans.
Another brick in the wall: The story of a brick-making village
In a village in the periphery of Bhopal, the capital of Madhya Pradesh, where brick kiln workers toil hard, difficult circumstances force their children to forego education, ending in a cycle of hardships across generations