Climate change is impacting the world. It is the poorest who suffer the most. Yet often rural Indians are leading the way in sustainable advances and trialling schemes that – if rolled out on a macro scale – can create real change in the environment.
Environment
Incessant rains bring flood of emotions
As India’s monsoons increase in intensity, anxiety and fear – of even a small shower – are becoming common. While everyone responds differently, professionals offer tips to cope.
Eco-activists root for bamboo
Bamboo could be the answer to Kerala’s persistent soil erosion and deadly landslides, say passionate environmentalists who plant hundreds of saplings and sing songs rooting for greater spread.
Home insurance ignored by market and government
Natural disasters cost India dearly. Home insurance could be the answer, yet uptake is abysmally low. Who is missing a trick – home owners, the insurance industry or the government?
Kerala floods trigger more migration
With erratic and intensifying rainfall, Kerala is witnessing more deadly floods and landslides in recent years, leading to an exodus of people from vulnerable areas.
Solar “pumps” up incomes
How can farmers produce the food we eat without stable electricity for irrigation? By switching to solar-powered pumps, farmers become self-reliant and fruitful.
Lawyer-turned-farmer advocates for forest farming
Would you quit your professional job to be an organic farmer for the sake of healthier food? That’s what this Tamil farmer did – converting other farmers to his methods to boot.
Kerala’s backwater exodus
Villagers in the backwaters of Kerala are used to floods. But as homes become inundated by water throughout the year, many are fleeing.
Community ensures sustenance of vital ancient ponds
By ensuring regular maintenance and by preventing encroachment, villagers who consider their water bodies as sacred, protect centuries-old life-sustaining ponds.
Dry toilets to help Ladakh in organic farming
Bacteria boosters that help night soil decompose faster and increase crop productivity, help in promotion of traditional dry toilets, and thus organic farming and water conservation.