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
Chhattisgarh farmer’s transformative “ATM model” of crop-growing
Like an ATM that dispenses money anytime, a Chhattisgarh farmer creates a process of cultivation where a field produces crops that can be consumed and sold anytime. He calls it his “ATM model” and it’s catching on.
No-cost water conservation technique saves the day in a Gujarat village
With groundwater levels declining at an alarming rate in north Gujarat due to overuse, some farmers are leading the way by adopting innovative irrigation methods.
Reimagining the idea of processed foods
A Chennai-based food technologist, with the help of farmers, has pioneered a movement of consciously processed foods and given a completely new dimension to the idea of healthy eating.
Returning to roots – natural farming bears fruit in Telangana
After three decades of using chemicals to cultivate food, a Naikpod tribe farmer returns to the natural farming her mother used to practise. Now Kanthamma embraces year-round intensive cropping, which is bearing fruit for her in ways she never imagined.
This Andhra man’s rhapsody revives natural farming
Music and manure don’t usually mix, except in the case of Janni Narshingh Naidu from Illayipuram village in Andhra Pradesh, who finds a novel way to inspire his fellow farmers to adopt natural crop-growing techniques.
Millet-chocolate laddoos – fusion food and revenue for Rajasthanis
Recipe for success – mix a heap of millets, a handful of chocolate, a large amount of inspiration and an empowering self-help group and, voilà! Rajasthani women who never set foot outside their homes without a veil are now flying across India selling their food.
This Jharkhand changemaker turned adversity into an opportunity
Rani Chaki, a farmer from Jharkhand’s Konkoa village, rose from tragedy to resurrect her family’s fortunes, becoming an inspiration for other women. She is now recognised as a changemaker in her community.
Farmer and pulse pioneer shapes a water-efficient future
As we celebrate World Pulses Day today, meet Balchandra Ahirwar, a pioneering farmer from the Bundelkhand region, who is championing water efficiency through pulse cultivation.
Mango plantations are reviving livelihoods in Chhattisgarh
Once a conflict-ridden region, the Community Model Mango Plantation Initiative has empowered tribal farmers in Sukma, Chhattisgarh to embrace sustainable farming practices, diversify their incomes, and reconnect with their ancestral land.