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
Women suffer as Kashmir garlic faces market blues
As the market for Kashmiri garlic records a slump for the fourth year in a row, growers have been pushed against the wall in the Valley’s villages.
Bengal banana farmers bask in sunshine
Banana farmers in West Bengal’s Birbhum district conserve water and energy, utilising solar-powered pumps to extract groundwater and distribute it through the drip irrigation system.
Unique homestays in Munsiari
Homestays in this Himalayan village serve as the base for nature and adventure tourists while offering a livelihood for the local people, especially women.
Women’s organic farms mitigate Jharkhand’s migrant issue
Women farmers in Koteng Sera village of Jharkhand have embraced organic farming practices, breaking the cycle of labour migration, and securing nutritious f and income for their families.
Kerala’s tribal farmers sow success with millets
After Kerala reintroduced millet cultivation among the indigenous communities of Attapadi taluk, the villagers enjoy better health and livelihood despite losing crops to wild animals.
Papads and pickles empower women in Maharashtra
A women's self-help group in the quaint village of Peth in Palghar district of Maharashtra has transformed traditional culinary skills into entrepreneurial success.
Kashmir’s cherry farmers battle nature’s fury
Despite the introduction of new varieties and advanced techniques, untimely rainfall has significantly impacted cherry growers in the Valley, affecting their crop after a harsh winter.
‘We aim to provide employment to 1 lakh youth this year’
Despite their educational degrees, many young Indians find it difficult to get jobs. Ramesh Swamy, director of the not-for-profit organisation Unnati tells us how they are addressing this gap for the youth in the country.
This Maharashtra village is home to 10 aromatic rice varieties
Murukate village in Maharashtra grows 10 traditional varieties of rice, with organic fertiliser and the mountain streams that irrigate the fields lending each of them a unique fragrance.