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

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.

Why natural farming stops Maha villagers migrating
Thanks to natural farming, the people of Kumbharwadi are embracing agriculture as a vocation, eschewing the tendency to migrate to cities for income.

Union Budget 2025: Agriculture key to development
Village Square breaks down the policies announced as a part of the Union Budget 2025 that are likely to impact rural India the most.

Faith in the long game of natural farming
Battling climate change and financial woes, a tribal farmer puts his faith in organic, natural farming methods – betting that enriching his soil will reap rewards in the long run.

Reviving traditional red gram in drought-prone Dewas, MP
When everyone around him was growing genetically modified Bt cotton, one Madhya Pradesh farmer saw red. Finding the negatives of GM crops outweighed the positives, the farmer from Dewas switched to red gram.

A better future takes seed in Andhra farmer’s hands
She employs time-tested methods of preserving organic seeds, enabling better crop yield in the bargain. Meet Sidhipalem Chinnammi of Andhra Pradesh’s Illayipuram village, who uses everything from bottle gourd to clay pots to keep her seeds fresh.