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
Weaving a way out of destitution
Weaving indigenous handloom clothes offers destitute women and those who have been trafficked a safe and stable livelihood in the hills of Darjeeling.
Floods in Assam fan out to new areas, cause more harm
While the intense rains and obstructions on river courses cause floods in Assam, the flood waters enter new territories, causing more damage than before.
A thousand ponds for this Maharashtrian village’s vineyards
When switching from water-intensive crops to grapes didn’t solve problems for farmers in drought-prone Manerajuri, they found a sustainable water source by digging farm ponds and harvesting rainwater.
“Assam’s worst flood in four decades”
The floods in Assam have caused major disruptions to human life. Village Square speaks to Jyotishmoy Deka and Rajdeep Sarkar of Transforming Rural India Foundation (TRIF) , who are involved with flood relief work in Bodoland Tribal Region (BTR).
Gasoo – the strawberry bowl of Kashmir
Farmers who once grew paddy are tasting commercial success after switching to strawberry cultivation, making Gasoo village a hub that supplies strawberries to almost the entire valley.
West Bengal’s flower trade booms beyond state borders
With growing demand for flowers from the north-eastern states, and government initiatives to boost floriculture and inter-state trade, flower cultivators and traders are reaping the benefits.
The flower power behind Holi
For centuries the coloured powder used during the spring festival Holi, nevermind political rallies and countless parties, was made from natural vegetation. Until chemical colours entered the scene. But as a growing number of Indians realise natural holi powder is kinder on the skin and the environment, the women who turn the flowers into powder are reaping the rewards. (Photos by Gurvinder Singh)
Watermelons bring sweet success to women farmers
In remote villages lacking livelihood opportunities, never mind adequate transportation for taking produce to market, women successfully take up watermelon farming.
The silent revolution: The DAY of hope and promise
Leading development expert, Sanjiv Phansalkar, is in awe of Deen Dayal Upadhya Antyodaya Yojana - a social programme that’s impacted over 86 million households through over 8 million self-help groups of women.