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
Modern Farming: Growing potatoes on Mars? Ask these Ladakhi women farmers
Growing vegetable crops in covered low tunnels, trenches and unique greenhouses that protect their plants from the hostile elements, women farmers of Changthang, Ladakh take up modern farming to reap huge dividends.
Chhath Puja: How Muslim women contribute in Hindu festivities in Bihar
As cooking prasad on an earthen stove is important, Muslims make the stoves, continuing their family tradition. They take pride in their contribution to the Hindu festival of Chhath puja, despite low profits.
Fish on The Menu: A tale of reverse migration, malnutrition and tribals of Odisha
Fish farming helps the young tribals of Malkangiri, Odisha ditch migrant work for a profitable livelihood at home, boosting fish production and fighting malnutrition to boot.
Village Economy: How Karnataka quilts stitch comfort and history
Often seen as a side hustle, skilled women quilters in Karnataka keep their heritage alive upcycling colourful scraps of fabric into beautiful patchwork quilts, earning good money too.
Desi chicken empowers Odisha’s tribal women
In southern Odisha’s Malkangiri district, tribal women are rearing local breeds of chicken in free-range farms to supplement their family income and ensure better nutrition for their families.
The story of the migrating, dairy-farming Gujjars
In a yearly ritual forest-dwelling Gujjars migrate to a partially dried-up dam in Uttarakhand where their cattle graze with plenty of water and fodder around, and the farmers supply milk to nearby towns.
Devastating floods the latest woes for Odisha’s farmers
Already battered by cyclones, Odisha farmland is now hit by floods with its farmers facing massive financial losses and hoping for government compensation.
“I’m the lone woman idol maker among 300 artisans”
When Nomita Sar was widowed early, the art of idol-making she had learnt from her father came in handy. With a handful of good orders this year, the Durga Puja is bringing colour to her life after the pandemic doldrums.
Win-win for women working in eco-tourism camp
While five eco-tourism camps in Odisha’s picturesque Satkosia Tiger Reserve offer a nature retreat for tourists, they also boost both the confidence and income of the women workers.