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
Lawyer-turned-farmer advocates for forest farming
Would you quit your professional job to be an organic farmer for the sake of healthier food? That’s what this Tamil farmer did – converting other farmers to his methods to boot.
Ingenious farmers breed new fruit varieties
Ever wished you could have mangoes year round, custard apples with fewer seeds or jumbo grapes? Now you can, thanks to some innovative, self-taught famers.
Walnut market a hard nut to crack
Urban India loves walnuts. But growing the tasty “super food” is labor intensive and Kashmiri walnut farmers are losing out to cheap foreign imports.
30 hours to literacy
Spending an hour every day on activities and custom-made lessons in a cheerful environment helps migrant workers of all ages come out of literacy poverty.
Mushroom cultivation becomes lifeline
After years struggling on paltry incomes, growing mushrooms provides West Bengali women better livelihoods and nutrition – and gives urban India more varieties.
Barge oil spill hurting beach, mangrove and livelihoods
Cyclone Tauktae bashed a barge into rocks, resulting in an oil spill that still hasn’t been cleared, hurting Mahim’s sandy beaches, unique mangrove ecology and livelihoods of fisher folk.
Sustainable honey offers sweeter returns
Smoking out honeybees hurts the bees, biodiversity and the taste of honey. So it’s no wonder a more sustainable method is catching on and increasing earnings.
Himachal government strives to boost seed production
Dependent on other states for seeds that are often unsuited for local conditions, Himachal Pradesh government has introduced a scheme to produce quality seeds locally
Eco-conscious Bishnois ensure good groundwater levels
Known for their tree-hugging environmentalism, Bishnois combine traditional knowledge and contemporary practices of agriculture to conserve groundwater.