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
Returned migrants take to smuggling for want of livelihood
In villages of West Bengal close to the Indo – Bangladesh border, migrants back home during the lockdown have been lured into smuggling for financial sustenance
Elephants establish new habitat in Andhra Pradesh
Farmers suffer crop damages as elephants re-colonize the state after centuries. While Wildlife Week celebrations are on, experts advocate long-term planning to minimize conflicts
Lockdown threw new hardships along nomadic herders’ paths
Their migration towards summer pastures coinciding with the first lockdown, and with severe restrictions on movement, pastoralists lacked access to pastures, water and fodder, besides facing discrimination
How interactive audio helped migrants during lockdown
An existing interactive voice response system was refashioned, enabling migrant workers in destination cities get messages regarding their circumstances across, subsequently facilitating their return
Lift Irrigation helps monsoon-reliant farmers flourish
With farms lying above Kalnai River, farmers grew rain-fed paddy or jute. Community-owned lift irrigation helps them grow more crops, get better yield and earn more
Sahyadri farmers practice shifting cultivation amid ecological concerns
Older generation of farmers in western Maharashtra continue to practice age-old slash-and-burn cultivation on the slopes of Western Ghats, despite economic and ecological unsustainability
Thriving through challenges, young farmer offers hope, motivation
Hailing from a farming family, a young woman has qualified herself in agriculture, succeeding despite weather-related problems. Now she motivates other farmers, especially women, on adopting new techniques and enhancing income
Lack of livelihood pushes returned migrants back to cities
Lakhs of rural Rajasthan migrants returned easily during lockdown since they worked in neighboring Gujarat. However, with no local employment avenues, the urban exodus would start again
Adivasis on course to revive traditional farm practices
Deskilling of Central Indian Plateau Adivasis has led to loss of traditional knowledge and indigenous seeds. Efforts are on to reskill them by reviving traditional practices