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: A pause or the end of a dream?
Lockdown has forced migrant workers to return home. Left with no cash savings and duped of overdue wages, their future seems uncertain more than ever
Returned migrants prefer local livelihoods in native region
Villagers who migrated to other states for want of local livelihoods are back and do not wish to migrate again. They seek creation of local earning avenues
Supply to institutions helps FPOs sell mangoes during lockdown
The lockdown disrupted the supply of an FPO’s carbide-free mangoes to its market in Ahmedabad. Collective action by Anand’s institutional staff enabled delivery of mangoes directly to consumers
With urban patronage, khun weavers hope for better market
Weaving cloths of increased widths that would lend khun fabric to be made into clothes other than saree blouses, khun weavers move beyond rural patronage and into fashion world
Nomadic Molesalams peddle traditional medicine despite challenges
Despite a meager income, inability to avail government benefits and their children missing education, the traditional medicine men continue their trade among loyal rural clientele
Women unite to address problems and transform their village
Under an umbrella village organization, members of women self-help groups address common problems in their village, including a stand-off against a mining company
Amphan deals a severe blow to struggling Sundarbans villagers
With standing crops lost and soil turning saline when seawater came in, the cyclone has aggravated villagers’ malnutrition and food security problems, adding to their lockdown woes
How Nivaje transformed into a model village
With SRI method to boost paddy yield, establishing cooperative dairy to improve livelihood, and installing biogas plants for energy needs, Nivaje has become a sustainable community
Returned migrants: Despair and coping
Distance to host city, commitment of employer and livelihood opportunity at native village help returned workers decide on post-lockdown migration. Till then they cope with available resources