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
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
Women contribute grains to support vulnerable families during lockdown
With no labor work during lockdown, many women in remote villages lacked essentials to feed their family. Fellow women helped them by building a food bank with contributions
Resourceful producer companies address farmers’ lockdown challenges
As members struggled to buy farm inputs and sell produce, their FPCs, with special permission, arranged for inputs and sold their produce directly to consumers
India Post delivers litchis in Bihar during lockdown
Postal department and horticulture directorate join hands to deliver litchi directly at consumers’ doorstep, helping farmers sell the fruits and get better price during lockdown
Making sal leaf plates lifts women out of poverty
With increased awareness about ecofriendly products, women in West Bengal make plates and bowls made of sal leaves, earning an increased and sustained income
MGNREGS curbs distress migration, provides employment during lockdown
With agriculture turning unsustainable, villagers migrated to nearby towns for work. Community planning leading to sanctioned MGNREGS works has ensured local livelihood and has stemmed migration
Women bring economic and environmental changes with leaf plates
By making biodegradable tableware from areca leaves that used to be burnt, rural women in Assam help minimize air and plastic pollution, while increasing their household income