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
हिमाचल के जैविक खेती करने वाले किसान बाज़ार-परक हुए
हिमाचल के मंडी जिले में, जैविक खेती करने वाले छोटे किसानों को, सामूहिक भागीदारी के माध्यम से, अपनी उपज को सीधे दिल्ली के उपभोक्ताओं को बेहतर मूल्यों पर बेचने में मदद मिली, जिससे उनकी आमदनी में वृद्धि हुई।
Land rights on pastures empower deprived communities
Giving land rights to landless and nomadic people in Maharashtra on degraded pastures have provided these marginalized communities with a reasonable livelihood
Coastal farmers harvest riches with hardy vetiver
Farmers in India’s east coast, which is vulnerable to cyclones and floods, have found commercial success by growing vetiver, a perennial grass also known as khus that has a variety of uses
Healthcare of elderly suffers with youth migration
With little livelihood opportunities in villages, the youth in rural Maharashtra migrate to cities, leading to delayed healthcare of elderly dependents and increased medical expenses
Kuruba shepherds struggle to retain traditional lifestyle
As demand for sheep wool blankets decline, Kuruba shepherds of Karnataka have started rearing their sheep for meat and milk. They have also taken to farming to boost incomes
Tharuvaikulam boatwrights adapt to changing trends
With the demand for fiber-reinforced plastic boats increasing after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, wooden boat builders of Tharuvaikulam in Tamil Nadu adapt to growing needs of the marine fishing sector
Local livelihoods curb exploitative labor trafficking
To stop poor villagers from becoming bonded migrant labor, the Odisha government needs to strengthen latest steps to cut out middlemen and boost the rural jobs guarantee program with higher wages
Farmer producer companies: let a thousand balloons float
While farmer producer companies mushroom across the country because of government’s financial incentives, problems in input delivery and sale of produce persist, making their long-term sustenance difficult