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
Odisha government needs to intervene to mitigate migrant distress
For Odisha that is highly vulnerable to natural disasters, government needs to develop multiple strategies to ensure economic resilience of migrant households against unforeseen shocks
Will uru tourism revive prospects of Kerala’s wooden dhows
Handcrafting of wooden dhows is on a decline, as the ancient cargo vessels have become redundant. Government plans to include dhows in tourism to revive the craft
Stranded Chakmas in Tiruppur fear bleak prospects
With knitwear industry grinding to a halt, Chakma tribes who had migrated to Tamil Nadu from northeastern states to avoid poverty, find themselves in the same challenging situation
Cyclone Amphan leaves trail of destruction in Sundarbans
Already in distress due to lockdown, horticulture farmers of Sundarbans suffer saltwater intrusion and loss of trees to Cyclone Amphan, while tiger widows lose livelihoods and homes
Farmer producer company successfully implements farm-to-home model during lockdown
Connecting farmers who had surplus produce and consumers who lacked access to vegetables and fruits, a farmer producer company in Karnataka bridges the gap, benefitting both
Volunteers in Odisha ensure stranded migrants do not go hungry
Social service personnel working on migration issues network with philanthropists, administrators and volunteers to ensure stranded Odia migrants and other state migrants in Odisha are fed
Multiple post-pandemic measures will stabilize farm economy
Farm sector faces challenges of workforce shortage and disrupted supply chain. Multiple measures by government can stabilize farm economy and sustain everyone in food production
Use of machaan for mixed cropping boosts farmers’ income
Smallholder farmers utilize space efficiently, growing creepers on machaan and shade-loving plants underneath. This mixed cropping with different growth period eliminates risk and improves farm income
After lockdown distress, villagers are unwilling to migrate again
Having suffered during the lockdown, villagers do not wish to migrate again to cities for work. This would impact the rural as well as urban economy