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
Traditional ‘hangadi kheti’ revitalises Rajasthan’s agriculture
In drought-prone Rajasthan, an initiative is helping tribal communities combine hangadi kheti, a traditional multi-cropping method, with modern drip irrigation to use water judiciously and improve their livelihood.
Where farms produce more bricks than crops
Financial needs push farmers in Perera Pur village in Uttar Pradesh lease out their land to kilns. Making bricks with the topsoil of a farm reduces soil fertility, productivity and income, forcing farmers into a vicious cycle of economic challenges.
New tech solution boosts wool felt production, helps herders
Traditionally, nomadic herders made non-woven ornamental felt from animal wool through a laborious process. A new technological solution in the form of a hand-operated roller simplifies the process, helping the artisans make more wool felt fabric.
Travel souvenirs take MP artisans on road to success
Pashoo Pakshee, a social enterprise founded by Savini Sonavaria, supports over 350 artisans producing nature-inspired souvenirs, provides fair wages and financial independence.
Golden needles, purple tea: Women-led estate shines in Arunachal
Driven by an all-woman team, Donyi Polo Tea Estate in Arunachal Pradesh is pioneering sustainable tea cultivation and artisanal tea production, and breaking auction records.
Elderly puppeteers of Odisha keep kandhei nacha alive
Rabi Narayan Jena, Dukhabandhu Jena and Umakanta Jena are fighting to revive the ancient art of kandhei nacha (rod puppetry), despite modern entertainment threatening its existence in Odisha.
Chashi bandhus help communities restore ecosystem in Bengal
In Bankura district of Bengal, known for its barren hillsides, chashi bandhus or farmers’ friends are recognising the importance of arresting rainwater runoff, and implementing measures to transform the landscape and people’s livelihoods.
Assam startup tastes success with antibiotic-free poultry farming
Graduate Farmer, a startup founded by lawyer-turned-entrepreneur Bapan Das in Assam, has transformed small-scale poultry farming into a thriving business, benefiting both farmers and consumers by promoting antibiotic-free feed.
With cans of filtered water, she exhibits ‘can do’ entrepreneurial spirit
Unable to sustain her family with an agricultural income, this Jharkhand farmer sees an opportunity in supplying filtered water. With the right support, she establishes herself as a successful entrepreneur and is raring to grow.