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
Maharashtra seed mother pioneers conservation of native varieties
Linking failing health to hybrid seeds, Rahibai Soma Popere of Kombhalne village in Maharashtra conserves hundreds of native varieties and encourages other farmers to grow traditional crops
Riverbank erosion no less a disaster than Assam floods
A widespread hazard like riverbank erosion, which continuously affects the poorest and the most vulnerable in the Brahmaputra River Basin in Assam, is not classified as a disaster and does not receive the swift emergency response as floods
Do farmers’ markets in cities really benefit farmers?
The recent proliferation of weekly farmers’ markets in urban areas is quite useful for consumers but their benefits to farmers are limited at best and cannot replace the practice of selling at wholesale yards
Artificial glaciers help mitigating rural water crisis in Ladakh
Faced with severe water shortage due to reduced snowfall and receding glaciers, a Ladakh village has built an artificial glacier successfully through community efforts that now fulfills all its water needs
Medicinal herbs can form a base for rural enterprises
There is a potentially large livelihoods and enterprise potential in the medicinal herbs sector, which is sadly neglected by grassroots development professionals and ignored by the government despite an acute shortage of modern healthcare services in rural India
Plight of migrant workers needs attention in Himachal Pradesh
Migrant workers, who contribute significantly to infrastructure development in the developed mountain state, need to be provided with better working and living conditions through friendly government policies
Maharashtra’s tribal farmers revive traditional crops
Recognizing the significance of traditional crop varieties that can withstand climate-related vagaries and offer nutrition security, tribal farmers have started to conserve and propagate local cultivars
Restored farm ponds help Sahariyas tide over drought
Even as Madhya Pradesh reels under severe drought, residents of a tribal village who were denied access to water have collectively restored farm ponds to harvest the meager rainfall to fulfill their water needs
India needs more fodder to prevent cattle starvation
The estimated increase in cattle population due to growth in dairy farming and ban on cow slaughter will need increased production of fodder and restoration of common pastures to prevent livestock starvation