rural economy
Cold storage units running on pico hydropower help farmers earn more
With limited transportation and no cold storage facilities, farmers in Himalayan states sell their produce at the local market for a low price. Cold storage units powered by pico hydropower offer a cost-effective solution.
These small industries are bringing big changes in villages
There are several small industrial projects that are lighting up the rural economy in unusual ways. This ‘Small Industry Day’, which is observed on August 30 every year, we revisit some of the initiatives featured on Village Square.
Caution: Reading this will make you crave paani-puri
With no background in making puris for the delectable pani puri or in running a business, a group of women in rural Tamil Nadu become successful micro-entrepreneurs.
A Manipur village dares to dream, one Kachai lemon at a time
The Kachai lemon of Manipur has transcended its role as a mere fruit to become a catalyst for economic empowerment and self-reliance for people.
How livelihoods of the poor can be strengthened
The two-day Livelihoods India Summit being held in New Delhi brings together about 400 delegates with an aim to foster deliberations on issues relating to livelihoods promotion of the poor.
The perils of microfinance in rural Rajasthan
In the heart of rural Rajasthan, microfinance is emerging as a double-edged sword. Used as a tool for economic empowerment, it can also become a debt trap, especially for the tribal communities.
Homestays open doors to Kashmir’s final frontier Keran
Amid a captivating landscape, the homestays in Keran become a bridge across borders, inviting guests to feel at home in one of the remotest frontier villages in Kashmir
Kashmir stares at a saffron sunset
Pampore, the hub of Kashmiri saffron, casts a gloomy picture as production of the prized spice declines due to climate change, encroachment of fields, inadequate irrigation and intrusion of cheaper Iranian variants
Border tourism boosts Keran village
Standing on the banks of the roaring Kishanganga river, Keran has become a new tourism sensation in J&K bringing both hope and fortune to the villagers.
Kashmir’s purple revolution with lavender cultivation
Prized for its oil, lavender blooms are being farmed on parcels considered wastelands before and these have cast a spell of hope, a promise of prosperity entwined with fragrance.
Is rural India on the brink of a renaissance?
Will Indian villages be part of the country's galloping growth? A leading development conference holds over 100 conversations to find out.
Self-help groups – learning from the roots
While the reasons that motivate women to join self-help groups are the same, developing each group through a facilitative process instead of on a pre-conceived concept works better.
This is where your cabbage may be coming from
Bara Garan is a remote sleepy hamlet nestled at a height of 2,350m in the Dhauladhar range of the Himalayas. Located in the Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, Bara Garan had no road connectivity to a nearby town until a couple of decades back. Residents had to walk for a day to reach Barot, the nearest town. But things changed when a road was constructed. Now villagers who earlier grew crops only for self-sustenance are farming cabbage commercially, selling it to traders across north India.
Humble broom sweeps poverty from tribal hamlets in Odisha’s Koraput
Made mostly by tribal women, the humble household broom is a designated handicraft that is bringing income and empowering many families to become financially independent and protect their forests.
Plastic cuts into pottery culture – but not in Manipur
The signature red pottery of Thongjao village is spun by women who have never faced any dip in demand because Manipur locals prefer clay earthenware to plastic and aluminium, especially in festivals and religious rituals.
India’s rural youth show high interest in entrepreneurship, finds survey
While nine out of 10 rural businesses in India are first-generation enterprises, an increasing number of young men and women in rural India want to own businesses, finds a survey.
How Manipur’s rural women are weaving wonders from Kauna weed
Organic baskets, mats and other decorative handicrafts made of kauna grass grown in the marshes of the Imphal valley are providing a sustainable livelihood to women and their families.
Want bumper paddy harvest? Breed fish, say Bihar farmers
Digging ponds to breed fish as a livelihood brings multiple benefits to Patna farmers - fish pond water for irrigation, reduced use of chemicals and reverse migration to name a few.
Jharkhand’s tribal women make natural cups and bowls but find no takers
Hundreds of women sell eco-friendly, sal-leaf cups and teeth-cleaning datoon twigs, but barely make Rs 70 a day. Still they persist with a grin that never betrays their hard life.
‘Super Figs’: Why figs from Western Ghats hills in Pune are high in demand
Figs, guavas, custard apples – fresh or preserved into jam – from the Purandar orchards on the rolling hills of Pune find ready customers in big cities and abroad, leveraging the income of farmers.