Livelihood

January 6, 2015

Migration among the Madia of Bastar: Assessing its Worth

Describing the risks in migration and the burden it places on those left behind as well as the changes it has brought about in the people and their lives, this article explores options for generating a similar income within the village itself while acknowledging the lure of migration
December 6, 2014

Stories of Success: Converging Schemes for Generating Livelihoods

Converging various government schemes and helping village women take charge of the planning and implementing processes is proving to be a big leap in creating selfsufficiency, boosting confidence in their abilities to negotiate with the government and other agencies, and helping women take ownership of their prosperity and progress
December 6, 2014

Telia: Telling the Tale of MGNREGA

Standing out for its vibrant vegetable and SRI cultivation, Telia village is an example of how with the right guidance and awareness, MGNREGA can be used for creating assets, which will then go a long way in ensuring food security, greater health and betterment of the community
November 8, 2014

MGNREGA Reform: Fix the Holes in the Safety Net

That MGNREGA needs to be reformed is evident; however, what needs to change are not the basic tenets of the programme but implementation and supply-side issues that interfere with the smooth running of the programme and block benefits that provide a safety-net to the rural poor in the lean agricultural season and also to tide them through the sudden loss in livelihood opportunities.
November 6, 2014

MGNREGA: The Need to Go Beyond Ideologies

Rebutting Arvind Pangariya and Jagdish Bhagwati’s views on why MGNREGA should be limited and eventually phased out are the arguments that say the welfare scheme has the potential to save the life and dignity of the poor, and that efficiency is not the only criterion that should guide state policies.
November 2, 2014

MGNREGA: Fostering Real Citizenship

Moving from ignorance and non-participation to active involvement in planning and implementing, the women in Kesla are determined to develop their villages, conscious not only of their rights and entitlements but also of their roles and responsibility in developing their villages
November 1, 2014

MGNREGA: The Way Forward

Considering both the reach and the impact of MGNREGA on the rural poor, and notwithstanding the shroud of corruption, late payments and fears of its benefits not reaching the target group that hangs around it, discarding, diluting or curbing this “stellar example of rural development” would amount to throwing the baby out with the bathwater
October 5, 2014

Partnering with Civil Societies: Enhancing Food Security of Farmers in Chhattisgarh

Introducing the SRI method of crop cultivation in some regions of Chhattisgarh, PRADA N, in partnership with other NGOs and the support of Sir Dorabji Tata Trust, has been successful in extending the technology to thousands of families, to ensure yearround food sufficiency and increase soil health and fertility
October 4, 2014

Soil Biology and Ecological Farming

Emerging as an effective alternative to the agro-chemical-based modern or conventional agriculture, the detrimental impact of which is evident both on human health and the environment, ecological farming, based on sound scientific principles, has yielded rich harvests while maintaining the micro-nutrients, microorganisms and macro-fauna of the soil—the Source of Infinite Life (SOIL)
September 6, 2014

Adoption and Dis-adoption of SRI: A Study of the Dynamics

Quantifying the benefits and analysing the factors that encourage farmers to adopt or dis-adopt SRI methods in the four major rice-producing states in India, this study offers policy recommendations for up-scaling in order to attain agricultural sustainability