Work reflection

May 27, 2025

Beyond Survival: Farming for the Future

For decades, I’ve seen the fields of rural India weather the challenges of rugged terrain, erratic rainfall, and shrinking landholdings. Agriculture, the backbone of life here, often felt less like a path to prosperity and more like a test of survival. In regions with hilly, undulating terrain—interspersed with forest patches—nearly 70% of rainfall escapes as surface run-off, leaving the land dry soon after the monsoon. With most households dependent on rain-fed farming, sustaining livelihoods becomes increasingly difficult without reliable water sources.