Work reflection

This article, authored by PRADAN alumnus, Ammu Thankam Mathew, was first published by ASSURE (Agency for Social and Spiritual Upliftment, Renewal and Empowerment) and has been reproduced here with minor edits. It captures her reflections and experiences as a development practitioner working in Scheduled Areas, with a focus on tribal communities.

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.