Livelihood

February 4, 2018

Collective Farming: Creating an Identity for Women Farmers

Applying their minds to adopting improved agricultural practices and shifting to vegetable cultivation on a large scale through collective farming, the women of Gaudaguda village unite to change not only agricultural practices but also show their potential at organizing themselves by bringing the market to their doorsteps, thereby streamlining processes
February 2, 2018

Samnapur: Cultural Change in Agriculture

Initiating new techniquesin farming, the women of Samnapur have started taking the lead in agricultural practices such as introducing the cultivation of vegetables, growing paddy through SRI, going to the market to sell vegetables and asserting their identity as farmers in their families and in society, thereby bringing about asea change in the way they are perceived and in their confidence as decision- makers.
January 4, 2018

Sustainable Farming: A Collective Learning Approach

Farmers collective shift from inorganic chemical based farming to organic NPM farming in their villages
December 5, 2017

Cultivating Watermelons, Igniting Change

Moving away from the predictable traditional crop, eight Jaheraya SHG women’s decision to cultivate watermelons sprung from an attempt to prove their worth as independent farmers, who could take vital decisions regarding farming and marketing produce; it was a subtle defiance of patriarchy, of the annihilation of men farmer’s beliefs about a cash crop and of a small example of change that is unstoppable now
November 3, 2017

Integrated Soil Fertility Management: Converting Subsistence Farming to Productive Farming

Maintaining or improving soil health is essential for sustainable and productive agriculture. ISFM strategies assist farmers in following a scientific process for cultivation without eroding the soil’s inherent capacity to produce more by maintaining its fertility level
September 9, 2017

The Best Two Years of My Life !

Cherishing memories of initiating the Tasar Project and remembering the people instrumental in the promotion of tasar as a livelihood among the poor tribals and other villagers of Godda takes us back almost three decades
September 4, 2017

Tasar Silkworm Rearing in Rajdah

Rearing tasar worms is a precarious and fragile practice that the Santhal tribals and other villagers engage in, both because this has been their traditional occupation and because a good harvest provides them a much-needed economic support
June 17, 2017

Farm Technology: Opening up Unimagined Possibilities for Women

A woman worker uses her fingertips on an average 522 times, her fingernails 144 times and her palms 55 times for every single kilogramme of grain that she produces, according to a survey by India’s Ministry of Agriculture.
May 6, 2017

My Experiences with the Kulhaiya Community

Initiating a women’s group in this Muslim dominated area of Bihar and introducing cucumber cultivation as an alternative farm-based livelihood was challenging and sometimes frustrating for the new team. Their success is their reward
May 4, 2017

JRF: Building Community Leadership through Craftsmanship

Choosing young women weavers, who show promise and who have a thirst for knowledge, as Bunker Sakhis, is an attempt to recognize the potential of women to flourish in business