Village Square

Farmers of Vedaranayam in Nagapattinam district of Tamil Nadu are surviving the current drought by growing diverse crops that suit their soil, despite the failure of the rains and not getting water from the Cauvery River for many years. Sharada Balasubramanian takes a closer look.

Many small and marginal farmers in Lohardaga and Gumla are using tiny pumps to irrigate vegetable fields, an entrepreneurial model that has the potential to increase incomes for smallholders, since groundwater is abundant in the state. Bikalp Chamola takes a closer look.

The consistently high returns from growing pomegranates in Maharashtra, the epicentre of the fruit’s production in India, have seen many farmers adopt it over water-guzzling crops such as sugarcane and cotton. Hiren Kumar Bose takes a closer look.

Women trained in the use of the Internet are fanning across four districts of Assam to bring its benefits to rural women, which in turn is boosting their household earnings and changing everyday lives for the better. Abdul Gani takes a closer look.

Undeterred by displacement from Pakistan during the 1971 war and resettled in the unforgiving Thar Desert, women now living in Bikaner district have used their skills of traditional embroidery to earn a living with dignity. Tarun Kanti Bose takes a closer look.

Farmers in the southern reaches of Pudukottai district in Tamil Nadu have turned to agroforestry to protect and boost incomes, because falling groundwater levels and overuse of chemical fertilizers and pesticides has made agriculture unsustainable in the area. Jency Samuel takes a closer look.

A survey conducted in South Kamrup in Assam shows that use of small water pumps for irrigation in an area where groundwater is abundant has resulted in significant increases in earnings for smallholder and marginal farmers. Bikalp Chamola takes a closer look.

The villages in the desert of Rajasthan are notorious for child brides, but groups of girls are now banding together to defy and upturn a long-held tradition to assure a new and better future for themselves. Tarun Kanti Bose takes a closer look.

Daimati Santa was to be married off at the age of 16. Today, she is leading the fight against child marriage in rural Odisha.

Palghar, an underdeveloped tribal village from Maharashtra, is breaking age-old traditions and saying no to child marriage.