Lifting lives, little by little

Families in rural India find it tough to break the cycle of poverty mainly because of their dependence on agriculture-based incomes, which are affected by the vagaries of weather, poor soil conditions and the shortage of post-harvest facilities and sustainable market linkages.

The Tata Trusts have been working to create livelihood opportunities that enable households, particularly in rural India, to earn more. The Trusts’ livelihoods portfolio covers several integrated community-based interventions across India that aim to improve rural incomes through modern farming practices, water management, soil conservation, animal husbandry and fisheries, market linkages, etc.

The approach is both systematic and pragmatic: baseline surveys identify vulnerable households while ground research helps in understanding the environment, available resources and market conditions. Sustainable interventions are then designed — based on need and geography — to augment natural resources and help develop community institutions.

Several livelihood-centred interventions are designed around local or regional needs. These include promoting a suitable package of practices in agriculture; creating production-to-market value chains; backing high-value farming; and introducing opportunities for financial inclusion.