Informal Sector

Featured Articles
October 17, 2022 While informal groundwater markets cater significantly to the needs of smallholder farmers in India, they continue to be unacknowledged and understudied.
Groundwater, a finite resource (Image Source: TV Manoj via Wikimedia Commons)
December 7, 2020 The new farm related bills will spell doom for women workers who form the bulk of small and marginal sections of Indian agriculture, warns Mahila Kisan Adhikaar Manch (MAKAAM).
Farm women, overworked and underpaid (Image Source: India Water Portal)
October 21, 2019 In this interview, Joy talks about his work as an activist working in rural Maharashtra, and how he came to work on water conflicts in India.
KJ Joy speaks at a felicitation for the late Professor Ramaswamy Iyer.
September 24, 2019 Policy matters this week
Despite the ban, manual scavenging continues. (Image courtesy: The Hindu)
September 13, 2019 Arecanut farmers in Karnataka are reeling from dipping groundwater levels and infrequent water supply for irrigation. In this article, some solutions are proposed.
Young arecanut trees grown in drylands of Tumkur region (Gubbi Taluk, Hodalur Village) Pic Credit: Chandana Eswar
Anthropogenic activities leads to deterioration of groundwater quality: A study of Mayyanad and Edamulakkal panchayats of Kollam district in Kerala
Kerala is a rain blessed state in the country, but due to its slanting topography there is significant decline in the ground water levels leading to severe water scarcity. This paper sheds light on groundwater quality issues in two panchayats of Kerala Posted on 22 Feb, 2013 10:07 AM

Kerala is a rain blessed state in the country. It has highest  number of wells, when compared with other states. However due to its slanting topography there is significant decline in the ground water levels leading to severe water scarcity during summer months in most districts of the state. Further over extraction and dependence of groundwater for domestic use from the dug wells especially in rural pockets has resulted in several groundwater problems. In this backdrop the paper in  The Ecosan- An International Quarterly Journal of Environmental Science, sheds light on groundwater quality issues in two panchayats of Kerala.

Videos: Resurgence of the ahar pynes - Magadh Jal Jamaat helps revive 2000-year old flood water harvesting systems in Gaya, Bihar
A success story on the domino effect created due to revival of a pond in Gaya, Bihar that led to the resurgence of ahar pynes, the traditional water harvesting systems in the region. Posted on 13 Feb, 2013 10:34 AM

Magadh Jal Jamaat, a loose network of progressive individuals in Gaya has been successfully able to revive over a dozen abandoned water sources and have instilled in people the need to create, clean up and conserve several lakes and ponds in the region. 

Meghal river revival in Junagadh, Saurashtra, Gujarat: A documentary
A video documenting the narratives of farmers living in Junagadh,Saurashtra district of Gujarat, who suffered immensely due to excessive use of Meghal River. Posted on 29 Jan, 2013 10:59 PM

 

Moving from local Government provision to private sector participation: Reforming water supply in Mumbai, Maharashtra
Urban infrastructure is poised for some major changes in the country with the current trends of rising levels of urbanisation. Posted on 09 Jan, 2013 08:23 PM

Urban infrastructure is poised for some major changes in the country with the current trends of rising levels of urbanisation. However, both Urban Local Bodies (UBL) and water utilities are not fully prepared to meet with the challenge due to their dependence on old governance structures based on public management.

Collective marketing by poor farmers improve their livelihoods by increasing their income levels-Special edition on "Farmers Organisations" by Low External Input Sustainable Agriculture (LEISA) India
What are the real world problems faced by farmers holding small lands? It can vary from issues such as the costs and benefits of production choices made by farmers, method of practising agriculture, access to credit facilities, awareness about various government schemes and the support extended by them during the time of natural disasters. Making a deeper analysis to these issues will reveal the hidden problem of poverty among these farmers. It also epitomises the challenges faced by small farmers. Posted on 02 Jan, 2013 08:58 PM


A study on the issues of the inland fisheries and the policy framework governing the sector
Inspite of the immense potential of rainfed fisheries sector in India, fishing cooperatives have failed to function properly making it an unviable enterprise in the country Posted on 07 Jul, 2012 03:04 PM

Issue of Commons and institutional arrangements:

Rohini Nilekani, Chairperson of Arghyam announces transition in leadership: Jayamala Subramaniam to take over from 1st June, 2012
Taking up the leadership from the 1st of June, 2012, will be Jayamala Subramaniam. Posted on 13 Apr, 2012 05:44 PM

She comes to Arghyam with a background in the corporate and not for profit sectors, both in India and abroad. She has a record of achievement in taking initiatives to scale in the financial and education sectors and  substantial experience as a coach and mentor.

Marine fisheries in India - Issues, opportunities and transition for sustainable development - A World Bank working paper
This working paper by the World Bank reviews the marine fisheries sub-sector. Posted on 14 Feb, 2012 10:03 AM

This working paper by the World Bank presents the findings of a study that was conducted as a collaborative initiative by the World Bank and the Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairyin

Water conservation, sustainable agriculture, challenges for rural development in Maharashtra and possible solutions - Talk by Popatrao Pawar, Sarpanch, Hivre-Bazar
These four video films cover a talk by Shri Popatrao Pawar, Sarpanch of Hivre-Bazar (Ahmednagar), Maharashtra. Posted on 09 Feb, 2012 04:49 PM

Shri Popatrao Pawar is an inspiring promoter of the 'Ideal Villages Movement' on "Integrated Agriculture and Rural Development for Tomorrow's Maharashtra" on the occasion of the inauguration of Observer Research Foundation's Maharashtra@50 Study Centre on 24th June 2010.

Community monitoring in water and sanitation projects - A facilitators manual by PRIA
This manual published by Society for Participatory Research in Asia (PRIA) aims at creating a basic understanding of the concept, principles and steps of community monitoring. Posted on 02 Feb, 2012 11:59 AM

This manual is based on the work that PRIA was involved in that included facilitating the process of social development and monitoring, and for guiding the process of developing models for community monitoring linked to community action, for child survival and development in six project sites in India.

This manual is divided into three key sections:

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