Field work

Environmental and anthropogenic factors have driven the degradation of agricultural land in a delta region of Tamil Nadu, India. Here, Dr Pratheepa and Dr Rengalakshmi of MSSRF and TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 describe the causes and effects of increased soil salinity on coastal agriculture and recent efforts towards land restoration.

Agriculture is the main source of income worldwide. However, in India there is a declining trend in the proportion of workforce employed in this sector, with many people seeking alternative employment. Here, Dr Pratheepa CM and Dr Rengalakshmi R from MSSRF and TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 describe the ability of two caste groups in rural Tamil Nadu to secure non-farm work.

The relationship between food consumption and physical activity is an important one, particularly for researchers looking into food consumption patterns in relation to nutritional balance. Here, Flagship Project 1 Research Associate Astha Upadhyay from TIGR2ESS collaborator PRADAN shares her recent experience using activity monitors in the community she researches in Chakai, Bihar.

The TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 team at ICRISAT recently conducted a field survey at its research site villages in Warangal district. The survey used Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and key informant interviews to engage with farmers, farm women and rural youth. One of the key questions we asked was: What are the aspirations of rural youth to continue in agriculture and farm parent’s aspirations towards their children? Here, we summarise our findings.

Changing food consumption practices among the tribal youth in India is a recent phenomenon. Job prospects and new livelihood options are influencing many lifestyle changes. Changes in food consumption bear an impact on the health and well-being of the youth. Moreover, the decline of traditional ecological knowledge is a worrying trend from a sustainable food systems approach. Here, Dr Anuprita Shukla of Flagship Project 6 discusses her research focused on the tribal youth of Maharashtra.

Following the TIGR2ESS General Assembly in Hyderabad, Charlotte Milbank, a University of Cambridge PhD student, and Shuvajit Chakraborty, executive of TIGR2ESS collaborator PRADAN , travelled to Flagship Project 1 field sites in south Bihar. Here, Charlotte recounts their insights from a week with the Santhal Pargana and Pahariya tribal groups.

Dr Pratheepa from MS Swaminathan Research Foundation (MSSRF), Chennai and a collaborator on TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1, START. Here she shares her experiences of her fieldwork in Sirkazhi block of Nagapattinam district, uncovering the complex set of challenges faced by farmers and their families.

Charles is reading for a Masters in Climate Change and International Development at the University of East Anglia, under the supervision of TIGR2ESS FP6 co-lead Dr Nitya Rao. He is a film artist and works in agroecology, permaculture and small-scale urban farming. Charles recently submitted his dissertation on how the agroecological method Zero-Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) is reaching scale in Andhra Pradesh, South India. He spoke with TIGR2ESS Impact Manager Sarah Bailey to tell her all about his research.

Dr Shreya Sinha, a postdoctoral researcher working on TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 (FP1), recently took part in an exchange to India to visit several FP1 sites. Here, she describes the valuable insights gained from her time in the field.