Flagship Project 1

The recently extended lockdown in India, now in force until 3 May, is a necessary measure to slow the spread of COVID-19 and thereby save lives. India’s large population and the capacity of the health sector in the country to handle the pandemic means slowing the spread of infection is essential. But the impacts of the lockdown are not gender-neutral. Women are more vulnerable from both a health and economic perspective. Here, Padmaja Ravula from Flagship Projects 1 and 6 shares her insights into the impact of the lockdown on women who work as domestic help or in part-time occupations in urban and peri-urban Hyderabad.

In Mangalta village, 20 women are working non-stop, packing and processing food and nutrition supplements to be distributed to the most vulnerable sections of the society - pregnant and nursing mothers, infants and children under six years. This has become even more critical during the COVID-19 lockdown period. As Babita (35), a federation functionary said, “We need to ensure the take home rations are delivered to the Anganwadi Centre (Child-care centres run under the Integrated Child Development Services or ICDS), so the workers can ensure this reaches those who need it most in these times of lockdown. We are taking all the necessary safety and precautionary measures such as maintaining physical distancing , use of sanitisers and masks and so on”.

Ground-level evidence from Tamil Nadu on the sudden disruption of supply chains for both non-perishable and perishable commodities has pointed to the adverse effects of COVID-19 on farming and farmers’ livelihoods. In Thanjavur, known as the ‘granary of south India’, and Pudukottai and Villupuram districts of Tamil Nadu state, farmers are unable to sell their produce. Without adequate storage facilities, they are staring not just at losses, but also lack of liquidity to prepare for the next planting season. In the absence of a market, or storage, many have not bothered to harvest the crop.

The 21 day lockdown of India to control the spread of COVID-19, announced by PM Narendar Modi on 24 March, is already creating lasting impacts on Indian farmers. Progressive and enterpreneurial small and marginal farmers cultivating perishable commodities are amongst the worst hit. Our interactions with farmers in the states of Telangana and Karnataka, and information sourced from news and print media, show that food supply chains for perishable foods are now completely broken. Here, the Flagship Project 1 team at ICRISAT , Hyderabad, sheds light on the dire impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on small holder farmers in India.

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.

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.

Owing to the sheer diversity of the nation, development work in India is inextricably linked to ethical challenges. These challenges become more intense when ‘development’ translates across marginalised communities, who already have a long history of exploitation. Here, Gautam Bisht and Shuvajit Chakraborty from TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 collaborator PRADAN highlight the work of youth group Lahanti Club, which is invested in transforming an alienating education system into one which is inclusive of indigenous socio-cultural capital.

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.

TIGR2ESS Flagship Project 1 (START) and collaborator PRADAN (Professional Assistance for Development Action) recently ran a research workshop to begin one of the less glamourous, but nevertheless vital, steps in any research project: establishing a data management protocol. In a project working with vast and complex data, often in multiple languages, achieving this is no mean feat. Here, Dr Shreya Sinha, a postdoc working on Flagship Project 1 (FP1), and Dr Nivedita Narain, Integrator (Research & Advocacy), PRADAN, summarise a very successful week of co-creation.

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.