Flagship Project 6

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”.

The 21-day long COVID-19 lockdown in India, which is now set to continue until 3 May, has undoubtedly severed market linkages. Farmers are desperate for actions that can avoid wiping out their incomes. This blog, from Dr Rekha Bhangaonkar of Flagship Project 6 , highlights some initiatives put in place to rescue the situation.

The contribution of women farmers is no less than that of men, but quite often overlooked. The Odisha Millets Mission is demonstrating an ingenious way of celebrating and valuing the role of women farmers as agents of agrarian change. Dr Rekha Bhangaonkar of Flagship Project 6 recently experienced these celebrations first-hand. Here, she summarises her time in Odisha.

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.