From the Fields
What is the relationship that a woman farmer shares with the field? Through reported features we bring you stories of how farmers from different regions across India navigate the complex realities of the field.
Hands That Brew: The Complexities of Female Labour in the Making of Rice Beer
Traditional drinks are often regarded as repositories of culture. In Centrepiece, Rini Barman explores some of the less romantic aspects of this practice and the many implications of the act of brewing rice beer.
What Are Seeds, When Not Sold?
Oishika Roy explores experiences of seed savers and scientists to gather proof of relationships between people and seeds beyond that of money: generational, and through the principle of commons.
The Slow Disappearance of Karal Meen from Rameshwaram’s Fish Markets
Industrial demand is making one of the most affordable species of fish along the east coast of India more expensive. E. Haripriya explores what these ripple effects mean for local kitchens in Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu.
When Faced With Water Scarcity, Local Millets and Beans are Hardier Than Peas
Farmers working with Kilmora, a social enterprise in Uttarakhand, tell Yashvi Shah how their harvest has halved over the last five decades, especially as sources of water dry up.
Picking and Eating Mahua Flowers in Jharkhand
What happens when an indigenous ingredient earns a largely notorious reputation due to archaic excise policies? How does one reintroduce it to modern diets, while preserving indigenous knowledge? We gather perspectives from four people who pick, eat, and consume Mahua.
In Odisha, Farming Festivals Archive Fast-Disappearing Indigenous Knowledge
The wait for mangoes, a cooling finger millet drink, one hundred coconuts. Abhijit Mohanty documents how summer festivals in Malkangiri, Odisha, preserve foodways of memories.
Farm Workers On How Heat Impacts Their Work
We spoke to agricultural workers from The Locavore’s community of partner producers to understand how heat intersects with labour, especially for working women, and how they cope with rising temperatures.
A Legacy of Making Preserves and Coolers on a Forest-Farm in Pauri Garhwal
Divya Chowfin, the co-founder of Himalayan Haat, speaks to Throvnica Chandrasekar about farming within a natural ecosystem, running a business from the mountains, and why their bestselling Malta Cooler is also a family favourite.
When Bamboo Rice Carpets the Forest Floor
Forested groves in central Kerala’s Edamalayar valley have showered the Muthuvar people with bamboo rice for the first time in six decades. In a labour of love, women of the community have gathered, cleaned, and dehusked the seeds to bring them to our plates.
Following Judima in Dima Hasao: A Rice Wine Story
Judima is a rice wine predominantly brewed by Dimasa women in Assam. Based in Tereh Village, Khimkho Hojai,a self-reliant farmer,brews it for her household, with help from her husband.
‘Keerai pori is something I enjoy during the monsoon’
What does it mean to be in tune with changing seasons? Janagiamma, a leader of the indigeneous Kurumba community in the Nilgiris, tells us that millets and bamboo are good for the monsoons.
This curation is part of the Woman Farmer Project, a multimedia storytelling initiative led by The Locavore in partnership with the Doc Society Climate Story Kitchen. It aims to build a roadmap for successful collaborations between institutions and innovative grassroots networks who are committed to amplifying climate stories.
The Doc Society supports climate action across the globe by championing independent filmmakers, audio producers, journalists, and artists working alongside impact producers and movement builders to bring more communities into climate conversations to advance climate just and biodiverse futures.