To Market We Go

Photo is taken from behind people walking on a path. A motorcycle is parked to the left. Power lines are overhead.

Research is done a bit differently in rural India where Friday mornings you walk to the market to gather your groceries for the week, along with check in on local farmers to spread knowledge through personal relationships within the community. This is a picture of team members leading us to the market Friday morning in Aruku Valley, Andhra Pradesh. VIKASA, the organization I completed my placement with for the MDP program in 2023, works directly with the tribal farmers to sustain and strengthen their livelihoods through natural farming initiatives and knowledge sharing. Over the past 30 years VIKASA has won multiple awards for their community impact including the Rajiv Gandhi Patri Bhumi Mitra award for its impactful work on forest restoration and wasteland development into productive agricultural lands; and been presented the Subba Rao Memorial Raithu Nestham Award for 2022, by former Vice-President of India, Mr. Venkayya Naidu.