12 Feb Roots of Resilience: Navigating Livelihoods, Climate, and Change in Rural Odisha
Written by Rinchen Lama & Kabir Rana
Edited by Sofia Juliet Rajan
Nestled in the Eastern Ghats of Central Odisha are picturesque hamlets, where dense forests and rich culture meet the challenges of everyday survival. We explore the vibrant yet challenging landscapes of rural Odisha, focusing on the villages of Kueranga and Gumandi in Kandhamal district, and Lokamari and Baniyanagar in Ganjam district. These communities face the intersecting issues of livelihood, climate impact, and socioeconomic inequalities, providing a lens into the struggles of rural India.
Map showing blocks visited during our scoping visits. Credit: Geospatial Lab, IIHS
Scenic Villages and Daily Realities
Kueranga and Gumandi, surrounded by lush forests and farmlands, represent the pastoral beauty of rural Odisha. Most residents belong to the Kandha tribe, practice small-scale farming on land provided under the Forest Rights Act (FRA). Here, turmeric takes centre stage, not just an economic crop, but also as a cultural marker, with these golden roots drying in front of the households across the village.
In contrast, the dynamics of Ganjam’s Lokamari and Baniyanagar reveal unique stories. Lokamari, divided by caste, highlights disparities, with OBC households typically owning land while SC households have limited land, and rely on remittances from migrant family members. Almost all households have at least one migrant member. At least 40-45% of households in Kueranga and Gumandi have members employed in the construction sector, involved in concreting and tile laying work in Kerala. Few women from these villages have also migrated to work in garment and fish factory jobs in Chennai. In Baniyanagar, a resettled village, after a devastating flood in 1991, five out of the 19 households have migrated at some point, mostly moving to Ernakulam district in Kerala, Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu, Goa, Hyderabad, and Bangalore.
Changing Livelihoods and Environmental Challenges
Historically dependent on rainfed agriculture and forest produce, these villages have diversified their livelihoods to cope with environmental unpredictability. Seasonal vegetable cultivation, small-scale horticulture, and participation in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have become primary and stable source of incomes. A decade ago, they grew rice and millets, but now the focus is more on seasonal vegetables. Villagers note a significant shift in rain patterns, describing how heavy, short spells of rain lead to soil erosion. Irregular rainfall now restricts farming to one crop cycle per year. Water scarcity is a pressing concern. In some areas, natural springs sustain farming, while in others, families are forced to migrate seasonally to find work.
In Kandhamal villages, livestock rearing, firewood, and Non-timber forest produce (NTFP) collection remain essential for extra income and sustenance but deforestation and resource depletion have impacted livelihoods. Women, who bear the responsibility for NTFP collection, shared the impact of these changes. “We gather honey, mushrooms, firewood, and bamboo from the forest to make roof for our houses, but deforestation has reduced their availability.” In Baniyanagar, women noted a significant decline in mushroom yields in the last five to six years, requiring longer time for collection. In Kueranga, recent pest infestations on turmeric crops have reduced yields, with prices plummeting due to a weak harvest season. One farmer noted, “We sold turmeric for Rs. 200-300/kg in past years but had to settle for Rs. 85/kg in 2024 due to poor yields from untimely rains last August.”
Villagers are finding ways to adapt. A self-help group (SHG) in Kueranga invested in a turmeric mill to reduce wastage.
Migration as a Necessity
Migration, particularly among men, has become central to household survival in these villages, with many migrating seasonally to states like Kerala, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu. Landowners too tend to migrate seasonally after planting or harvest, whereas for those without land, such as in Lokamari, migration is often year-round. “We plant turmeric after the rains in May-June and harvest it in January-February. After this, we have no work, so we migrate,” said a farmer from Kueranga. In Lokamari, most young men migrate after turning 18, while women stay back, managing families and sometimes engaging in local wage labour. While migration has long been a part of village life, the past decade has seen an uptick. “We’ve been migrating to Bombay, Kerala, and Andhra for the past 30 years. Since 2010, it’s become more frequent because there’s no work here during the lean season.”
Programme Gaps and Socioeconomic Dynamics
Many residents report difficulties accessing government programmes meant to support rural livelihoods, like subsidies for irrigation equipment or agricultural inputs. Despite productive farmlands in Daringbadi, water scarcity limits its potential. In Lokamari, SC households feel excluded from Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) opportunities. “The last time we got work through MGNREGS was six years ago,” a woman shared.
Mission Shakti, which seeks to empower women through self-help groups (SHGs), has increased loan caps, but achieving enterprise-scale initiatives remains a challenge. Loans are often distributed among members for personal needs rather than business ventures.
Despite government efforts to make MGNREGS a viable alternative to migration by increasing wages and workdays in migration-prone blocks, youth in Surada and Daringbadi prefer migrating to cities. Urban areas outside Odisha offer higher wages and greater stability and for educated young men, migration is also socially aspirational, as it carries a perceived higher status compared to similar work in rural areas.
Land ownership, agricultural practices, and caste appear to play a role in shaping migration patterns in these villages. Lower-caste households, often landless or with limited landholdings, frequently migrate to earn income, as agriculture offers little stability or opportunity for growth.
What are the ways to strengthen rural Odisha’s future?
Rural Odisha’s challenges reflect the wider issues faced by marginalised communities in India: climate vulnerability, limited livelihood options, and issues in accessing programmes. While these villages demonstrate resilience, targeted interventions that address environmental pressures, water accessibility, forest restoration and equitable programme participation are essential. Strengthening livelihood support systems and fostering community-driven solutions are vital to sustaining livelihoods under changing climatic conditions.
As we continue our research, make more visits to these villages and have conversations with the residents, we will be able to unpack the factors and trends shaping migration patterns in these regions and better understand their long-term implications.