We feature a collaborative blogpost by our Research Associates,  Nikita Taniparti and Suraj Nair.

Access to money, and more broadly, access to finance and economic empowerment are at the heart of economic growth and development. Very often, financial freedom is restricted due to various economic, social, and in a few instances, political constraints. Rural communities in developing nations are especially vulnerable to this paucity of formal financial markets.

Historically, sources of credit and the ability to borrow money and capital have been divided into two categories: formal and informal sources market. While formal sources consist of conventional private banks, public sector cooperatives, and other financial institutions (e.g. Regional Rural Banks, Primary Agricultural Credit Societies, etc.) the informal lending market is a vague term to use in that it encompasses a large set of lenders ranging from moneylenders, financiers, landlords, traders and shopkeepers, friends and relative…

This article was originally featured as a journal under the study, "Livelihoods research: Translating research into policy and practice" by IFMR LEAD. The article has been authored by Deepti Kc.

Today,both government and non-government bodies are adopting a Community Driven Development (CDD) model, which operates on the principle that the poor can effectively identify their needs; thus, when provided with adequate information, appropriate capacity and financial support, they can address problems by partnering with local governments and other supportive agencies. Such a model also promotes the services of Resource Persons who provide technical assistance to the beneficiaries. One such project that follows this model is the Bihar Rural Livelihood Project (BRLP), conducted by IFMR LEAD. 

One of BRLP’s livelihoods interventions is farm intervention in which it offers low-cost scientifically proven farming techniques that enhance the productivity of crops. Village Resource Persons …