During the Workshop on “Dynamics of Rural Livelihoods and Poverty in South Asia: Insights from Village Level Studies” on 5-6 November, 50 researchers from ICRISAT and project partners presented papers on income dynamics across five states and region. The level of farmers’ education and their engagement in non-farm sector activities were found to be the two most important factors explaining variations in household income across the survey sites in South Asia.

Two parallel sessions were organized: Dynamics of Rural Poverty, and Women’s Empowerment in Rural South Asia, wherein participants critically discussed the methodology used in measuring poverty dynamics and its complexities when using micro-level datasets.

During the brainstorming session on VDSA as a Platform for Research on Gender, Nutrition, Health and Sanitation, participants discussed and finalized the methodology for a newly planned regional research activity titled “Women’s empowerment in rural South Asia: micro-level evidences on labor participation, institutions and food security.”

The workshop was also attended by the project’s steering committee members: SS Acharya and NS Jodha; facilitators Wijaya JayaTilaka (Sri Lanka) and Prof Madheswaran, ISEC, Karnataka; Govind Kelkar, Consultant, International Center for Research on Women (ICRW); and Nitu Chaudhary, consultant.