This study analyses participation in joint forest management (JFM). The study is based on in-depth interviews with 150 households of Forest Protection Committees (FPC) in Paschim Medinipur district in the West Bengal state of India. Based on a Principal Component Analysis (PCA) of 14...

Indian economy is still an agrarian economy more than 50% of people in India are still dependent on agriculture for their livelihood. Rainfed areas without any source of irrigation in the country still accounts for 60% of the cultivated area and these areas are home to majority of rural poor and...

West Bengal is well known all over the world for its expertise in arts and craft. Its artisans have skill in architectural splendors to its excellent works on crafts of conch shell. Not only are conch shell crafts beautiful and delicate, they are also considered to be extremely auspicious, as...

Using household-survey data in a village of West Bengal, we justify investments in solar lanterns. A government distribution program alone cannot sustain this activity. Willingness to pay by households for the new technology determines success of the program.