BEYOND
RELIEF
Floods and droughts across India are not just natural disasters—they are reshaping the nation’s food systems, economy, and farming futures. Farmers, especially women and marginalized groups, are carrying the heaviest weight of crop loss, rising debt, and inadequate relief. Their lived experiences are what must inform the readiness, resilience, and participation of communities transitioning to secure and sustainable food practices.
This is a collection of stories from across 12 states, capturing the voices of these farmers, fisherfolk, and labourers. Moving beyond the standard “disaster headlines,” these intersectional narratives highlight the hidden impacts on biodiversity, mental health, and indigenous knowledge.
Through their lived experiences, we aim to shift the discourse away from reactive, one-off disaster relief and toward systemic solutions that focus on supply chains, input costs, insurance, compensation and prevention of harvest losses.
Rapid Response · The Field
Stories from the Ground
Voices of farmers, women, fisherfolk, sharecroppers and labourers too often left out of the headline — reported with independent regional partners across India.
Punjab Flood and the aftermath captured through farmers around the Beas river
This story reflects the reality of thousands of farmers across flood-hit districts like Kapurthala, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur.
Farmers from Latur facing the aftermath of floods
This story follows farmers in Latur navigating flood aftermath, including crop and livestock losses and lapses in insurance payouts.
From Lakhimpur, UP - the grave condition of residents and farmers
This piece from Lakhimpur, Uttar Pradesh, captures the condition facing residents and farmers after flooding.
The intense scale of fertile land lost to continuous floods in Bihar
This reporting captures the scale of fertile land lost to Bihar's recurring annual floods.
Unseasonal Rains - how mountain food producers navigate weather shifts
This story follows food producers across four mountain regions as they navigate unseasonal rains.
Why Conserving Indigenous Rice Varieties Matters for the Future
This story explores how farmers are adapting crop varieties to a shifting climate.
Grounds for Resilience - can coffee survive without forests?
This piece follows Karnataka's coffee farmers and plantations through unseasonal rains and dry spells.
India's honey exports are rising exponentially, but at what cost?
Policy push for European bees to boost honey exports threatens native bee populations and small-scale producers facing climate stressors.
Taste of Konkan
Farmers and fisher communities across the Konkan on crop loss, indigenous knowledge, changing soil chemistry from fertiliser use, and unseasonal rains and drought - all told through the changing tastes of regional dishes.
Rising climate stress is pushing differently abled farmers to adapt
Solutions and adaptation by differently abled farmers - composting and land levelling to balance the destruction caused by unseasonal rains.
Fighting climate-triggered cacao disease - strengthening soil health
Unseasonal rains and changing weather have posed serious issues for cacao farming; adaptation through soil health.
Tribal Farmers Are Growing More Rice With Less Water– And Reviving Indigenous Varieties
Indigenous knowledge and adaptation to climate-induced crop loss through SRI methods.
Why Didn't Indian Farmers Warm Up To The Idea Of Zero Energy Cold Storage Chambers?
Examining the challenges faced by Indian farmers in adopting new practices.
How women's unpaid labour in livestock care has become a source of livelihood
How women's unpaid labour in livestock care has become a source of livelihood.
About Hands of Transition
Hands of Transition [Mãos da Transição in Portuguese] is a global initiative where communities become active leaders in the food system transformation in India and Brazil.
We believe the future of food begins with shared voices and shared knowledge and production — rooted in culture, driven by community, and shaped by lived experiences. Our goal is to elevate people-centred narratives and reimagine how food, climate, energy, and livelihoods can intersect to build a resilient future.
Hands of Transition brings a diverse network of actors together across the food space: producers, market players, consumers, researchers, and artists. By combining grassroots action, storytelling, cultural interventions, and ecosystem building, we advance holistic, community-led pathways for change.
Fertilisers Response
A second phase of field reporting on fertiliser policy, soil health, and what farmers are choosing. Launching soon.