Land has given a new meaning to my life...Budhubari lost her husband about six years ago. With three children to feed and no fixed source of income, she hardly had the time to mourn his demise. Life suddenly became tough and even two square meals turned out to be a luxury.With no land of her own, the only choice available with Budhubari was to become a wage labourer and somehow survive. “When food was a daily struggle, education for my kids…

Secure tenure on Hills transforming landscapes and livelihoods... Among the Kuki tribes of Manipur, the chieftainship system of land holding is still in practice. This system is subject to highly unequal land and power relations, where land ownership is the exclusive right and prerogative of the chief. Astonishingly, villagers have no rights over land whatsoever. Clearly, the land rights system is still one of great challenges in the Kuki Society. Despite this, there have been slight changes and evolution in land…

The Vanita Shakti Mahila Sangathan (VSMS) is a community based organisation of more than 2500 women from the Dhanpur block of Dahod, a primarily tribal district in Gujarat. The Sangathan has emerged over the numerous years of grassroots empowerment initiatives by Utthan. With the aim to demonstrate gender just, rights based mechanisms to deal with challenges faced by marginalised women of the area; Utthan has been partnering with VSMS on issues like safety, security, resource rights, access to basic entitlements, sustainable livelihoods…

The present Ziumi which I live is like any typical village built on a lovely meadow. This is situated about 102 KMs from District Headquarter Senapati.The great ancestors of Ziumi were with the ancestors of the Zeliangrong in all through their migrations down the ancient days from the South East Asia, and then migrated to Makhel to join with the rest of the Naga families. Their movement continued until they finally reached Makuilungdi which is considered the cradle of the Zeliangrong…

Inadequate laws and policies, patriarchal mindsets, an unwelcoming system, lack of mobility due to traditional patriarchal norms, and a dearth of information about laws, are just some of the main reasons for the uneven distribution, ownership, and control of land for women. Furthermore, women's participation and access to public forums in this context are limited, at best, whether it is in their own village, panchayat, block, tehsil or district. In Uttar Pradesh, the Revenue Department is often occupied in large part,…