Taking an Ecosystems Approach: Samarthan’s Work on Rural Poverty in India

Rural poverty continues to be a scourge in India, affecting tens of millions of households despite years of strong economic growth for the country overall. In 2005, the government of India created the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to address the lack of income of rural households. Over the past decade the program has been expanded to the entire country, reportedly becoming the largest employment program in history. MGNREGS is mandated to provide adult members of rural households with 100 days of paid work that contributes to locally-prioritized public works projects. This guaranteed employment should provide a revolutionary and essential safety net for rural households that lack other income sources or whose labor is exploited at very low wages by landed elites.