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Field Reflections from the Northeast: Moving Toward Solar-Powered Livelihoods
Author: Omsai Shinde (Partnership & Insights Executive (CSR)
November 26, 2025
Over the past week, I travelled across Assam and Meghalaya as part of the ongoing Green Initiative project, meeting community members, visiting installation sites, and engaging with institutions working in the sustainability and renewable energy space. The journey was more than field verification; it was an opportunity to understand readiness, gaps, and the road ahead for scaling solar livelihood solutions.
What stood out throughout the visit was the strong willingness of communities to adopt climate-responsive technologies. In Umdihar, farmers shared their interest in solar dryers for turmeric, poultry lighting, and renewable-powered processing units. Their expectations were practical: reduced losses, lower operational cost, and improved livelihood stability.
However, alongside enthusiasm, a key bottleneck also emerged: the financial burden on beneficiaries when convergence is absent.
As of now, without aligned schemes or institutional cost-sharing, the margin money contribution becomes high, making these technologies financially challenging for many households. This highlighted the urgent need for structured convergence with government schemes, CSR programs, and institutional support to make adoption affordable and scalable.
Field visits in Ri Bhoi strengthened this understanding. Existing solar poultry light installations are functioning well, and beneficiaries reported improvements in night-time management and reduced mortality. Yet, the learning is clear, technology alone doesn’t scale; financing strategy does.
Institutional engagements brought clarity on this pathway. Meetings with MSRLS, academic institutions, and district authorities opened doors for collaboration and policy-backed expansion. There is visible alignment between renewable livelihood solutions and district/state rural development priorities. Conversations now need to transition into formal proposals, partnership frameworks, and integrated funding models.
Through the hills, farms, and villages of Meghalaya and Assam, a common narrative surfaced: communities are not resistant to change, they are waiting for enabling systems to make adoption possible.
A farmer in Ri Bhoi summarized the sentiment perfectly:
“We are ready to shift , we just need support to start.”
As we move forward, this visit reinforces a simple truth:
Sustainability becomes successful when technology, finance, and community readiness meet.
Sustainability becomes successful when technology, finance, and community readiness meet.
The Northeast is not just ready, it is already stepping forward. Our role now is to ensure the road ahead is accessible, supported, and scalable
