Creating New Markets for Tribal Art

Chandrakali Pushyam (far right) of the Gond tribe participates in a Roots Studio workshop alongside fellow artists and tribal members in 2016.
Photo credit: Poshali Goel / Roots Studio

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Winter 2018

In 2009, Chandrakali Pushyam was spending her days fishing, farming, grazing cattle, and taking care of her family. But when her husband, an indigenous artist from the Gond tribe, unexpectedly died that year, Pushyam suddenly had the sole responsibility of supporting her parents, in-laws, and two children. “I didn’t know how to handle the situation, so I started looking at my husband’s [art] and painting in his memory,” remembers 37-year-old Pushyam, who lives in rural Madhya Pradesh, a state in India.

This story appeared in the print edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review magazine as well as online. Continue reading the story here.

Health Insurance for Migrants

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Winter 2018

More than three million migrants live in Thailand, having crossed the border in search of higher wages and better job opportunities. But most aren’t able to pay for health care, despite being at high risk for dengue fever, tuberculosis, and several other infectious and respiratory diseases. “We knew that the Thai government health insurance program set up for migrants 20 years ago wasn’t working,” says Nicolas Durier, a physician who has worked in public health in Thailand and around Asia.

This story appeared in the print edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review magazine as well as online. Continue reading the story here.

Algae for Food and Green Jobs

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Spring 2018

Spirulina tanks on a rooftop in Thailand. — *EnerGaia grows spirulina on rooftops in Thailand—as well as in other underused spaces—as a way to maximize land for sustainable food production. Photo credit: EnerGaia*

Growing the blue-green algae spirulina, an increasingly popular “superfood,” doesn’t just yield a nutritious dietary supplement. It also combats climate change and, due to advances in the way it’s produced, can give individuals with limited resources a new way to generate income. “Spirulina is packed with protein, vitamins, and minerals, and can make a real impact on food security and sustainability,” says Saumil Shah, the founder of EnerGaia, a company that grows the microalgae.

This story appeared in the print edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review magazine as well as online. Continue reading the story here.

Plugging Into the Past

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Winter 2017

A hutong street in Beijing, China. Photo credit: Jorge Lascar courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

The majority of the ancient courtyard houses that form Beijing’s narrow hutong alleyways are now rubble, demolished over the past decades to make way for new development. But a quick, inexpensive method to modernize the houses’ interiors is slowly gaining traction—and it could become a key to preserving not only these historic structures but also the culture that has developed around them over the centuries. Up to one million Beijing residents still live in the approximately 30 percent of hutong houses that have escaped demolition.

This story appeared in the print edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review magazine as well as online. Continue reading the story here.

All Aboard the Food Forest

Stanford Social Innovation Review | Fall 2016

Rendering of barge on the water filled with fruit trees and vegetable crops. — *Rendering of SwaleNY concept: a floating barge filled with fruit trees and vegetable crops that travels from port to port for public education and consumption. Image credit: Swale*

In New York City, where land is valuable and developers can rake in big profits, community gardens are being uprooted to make way for more profitable ventures. As a result, some families are losing a key source of fresh food. But what if members of the public had access to a site where they could pick freshly grown fruits and vegetables for free? And what if the space it occupied was not at risk for development? That site now exists.

This story appeared in the print edition of Stanford Social Innovation Review magazine as well as online. Continue reading the story here.