GRASSROOT IMPACT USING DESIGN STRATEGY
Spring 2026 | The Design Village × Feeding India
THE APPROACH
For over two months, a multidisciplinary team at TDV undertook immersive fieldwork across Anganwadis, households, villages, and Feeding India's ecosystem. Using ethnographic research, systems mapping, behavioural inquiry, and stakeholder engagement, the team examined the social, cultural, spatial, and operational factors shaping children's experiences and nutrition outcomes.
2-day visit across 7 Anganwadis, the FI Central Kitchen, and community households in Nandurbar
01
Field Immersion
Policy, spatial, behavioural, and systems analysis. Open coding, stakeholder narratives, futures mapping
02
Context Research
Field observations distilled into grounded design insights and 50+ HMW (How Might We) directions
03
Insight Synthesis
Context-rooted design interventions across spatial, programmatic, and systemic dimensions
04
Design Strategies
Taskbox III | 1st Year Postgraduate Learners
Academic Mentors: Anusha Dhawan, Dharun Rao, Ipsita Rajak, Jill Gajera, Komal Kotiya & Mayank Raj
Learners: Abhijay, Anant Patrick, Anu V, Arpit Arora, Ashish Singh, Ashneet Kaur, Ashritha Umesh, Dekid Wangmo, Divyanshi Sharma, Enamika Passah, Jessica Smith, Mansi Bhagat, Mogili Venu, Naina khanna, Nandana Suresh, Pankhuri Garg, Shreya Singhal, Tanisha Dixit, Tejaswini, Vanshika & Vranda Singhal
A design research and strategy project across 224 Anganwadi centres in Nandurbar, Maharashtra, serving over 7,700 children. The project explored how Anganwadis could become trusted spaces where nutrition, play, learning, and caregiving improve attendance, retention, and belonging
FROM INSIGHT TO INTERVENTION
The research revealed that malnutrition extends beyond food access to issues of trust, belonging, participation, and caregiver engagement. Based on these insights, the team developed seven scalable design concepts spanning community engagement, child-centred play, and low-cost communication and spatial interventions, all designed to integrate with existing Anganwadi systems.