Before the first intervention begins, what does life look like for a marginal farmer in tribal Jharkhand and Telangana? This baseline study for BRLF’s initiative with state governments and HDFC paints that picture across four districts (Sahibganj, Godda, Pakur and Bhadradri Kothagudem), with control villages set aside to measure change later. It reveals rain-fed farms, incomes clustered at the low end and seasonal migration as a way of life, and maps where irrigation, climate-resilient farming, markets and community institutions can make the difference.