Farming Innovation

Mushroom farming is one of the easiest ventures to start at home with little space and low investment. This beginner’s guide walks you through the basics of setting up a small-scale farm, choosing the right variety, and ensuring a healthy harvest.

In the hills of Uttarakhand, farmer Narendra Singh Mehra has transformed agriculture with his high-yield wheat variety, Narendra-09, while promoting organic sugarcane. His work is boosting incomes and inspiring sustainable farming.

Discover how ex-scientist Kamini Singh used her research to build Doctor Moringa Pvt Ltd, creating 22 moringa products and transforming incomes of rural farmers across UP.

Harsh Patil, from Nandurbar, Maharashtra, turned to innovative farming techniques after climate change affected his family's traditional crops. He started growing saffron using aeroponics in a small room, earning lakhs. He shares a step-by-step guide.

Lucknow-based Aishwarya Bhatnagar and Prateek Rastogi run Greenday to promote innovative farming methods and biofortified seeds that benefit both farmers and consumers alike.

Founder of Harvested Robotics, Rahul Arepaka (22) built Rakshak, an AI-powered laser-weeding robot that combats weeds without harming the crops. He is now using it to help farmers earn more.

Witnessing towering heaps of steel slag in Rourkela, Dr Shitarashmi Sahu turned industrial waste into eco-friendly bio-fertilisers. Her innovation not only improved soil health but also boosted farmers’ crop yields by 20%. Supporting 500 farmers, the initiative proves how waste can be transformed into wealth and sustainable livelihoods.

The easy-to-use self-watering system called ‘Osmos’ allows gardeners to keep a planted pot inside the water-filled bowl. The clay terracotta pot absorbs water and the soil inside the pot remains hydrated.

In Jharkhand’s mining districts, solar dryers, irrigation pumps, and cold storage units are helping smallholder farmers reduce waste and increase income. Through the JH-RESET project, supported by Swaniti Initiative, the state is also training mine workers for new roles in solar infrastructure, food processing, and green enterprises—redefining rural livelihoods.

NutriSens, a compact soil testing device developed in India, lets farmers analyse their soil in minutes without lab delays. Using just one gram of soil and a few simple steps, it provides real-time data to guide fertiliser use, improve yields, and restore soil health efficiently.