farmer empowerment

From onions and mushrooms to strawberries and processing units, SumArth’s holistic model transformed farming across 500 villages — turning recurring costs into recurring income.

This World Photography Day, step inside India’s fields through portraits of farmers who are saving seeds, reviving traditions, and growing crops that change lives.

Faced with crop spoilage in his village, 26-year-old Swuyievezo Dzudo used his science background to build a solar dryer that costs Rs 7,000. Now used by over 500 farmers in Nagaland, his invention is saving crops, boosting incomes, and earning national recognition.

Moved by the suffering in his hometown, Basaiah Hiremath left a high-paying job in the US to return to Karnataka. His solution? Moringa: a superfood that changed thousands of lives.

Kamini Singh, a former scientist, traded her lab coat for the fields of Uttar Pradesh, empowering over 1,000 farmers with organic moringa farming. What began with a Rs 9 lakh loan transformed into a thriving business worth Rs 1.75 crores, demonstrating how science and sustainability can uplift lives.

Pratibha Jha, an entrepreneur from Darbhanga, turned a Rs 500 investment into a successful mushroom farming business. With a monthly turnover of Rs 2 lakh, she now trains over 10,000 farmers.

In Vidarbha, where farmers have long struggled with hardship, Krushi Sarathi, a movement founded by a local farmer's son, is planting seeds of change. Empowering farmers with tools, technology, and knowledge, Krushi Sarathi connects them to brighter futures.

In 2021, three college friends Jagat Kalyan, Satyam Kumar, and Nitish Verma launched Taruwar Agro to make banana fibre folder, yoga mats, baskets, paintings, coasters, and more.

Engineer Madhu Kargund used his knowledge of farming to help other farmers in his village increase their livelihoods. His startup Tengin turns coconuts into a host of innovative products. Watch more:

When Somashekar Pogula's father passed away in 2013, it left a deep impact on him. In a bid to do something that would enable people to eat right and help farmers earn better, he started Adithi Millets in Kurnool, Andhra Pradesh.