Farmer innovation

SK4, a high-yielding turmeric variety developed by Sachin Kamlakar Karekar, is transforming farming in 13 states across the country.

Maharashtra farmer Kakasaheb Sawant grows the HRMN-99 apple variety, which was first conceived by Himachal farmer Hariman Sharma. Here’s how both farmers have been able to cultivate this low-chill variety.

Hyderabad resident Kadavendi Mahipal Chary has built an affordable farming machine that cuts labour costs and cultivates fields, for which he has won a national-level award.

Engineer Kaustabh Donde and his firm AutoNxt Automation have built India’s first driverless electric tractor that can be operated remotely. Watch this video to see how it works.

Abdul Khadar Nadakattin from Dharwad in Karnataka has 24 innovations under his belt. The niche but problem-solving machines and innovations help farmers with everyday solutions and have also increased their yield up to 25 per cent

Farmer Yogesh Sonar from Chhattisgarh has innovated the Earth Elixir, an eco-friendly and biodegradable product made from tapioca and six other compounds that helps farmers save water and improve crop production

Ashok Jadhav, an organic farmer from Chinchner in Maharashtra, built a ‘jugaad’ device that is now a hit among the farming community.

Pradeep Kumar, a resident of Petwar village in Hisar, Haryana, developed an innovative solution to prevent solar panels from being stolen from farms. His startup TG Solar Pumps provides one year of free servicing of the portable devices.

Using scrap, farmer Nitin Ghule from Maharashtra built a mulching machine that saves time, money and even the labour involved. He has already received 100 orders for his innovation

Maqbul Shaikh from Nilanga village in Latur, Maharashtra, has built a 10 Hp bullet tractor that can be used for sowing, weeding, spraying pesticides and ploughing, reducing the dependency on labour, and costs Rs 1.6 lakh. The vehicle is also fuel-efficient