Farmers

Aarnav is only 17, but his work in the last three years has been instrumental in saving hundreds of farmers from losing hope in the Vidarbha belt after they suffered crop failures.

From riding the tractor and scooter to effortlessly coordinating with their 30 farm hands, she does it all single-handedly!

“We realised that although the government has so many welfare programs to offer, the end users are not aware of a majority of them… In rural parts access to internet and connectivity is a huge problem. Moreover, not everybody is tech-savvy to log on to the website.”

When he was selected and presented with the option to work with the prestigious Indian Revenue Services, he refused. Instead, he opted to work as an agricultural research scientist with the Indian Council for Agricultural Research (ICAR) to work with the tillers of the soil.

The innovative company kickstarted by Vedobroto Roy alongside his wife Chetana and their two-year-old daughter, Araadya, has developed a ‘snake guard’ in the form of a walking stick that a farmer can carry with him to the fields.

This unique method is quite viable for farmers, especially in regions with acute water shortage, saving them from the trouble of shelling out vast amounts of money for various irrigation methods.

Krishikala is a venture spearheaded by Seema Prasad to create awareness about the art form and train rural women artisans to craft gourds into beautiful showpieces and collectibles.

Vibhav noticed that the grown produce is mostly sold to village traders, the only buyers in such areas. He found that farmers often failed to receive a fair price for these crops, as there are numerous intermediaries involved in the process.

One of the main precautions that farmers take before the monsoon season is to spray copper sulphate to protect the crop from fruit rot disease. However, due to the twin problems of labour shortage and the height of the trees, it is a tortuous task.

While Rashtriya Kisan Mahasangh has already formally announced the nationwide strike, some key farmer outfits are staying away from the agitation.