While her peers in Delhi focused on securing traditional jobs, Anushka Jaiswal from Lucknow hesitated to pursue a career just for the sake of it. “I didn’t want a desk job. I wanted to do something at the ground level,” she reflects.

As she started exploring different careers to find what truly resonated with her, she stumbled upon terrace gardening. Growing plants and vegetables on her terrace eventually led her to discover a passion for agriculture — a field that was both fulfilling and aligned with her values.

The turning point came one evening during a casual conversation with her brother, which encouraged her to enrol in a horticulture training programme.

She explored various agricultural courses, including mushroom cultivation. “I learned about protected cultivation, hydroponics, and more,” she recalls. This training gave her the knowledge to break away from traditional farming and look for new possibilities.

In August 2020, Anushka started her polyhouse farm in Mohanlalganj, just outside Lucknow. “We created a microclimate with temperature and humidity regulation,” she explains. She was determined to grow high-quality produce and protect it from unpredictable weather — something traditional farming can not guarantee.

Her first crop, English cucumbers, yielded an impressive 51 tonnes — nearly three times the output of conventional farming. Her polyhouse farming methods were proving to be a game-changer for her farm.

Next, she expanded her farm to six acres and started cultivating exotic vegetables like red and yellow bell peppers, kale, bok choy, zucchini, and more. “Protected cultivation is the future of agriculture,” she firmly believes, and it has enabled her farm to thrive despite the odds.

Her produce quickly gained recognition. “Madam ke khet ke shimla mirch (bell peppers from Madam's farm)” became a local favourite.

Not only in Lucknow but her vegetables also reached quick commerce platforms like Blinkit and Big Basket, as well as wholesale markets in Delhi and Varanasi.

Anushka now employs 25-30 workers, most of whom are women. She takes pride in providing them with opportunities in a field where women are often underrepresented. Their commitment and skill have been instrumental in the farm’s success.

“When I started, people doubted me. They weren’t used to a woman practising this new form of cultivation,” Anushka recalls. Despite challenges like building capital-intensive infrastructure and the lack of experienced trainers, she persevered.

Anushka actively shares her knowledge with aspiring farmers, offering farm tours and advice on starting similar ventures. “Start small, and you can achieve great things,” she encourages, hoping to inspire more women to step into the farming world.