Farming  

Gyanesh Tiwari conducted thorough research and received necessary training to open his dairy business. When he encountered a challenge of disposing cow dung, he recognized the potential in utilizing it rather than considering it a waste. In the year 2016, Gyanesh Tiwari received training in vermicomposting, and laid the foundation of his vermicompost production business.

Satyendra Verma is a strawberry farmer from Barabanki, Uttar Pradesh. In the early stages, he faced challenges in selling the produce and had to educate traders about the benefits of strawberries. Presently, he earns Rs 5 lakh per acre annually.

Rema Devi is a resident of Kottayam, Kerala. She has been growing vegetables and fruits on her terrace for the last 19 years. Presently, she makes Rs 55 thousand in a month from the produce of her terrace garden.

Farmers commonly face challenges such as insect infestations in sugarcane crops, losses caused by stray animals, and delayed payments of their production. Dharmendra Tomar sought a solution to these issues. He introduced a simple and cost-effective solution which involved lemon grass cultivation.

78-year-old Thomas Kattakayam acquired his farming skills from his father who was well skilled in the matters of growing healthy vegetables and fruits. Over the last few years, he has cultivated 400 varieties of jackfruit. With an aim to educate people about sustainable agriculture through his initiatives, he makes Rs 4,00,000 per acre.

Abhishek Chaudhary got the idea of making an affordable crop protection solution when he pondered on how to prevent wild animals from causing damage to the fields. The device utilizes light and sound to instil fear in animals, prompting them to move away from the fields without any harm.  

Ramesh Rupareliya, hailing from Gujarat, earns Rs 8 crore in a year with his ghee business. In the year 2005, he established ‘Shri Gir Gau Krishi Jatan Sanstha’ and started selling dairy products like ghee, curd, and milk. Today, Ramesh Bhai exports his dairy products to 123 countries.

Kuldeep Singh Rathi, the Managing Director and Chairman of ASK Automotive Limited, appeared for UPSC exams to fulfil his father’s wish. After working as a deputy SP for a few years, he quit his job and worked as a contractor in CPWD. In 1988, he established his own company and today, he makes profits in crores.

Rajpal Singh Narvariya had to discontinue his studies due to financial constraints but his curiosity drove him to explore the hidden cave of innovations he was meant to be known for. After making around 20 machineries, he has not abandoned his will to invent something new and continues on the path of creation.

Dr Prabhakar Rao worked as an architect for years in Dubai and later did his PhD in Plant Breeding and Genetics. His passion to encourage sustainable farming methods among farmers brought him back to India. And now he has revived over 500 seeds of vegetables that were going extinct.

Overcoming all the obstacles at the beginning of his business, Dr Nitin Singh now works with over 1700 farmers. He produces various products from his beekeeping business and provides training to women and young individuals to become independent.

Uttar Pradesh’s Rajkumar Mishra made paddy threshing machines in efforts to make his family’s financial condition better. He was awarded with a sum of Rs 1 lakh for making these machines, by the Grass Root Startup category at Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Technical University.

Agra’s Mrinal Agrawal has a background in mechanical engineering. Despite receiving job offers from abroad, he decided to support local farmers through various programmes. So far, he has provided employment to many villagers through his business of selling milk products and vegetables.

Akshay Srivastava invested a sum of Rs 10,000 and started his business of manufacturing organic fertilizers. He learned about the harmful side-effects of chemical fertilizers and started his research to find better alternatives.

Tathagat Barodh form Madhya Pradesh took up farming as a career after completing his studies from NIT and IIT.  He did not do a private job and has been involved in organic farming practices for the last 5 years. Crops like moringa, amla, turmeric, gram, lemon grass are grown on his fields. The other farmers of his area look up to him for inspiration and consider him a role model.