In the early 1990s, a TV series on farmers aired on Doordarshan. Amchi Mati Amchi Manasa (Our land, our people) became an iconic show that highlighted the lives of farmers from different parts of Maharashtra as they shared the difficulties they faced every day at work. Its ‘gappa-goshti’ segment was this writer’s favourite, where newer techniques adopted to boost yield became the focus of discussion. Almost three decades later, a similar idea is empowering the  shetkaris of India.

Indian Farmer is a YouTube channel that childhood friends Akash Jadhav, 26, and Santosh Jadhav, 27, launched in 2018. Hailing from a small village in Vita, Sangli district of Maharashtra, the duo had grown up observing agricultural activities in the vicinity. Since Santosh came from a  family of farmers, he was certain that he would make a career of it one day. “For generations, we have farmed on an 11-acre land, where we grow sugarcane, capsicum, tomato, all kinds of home vegetables, mango and pomegranate,” says Santosh, who dropped out of academics before he could graduate.