NOTES FROM THE FIELD

How two young friends are riding the digital boom to help Indian farmers succeed

- Naorem Anuja

Santosh Jadhav, a 28-year-old farmer from Maharashtra's Sangli district, had never dreamt he would be trending on YouTube tending to his land. But as you watch his videos on Indian Farmer-the channel he runs with his friend, Akash Jadhav, 27,-you quickly understand why he is clocking in millions of views. Whether he is passionately discussing growing brightly coloured peppers in his polyhouse or meticulously explaining how to assemble a low-cost sound alarm to keep birds and beasts away from crops, Santosh's easygoing manner and upbeat, heartfelt presentation is sure to draw you in.

Set up in 2018, Indian Farmer was a result of the two friends' love of farming, technology and filmmaking. Their videos offer tips, advice and information on various aspects of agriculture: direct-farming techniques, agriculture-allied activities, new farming implements, agricultural apps and even IOT (Internet of things) devices that have cropped up in the sector. They cover how the agricultural markets work and share farming success stories from across the country too. Arguably the most popular section of the channel is its jugaad component, where the friends devise low-cost solutions to everyday problems and DIY mechanical quick-fixes. “We were looking to do something together. Agriculture was something we had in common. Plus, we were young and idealistic-we wanted to do something with a social impact", says Akash.