The Indian Young Farmers Forum, a collective where successful farmers mentor those new to farming

The collective is dedicated to training young farmers across the country, starting with Tamil Nadu

Six years ago, Pradeep Kumar Manickam, 39,began farming on his arid ancestral land in Karur, Tamil Nadu. The barren five-acre farm is now a flourishing ‘food forest’ with 200 varieties of edible native species. Similarly, A Jai Ganesh, 45, conducted repeated trails with dragon fruit cultivation for over five years, before converting his one-acre plot at Illupanagaram village near Udumalpet into a thriving farm with 4,000 plants, of which 80% are already fruiting. “It’s time to talk about economic success in farming,” says Saravanan Chandrasekaran, 32, who has formed Indian Young Farmers Forum, a collective where successful farmers mentor newcomers. “Identifying success stories is the first step, followed by farm visits to replicate the model.” The forum has 75 members, with an age cap of 45. However, experienced mentors of different ages form the advisory panel.