Rikin Gandhi is teaching the farmers of the country the keys to a better produce

As part of the Mahindra Rise Project, set out to pick 20 innovators from different fields, the July issue of Tehelka featured Rikin Gandhi, a 30-yearold. The article contains a shot of the geeky, Indian lad, who looks in his teens, while the article begins with a profound thought: “Oddly enough for someone who seems so committed to his task, land held little interest... it was the skies and astronomy that captivated him.” Despite what the writer wished to convey, land and air often hold different meanings to interpreters. If to someone land represents belonging, air is often where you don’t belong; similarly, air might signify the height of joy, land in that context could mean losing a grip. It could be interesting to note which school of thought Gandhi subscribes to. A postgraduate in aeronautics and astronautics from the MIT (US), and a licensed pilot, Gandhi decided to give up the lofty heights and focused on earth instead. Perhaps, for him, land symbolises stability, as he mentions in an interview, “I have been reading autobiographies of astronauts who see the earth from above with new perspective. They become philosophical; think about the futility of wars and human greed. Many become farmers, teachers and go all the way to reconnect...” Chance brought Gandhi to India, for a Maharashtra biodiesel project. After failing that, he got involved with a Microsoft Research Project in Bengaluru. It was around 2007, and the project looked at emerging markets and scope of technology in smallscale farming systems. A computer science graduate, Gandhi says, “For six months, we were going around exploring possibilities, visiting farmers. We began a partnership with an NGO situated on the outskirts of Bengaluru, Green Foundation, focusing on sustainable agricultural process and biodiversity. Like most NGOs, they were, too, bound by human capacity, finances and were interested to see if technology could add efficiency.” The idea was to start conversations with villagers and educate them about new techniques. Instead of the usual man-to-man demonstrations, the group thought that videos would help. “Initially, we had 20 TV sets, one each for a village, an investment of $20,” Gandhi remembers. The videos were then screened by the research group, in the evenings in schools, panchayat buildings and residences. The idea was not revolutionary nor were the results. “Krishi Darshan had been doing similar stuff for decades and only 10 to 15 per cent of our viewers implemented the techniques,” recalls Gandhi. There was a need to innovate on the existing idea. They experimented by making the process more inclusive. “We realised that localisation was important. People were getting information from different sources, but they did not know who to trust. From there came the idea of democratising the process,” says Gandhi, “So, we pondered over the question of who should produce the videos—shouldn’t it be the locals?” The group began training members of the partner NGOs and village communities. It worked wonderfully, shooting the 10 to 15 per cent data upto 70 to 75 per cent. The high-frequency screening of videos— once in every two weeks with a mediator available to answer questions—turned out to be affective. “The people who were being featured knew they would become role models for communities, and the people who watched it could identify with the faces.” After the initial success, Gandhi pondered over the viability to implement the project over a larger area. Thus, Digital Green came into being. Funded by the Gates and Forbes Foundations and the Centre, Digital Green works on the same idea, albeit with innovations. Within a short span, it has touched 2,000 villages in seven states and 150,000 farmers. The aim is to further this reach, and by 2015, as part of a collaboration with the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM), Digital Green plans to expand to 10,000 villages. Of course, there were initial hiccups. In Jharkhand there were villages surviving without power supply, so from rented TV sets they had to shift to pico projectors. The works of the Digital Green are open to all, easily available on Youtube. Perhaps their most innovative endeavour—the idea of a social network for farmers, Farmbook, their version of Facebook. Farmbook lists complete details of actual farmers registered with them. Then, there is Wondervillage, on the lines of Farmville, the notoriously popular, game. Wondervillage has been worked upon in such a way that it has not only adopted but meliorated the concept of its precursor, changing the virtual world of crops and colonies into a palpably real experience. “You are faced with problems of rural development, that’s where village gurus (actual farmers and members of Farmbook) come to your rescue.” Similar to those astronauts, in whose journals he sought inspiration, Gandhi wishes to continue his voyage by using the same platform and deal with institution building, health and nutrition next. On cards is a plan to tie-up with Vodafone which would enable audio distribution of programme through the mobile network. Truly digital, and green.