Coming from a farming family, I want to work to improve the lives of farmers

My name is Yogesh R Khirale. I am from a small town in the Wardha district in the state of Maharashtra. I live with my father, my mother, and my wife. My father is a farmer by occupation.

I had always been interested in learning about the agricultural sector and wanted to work in this field. A part of this decision also came from the situation at home. As we are from a small town, our means of income were limited, our financial situation was not ideal, and my mother also faced a lot of health issues.

I had always seen our family struggling to manage our expenses from farming activities alone. Thus, I wanted to improve the working conditions of farmers.

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So, I managed to complete my BSc in agriculture from Dr P. D. K. V Akola University. Then I did a Master’s in agribusiness management from KITS College, Nagpur University. I have also completed a PG diploma in agricultural extension management from MANAGE Hyderabad.

In October 2020, I joined Tata STRIVE Skill Development Centre, Nashik as a facilitator of a farmer-producer organisation course in the agriculture sector. This is a new course meant for various stakeholders. During this course, I worked with Sahyadri Farms, NABARD Maharashtra, NABARD Nagaland, Lupin Foudation, and Leh-Ladakh farmer producer organisations, and trained a total of 660 farmers.

I have experience in agriculture, agribusiness management, capacity building, and skill development. My involvement in these sectors encouraged me to work more for farmers. I have worked with farmer-producer organisations for the last nine years to increase farmers’ productivity, profitability, and income.

I worked with the farming community at Sahyadri Farms. So, when Tata STRIVE offered me an opportunity, I decided to take it up and work with the farming community. I joined the organisation as a facilitator. This programme helps us to share with farmers skills that are essential in the current scenario. We are able to connect with a lot of farmers through this programme and its platform.

Other than this, I also managed the field officer agri course, trained the learners, and placed them in agri industries. Owing to my zeal to support learners and make a difference in their lives, I was promoted to centre manager at Tata STRIVE Extension Centre, Nagpur.

Going forward, I want to work deeper in the agri domain and tap into the rural sector. The agriculture landscape in India has huge potential. However, for the sector to perform at its best, skills are needed. I want to make sure that, through my efforts, I am able to reach small-time farmers and other stakeholders in the agricultural space and help them with the right set of skills through Tata STRIVE. I want to make a difference in the lives of small farmers and learners who are willing to take up agriculture as a career.