Youth attraction
Reached about 750 youths from 75 villages across five blocks of Dindigul and Karur districts with technology exposure and innovative farming approaches.
Agricultural technology & youth engagement
Introducing modern agricultural technologies and engaging rural youth in innovative farming practices.
750
Youth reached in 2015–16
75
Villages across five blocks
15
Training cum awareness programmes
60
Tractor operators trained, 2014–15
Understanding
What agricultural technology & youth engagement means
What is agricultural technology?
Agricultural technology is the application of modern tools, techniques, equipment and scientific methods to improve agricultural productivity, efficiency and sustainability — while youth engagement attracts young people to farming through innovative approaches and entrepreneurial opportunities.
Our programmes focus on bridging the gap between traditional farming and modern agricultural practice while making agriculture attractive to the younger generation. With technical support from the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University and Krishi Vigyan Kendra we began a precision farming demonstration with micro-irrigation on trust land, and in 2014–15 we trained 60 unemployed rural youths to operate tractors over 30 days, sponsored by the Star Club, Dindigul.
In 2015–16 the work scaled. Fifteen training cum awareness programmes on farm equipment, implements and drip and sprinkler irrigation reached about 750 youths from 75 villages across five blocks of Dindigul and Karur districts, alongside group formation to help young farmers reach distant markets, and a deliberate mix of enterprises: dairy for everyday income, goats and backyard poultry for money at any time, crops for periodic earnings, agroforestry trees for the long term, and honey, mushrooms and vermicompost for supplementary income.
- Technology adoption
- Digital literacy
- Agri-entrepreneurship
- Hands-on training
Why this work matters
The challenge on the ground — and our answer
The challenge
Young people leaving the farm
Agriculture struggles to attract the next generation — rural youth look outside farming for their future.
Our response
Make farming worth choosing
Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture (2015–2016) set out to show that agriculture could be smart work with high returns — 15 training cum awareness programmes reaching about 750 youths in 75 villages of Dindigul and Karur.
The challenge
A gap between traditional and modern farming
Traditional methods alone cannot deliver the productivity, efficiency and sustainability that modern agriculture demands.
Our response
Train hands-on, on real technology
Training that popularised farm equipment, implements and drip and sprinkler irrigation, alongside a precision farming demonstration run with TNAU and Krishi Vigyan Kendra.
The challenge
One crop, one payday
A young farmer relying on a single seasonal crop waits months between payments — too long to build a living on.
Our response
Income on four timescales
We charted technologies for everyday income from dairy, money at any time from goats and backyard poultry, periodical earnings from crops and long-term income from agroforestry trees.
The challenge
Too small to reach a real market
A young farmer selling alone cannot reach the distant markets where produce is worth more.
Our response
Organise, then sell together
Group formation among rural youth to empower them for distant markets, with supplementary income from honey production, mushroom cultivation and vermicomposting.
At a glance
The essentials
- Active since
- 2006Precision farming with micro-irrigation first recorded as a demonstration activity in 2006–07
- Youth reached
- About 750In 2015–16, from 75 villages across five blocks of Dindigul and Karur, plus 60 tractor operators in 2014–15
- Flagship programme
- Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture2015–2016; 15 training cum awareness programmes
- Technical partners
- TNAU & KVKTamil Nadu Agricultural University and Krishi Vigyan Kendra supported the precision farming demonstration
- Sponsor
- Star Club, DindigulFunded the 30-day tractor operator training for 60 unemployed rural youths in 2014–15
- Delivery model
- Hands-on training & exposureModern technologies, market linkages, business development support
Track record
Project portfolio, 2006–2016
| Programme | Period | Type | Highlights | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision farming with micro-irrigation | 2006–2007 | Demonstration | A demo plot on trust land with technical support from TNAU and KVK | Completed |
| Tractor operator training | 2014–2015 | Training programme | 60 unemployed rural youths trained over 30 days, sponsored by Star Club, Dindigul | Completed |
| Attracting and Retaining Youth in Agriculture | 2015–2016 | Training programme | 15 programmes for about 750 youths from 75 villages in Dindigul and Karur | Completed |
Impact
What agricultural technology & youth engagement changes
Technology adoption
Popularised farm equipment and implements, drip and sprinkler irrigation, and precision farming with micro-irrigation demonstrated on trust land.
Entrepreneurship development
Developed entrepreneurial skills among youth, enabling them to start innovative agribusiness ventures.
A machine skill worth money
Sixty unemployed rural youths completed 30 days of tractor operator training in 2014–15, sponsored by the Star Club, Dindigul.
Get involved
Support agricultural innovation
Join us in modernizing agriculture and engaging youth through innovative technologies and entrepreneurial opportunities. Your support helps create a vibrant, technology-driven agricultural sector that attracts and retains young talent.