For years, the farming community remained confined to their fields. When they made it to the news, it was for all the wrong reasons. Now, the narrative is changing, slowly but surely. Taking advantage of technology, more and more men and women from our villages are getting on to YouTube to offer unique content on the platform.
In the past few years, India-specific segments like farming have emerged as some of the fastest rising categories on YouTube. We chat up a few of these YouTube creators to find out more about their work.
All about agriculture under one roof
Darshan Singh from Haryana creates content about best practices when it comes to farming like organic farming, dairy, cattle feed and so on. Singh also covers crop fares in Punjab and Haryana in his channel, Farming Leader. Singh says that as a creator, he does not just want to talk about the problems that farmers face; he would rather equip them with holistic ways of solving a problem. “With technology climbing the upward graph, tapping into both urban and rural areas of the country, many farmers have become more aware of the advancement in their sector,” says Singh.
He adds that there are many outlets which offer content on agriculture, so he wants Farming Leader to bring everything related to farming under one roof. “Such farming channels are making sure that the right content reaches not only the traditional farmers but also attracts more and more youth to the sector. In the long run, this will be beneficial for the economy of the country and also ensure a good life for everyone,” concludes Singh.
Assisting fellow farmers
Yashwant Chaudhary, founder of My Kisan Dost, says that he has always loved visiting and spending time in villages. “A village is a different universe altogether. Of late, many people are stepping out of this universe in search of employment, education and for other reasons,” he says.
In 2015, he decided that he wanted to post videos about village life. He chose to make videos over blogging. Says he, “In the initial years of social media, people blogged. But later video became an easy platform to share your views. When it comes to content on rural India, there aren’t many people, who will sit down and read. They prefer watching videos because they are easy to follow.”
When he decided to start a full-fledged farming channel, there were people who thought it would never work. But that perception quickly changed. “Not just farmers in villages, but people from cities, specifically the youth, follow my content. This means that even the urban youth are showing an interest in agriculture,” he adds.
Talking about the type of content he generates for his channel My Kisan Dost, Chaudhary says that he makes sure he covers everything from dairy to poultry and even organic farming.
“A farmer is not going to listen to any random person talking about agriculture. So as a creator, I first identify successful farmers. My idea is that a farmer will listen to a fellow farmer, especially if he is successful,” says Chaudhary, adding, “It is a good idea to learn from industry experts because they can point out what will work and what won’t, things to avoid, challenges faced and tips to tackle problems.”
Today, farming cannot be limited to just sowing and harvesting the produce. Now, you have to learn how to market your product wisely and here social media skills can come in handy. “If the farmer knows how to use social media, then s/he is able to market their products without the middlemen eating a great chunk of the profit,” he adds.
Facilitating communication
Come to Village, a YouTube channel started by software engineer Ayyappan Nagaraj provides wholesome content covering multiple aspects of village life — the culture, games, food and tradition. It also heavily relies on reviewing tractors. Nagaraj believes that we now live in funny times where people earn money by spending time on their phones. So why not make it worth everyone’s time, he thought and thus he started his channel.
“YouTube-ing is an interesting job and what is even more interesting is the life in villages,” says Nagaraj. With many people moving to the urban areas of the country, life is being sucked out of villages. “There are many children and even youngsters who have never been to a village. If they cannot go to a village, why not bring the village to them?” questions Nagaraj. The creator adds that instead of just showcasing the life in villages, his channel is facilitating communication between the rural and urban side.
