Featured image courtesy: Pune Pulse

The interviews and reporting for this story were conducted in October 2024.

During placement season at Hindu College in Delhi in 2017, as students spent hours preparing for interviews, one girl remained unfazed. Anushka Jaiswal, President of the placement cell, was expected to secure a job offer, yet she chose not to accept one.

The 28-year-old from Lucknow was clear about her goal — she wanted to make an impact at the grassroots level. While she hadn’t figured out the specifics, she was certain of her motivation. Prior to that, she had pursued French at St Stephen’s College but felt unsatisfied and returned home in search of her purpose.

Her quintessential “aha” moment came from a humble attempt at growing plants on her terrace, including tomatoes. Enjoying the process, she began to explore the potential of agriculture as a career. One evening, while sipping tea, a conversation with her brother gave her just the push she needed to pursue this path.

Encouraged by her brother, she enrolled in horticulture training at the Institute of Horticulture Technology in Noida. Additional agricultural courses cemented her interest in protected farming.

After extensive research and equipping herself with the necessary courses, she started a polyhouse farm on an acre of land in 2020. Over the past four years, she has made a name for herself in Lucknow and surrounding areas for her exotic vegetables, particularly different types of bell peppers.

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