By Dhyana Balasubramanian, GIS Analyst, Conscious Planet - Save Soil and Senthilkumaran, Media executive, Save Soil - Regenerative Agriculture (SS-RR)

Save Soil Regenerative Revolution successfully organised the Agri Startup Festival 2.0, a mega event that brought together over 5,000 farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, and innovators under one roof at SRM University, Chennai. The event featured immense potential of natural farming, agri-startups and an exhibition of more than 100 innovative agri-products.

What’s so special about this event?

The mega-seminar offered participants a unique opportunity to learn directly from experienced practitioners, and take concrete steps toward building resilient agri-businesses. Participants included farmers, homemakers and youth looking for a promising future in agriculture based businesses.

Farmers were super attentive during the sessions, many were jotting down notes and snapping photos of the slides. They had come not just from different cities of the state but from other states too. Apart from listening to the talks, farmers naturally started networking. They were genuinely curious to meet each other, share experiences, and see what others were doing on their farms.

The festival was graced by dignitaries from academia and industry. The sessions featured nine speakers ranging from farmers who became successful agripreneurs by adding value to their own produce, to entrepreneurs who built brands around natural products. It also included dignitaries from NABARD, business consultants, brand developers, and experts in packaging and digital solutions.

In the Q&A, the farmers kept stressing how much they need guidance on farming practices, on adding value, and on where and how to sell their produce. They stayed till the end of the program and the patience they carried throughout this 9 to 5 event spoke volumes about the hope they held that this event might give them something to ease their struggles and support their livelihood.

The speakers really struck a chord with the farmers, urging them to nurture determination and look at farming not just as production but also through the lens of branding, packaging, and reaching markets effectively. Their words gave the farmers hope and direction to try new things. Read on to discover inspiring Stories and insights.

Highlights from the speakers

Vijaya Mahadevan, Founder, Vaseegara Vedha

A homemaker from Thanjavur with a Tamil literature degree, Vijaya turned her personal practice of preparing Ayurvedic remedies into Vaseegara Vedha in 2017, launching on Instagram at age 50. Known for hibiscus-based beauty and self-care products, she now cultivates 3,500 hibiscus and rose plants across three acres to ensure authenticity. Her brand has grown to 60+ products, reaching 6 lakh customers and generating ₹24 lakh annually while employing 15 women. She is expanding with an eco-friendly factory and Tech Vaseegara, a platform to support one lakh agri-based startups. Vijaya shared her inspiring story and her message was beyond money or skills, desire is the true foundation of any business.

Dhanalakshmi Vignesh, Founder, Dhana Food Products

An HR professional turned entrepreneur from Madurai, Dhanalakshmi started by preparing healthy meals for her family, which led to Dhana Food Products in 2020. Her brand now offers 100+ value-added products like traditional rice, millets, spice blends, and health mixes, earning ₹1.2 crore annually. She emphasized that traditional grains are rich in nutrition and that food itself can act as medicine and illness reduces when the body gets proper nourishment. Her message: Restoring traditional foods is key to health and heritage. More importantly, traditional millets, rice varieties, and natural produce in general hold strong market demand.

Archana Stalin, Founder, MyHarvest Farms

Once an IT professional, Archana’s farming journey began with terrace gardens before she and her husband leased land in 2015 to pursue natural farming. By 2016, they launched MyHarvest Farms, starting with 18 families. Today, the farm-to-home delivery network reaches 15,000 families, working with 300 natural farmers and 70 young professionals. Archana highlighted the loss of native crop diversity and the health risks of processed food. She urged youth to reconnect with agriculture, stressing, “AI cannot farm. Farming must be lived and passed on.”

Hari Rama Krishnan Kannan, Founder, Palm Era Foods

From a family of palm climbers in Tirunelveli, Kannan left his IT career to revive Tamil Nadu’s palm-based economy. In 2021, he founded Palm Era Foods, creating value-added palm products like jaggery with longer shelf life and health benefits. Featured on Startup Singam, he secured ₹1 crore investment. His vision is to conserve palm trees, support climbers’ livelihoods, and offer sustainable alternatives to sugarcane-based products. He also shared tips on value addition and financial planning for farmers.

M.K. Anand, Founder, See Change Business Consulting

Anand emphasised the critical role of MSMEs, contributing nearly 50% to global growth and 30% to India’s production. He advised entrepreneurs to identify strengths, assess market value, develop clear strategies, and use government schemes to support growth. His practical guidance covered financial planning, sourcing raw materials, and effective marketing, positioning MSMEs as the backbone of India’s economy.

Dr. P.S. Hari Krishna Raj, GM, NABARD (Chennai Region)

Dr. Raj outlined NABARD’s extensive support for agri-startups, from incubation programs like MABIF to credit via NABKisan Finance and scale-up funding through NABVENTURES making NABARD a strong partner for rural entrepreneurship.

Vasantha Kumar, CEO, Brand Mindz

From humble beginnings, Vasantha Kumar built expertise in marketing and digital strategy before founding Brand Mindz. His agency now helps businesses strengthen visibility and online presence while employing many first-generation graduates from rural areas. He shared practical insights on marketing basics and digital tools, inspiring rural youth to pursue entrepreneurial paths.

Aswin Kumar, Founder, Shapers Studio

Inspired by his family’s small business in Madurai, Aswin founded Shapers Studio in 2010, specializing in FMCG packaging, branding, and design. With experience in printing and corporate roles, he now supports entrepreneurs with strategies to strengthen market presence. His session highlighted the importance of effective branding and packaging in growing a business.

Vasanth Selvam, CEO, EDII Horti Business Incubation Forum

He started with a brief introductory exercise and then shared his key message: the importance of setting clear, measurable goals and systematically working towards them. He stressed the need to define a focused product and target customer segment, and highlighted the value of offline marketing—an approach that is becoming increasingly uncommon in today’s digital-centric environment.

The Q&A session with farmers reflects the need for guidance not only on farming methods but also on value addition and market access.

• Promoting natural farming practices: Model farms in each district to showcase the productivity and cost-effectiveness of natural farming methods. Provide subsidies and schemes that support soil health-building inputs and promote gradual, low-risk transitions away from chemicals. Highlight successful natural farmers through peer-to-peer learning to build trust and adoption.

• Value addition and marketing focus: Conduct training and certification programs on processing, packaging, branding, and digital marketing to enhance farmers’ income. Facilitate connections with local, national, and global buyers through both physical and online marketplaces.

• Advisory services: Set up a centralised helpline or single-window platform to offer region-specific guidance across the entire chain—from sustainable farming practices to market access and business development