Pune: For farmers, a good harvest can mean a secure income for the family. But poor soil, irregular rainfall and rising farming costs often make this difficult. Working to address these challenges is Agro Rangers, a social organisation helping farming communities restore their land, improve crop production and find better ways to earn a living through agroforestry.
Founded in December 2019 by Siddhesh Sakore and Jayadip Sarode, Agro Rangers works with small and marginal farmers to make farming more sustainable. Siddhesh, who comes from a farming family in Kendur village in Pune district, and Jayadip, an electronics and telecommunications engineer, started the initiative after seeing how declining soil health affected farmers and their incomes.
During their time at Vigyan Ashram in Pabal, the duo worked on a soil-testing project covering 5,000 farms. The results showed that around 90% of the farms had soil organic carbon levels below 0.5%. This highlighted the need to restore soil health and find farming methods that could help farmers earn better incomes.
Helping Farmers Grow More Than One Crop
Agro Rangers explored different farming methods before focusing on agroforestry, which involves growing trees alongside crops. This approach can help improve soil fertility, provide farmers with different sources of income and make farms more resilient to changing weather conditions.
The organisation works directly with farmers through workshops, training sessions and demonstrations. It helps them plan plantations and provides saplings, biofertilisers, irrigation support and technical guidance. Regular field visits also help farmers understand how to adopt these practices on their land.
Agro Rangers helps farmers explore better markets and ways to process their produce, conducts plantation drives and farm visits for corporate teams and communities to encourage greater awareness of sustainable agriculture.
It currently works mainly in Pune, Parbhani and Beed districts of Maharashtra.
How One Farmer Changed Her Farm
For Varsha Daphal, a smallholder farmer from Dhamari village, farming had long been a struggle. Drought and irregular rainfall often damaged her crops, leaving her family facing uncertainty over their income.
In 2023, Agro Rangers helped her develop a plan suited to her farm. A total of 654 saplings of mango, lemon, sapota, papaya and drumstick were planted. The organisation also provided irrigation support and biofertilisers to help improve soil health.
Within the first year, Varsha harvested seven to eight tonnes of papaya and 50–60 kg of drumsticks. According to the organisation, she earned between ₹80,000 and ₹1.6 lakh from the harvest.
Growing different crops gave her more options instead of depending on a single crop. The changes also helped prepare her farm to better withstand dry spells and irregular rainfall. Her experience shows how planned cultivation, the right guidance and support can help farmers improve their earnings while making better use of their land.
Building a Team of Young Rangers
At the heart of Agro Rangers is its mission to improve the livelihoods of farming communities by restoring degraded farmland through agroforestry. The organisation aims to build a wider network of young rangers who can contribute to this work and help bring sustainable farming practices to more communities.
The team works across different areas, from planning and implementing agroforestry projects to providing on-ground support and using technology to improve operations. While Siddhesh leads fundraising, communication and administrative work, Jayadip oversees field implementation and technology-related activities. Together, they work towards helping farmers adopt practices suited to their land and local conditions.
Agro Rangers has worked with more than 300 farmers, supported agroforestry across over 315 acres of farmland and facilitated the planting of more than 1,98,000 saplings. It has also trained over 2,700 farmers and rural youth through its programmes.
Through its work with farmers and rural youth, Agro Rangers hopes to encourage more people to take part in improving agriculture and rural livelihoods.
Growing a Sustainable Future
Agro Rangers plans to expand its work across Maharashtra while helping farmers find better ways to sell their produce. It is also exploring value-added products such as jamun-based products, moringa powder and processed pulses and grains, which can create further income opportunities.
Another focus is encouraging more women farmers and self-help groups to participate in agricultural training and decision-making.
The organisation's larger mission is to improve soil fertility, increase farmers' incomes, strengthen climate resilience and reduce the impact of climate change through agroforestry.
