Rajeev Singh Highlights the Transformative Potential of Rural Entrepreneurship at IGKV Raipur
Raipur, 13 August 2026:
A seminar on “Rural Entrepreneurship: Innovation, Enterprise and Sustainable Livelihoods” was organised at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya (IGKV), Raipur, on 13 August 2026. The programme brought together agricultural scientists, faculty members, researchers, students and aspiring entrepreneurs to explore how innovation and enterprise can create sustainable livelihoods across rural India.
Rajeev Singh, Founder of Sansar Green, delivered the keynote address. A leading Indian agripreneur, environmentalist and natural farming expert from Jharkhand, Singh has extensive experience in sustainable agriculture, soil health management, bio-inputs, plantation development and rural enterprise creation. He has also shared practical agricultural knowledge with farmers as an expert on All India Radio and Doordarshan.
The programme was attended by Prof. Girish Chandel, Vice-Chancellor of IGKV; Dr. Vivek Kumar Tripathi, Director of Research Services; Dr. S. S. Tuteja, Director of Extension Services; Dr. Arti Guhey, Dean; senior agricultural scientists, faculty members and representatives of the university’s research and extension ecosystem.
Delivering the keynote address, Singh said that rural India should no longer be viewed merely as a supplier of agricultural raw materials. With the appropriate combination of scientific knowledge, technology, entrepreneurship and market access, villages can emerge as centres of innovation, processing, manufacturing, value addition and employment generation.
He observed that many farmers apply fertilisers and other inputs without having adequate information about the nutrient status of their soil. Such practices can increase cultivation costs, reduce input efficiency and adversely affect long-term soil health. Regular soil testing, location-specific microbial solutions and crop-specific nutrient management can help farmers make informed decisions and achieve better results with the appropriate use of inputs.
Singh presented Sansar Green’s “Mitti Se Mandi Tak” model, an integrated approach connecting soil diagnostics, soil- and crop-specific bio-inputs, artificial intelligence-based crop advisory, farmer training, produce collection, value addition and market linkage.
Explaining the innovation behind the model, he highlighted the importance of developing beneficial microbial strains adapted to local soil and climatic conditions. Agricultural solutions developed for one geographical region may not produce similar results elsewhere because soil composition, temperature, rainfall, crops and farming practices vary considerably.
He emphasised that biofertilisers and biological crop solutions should therefore be selected according to the specific soil, crop, climate and nutrient requirements of each location. This locally responsive approach can improve input efficiency, support soil biology and deliver more reliable outcomes for farmers.
Discussing entrepreneurship opportunities for young people, Singh identified bio-input manufacturing, soil-testing services, seed production, nursery development, farm machinery services, grain cleaning and grading, food processing, agricultural logistics, packaging, digital crop advisory and direct-to-consumer marketing as promising rural business sectors.
He encouraged students to begin their entrepreneurial journeys by visiting villages, interacting directly with farmers and identifying genuine problems at the grassroots level. According to him, a successful rural enterprise must offer an affordable, practical and scalable solution that produces measurable benefits for farmers.
Singh also emphasised that farmers’ trust cannot be built through marketing alone. Rural enterprises must demonstrate consistent product quality, transparent communication, reliable technical guidance and verifiable field-level performance.
An interactive session followed the keynote address, during which students raised questions about startup funding, incubation, product development, certification, technology commercialisation, digital marketing and the challenges involved in establishing an agricultural enterprise. Singh shared insights from his entrepreneurial journey and encouraged students to validate their ideas in the field before developing full-scale business models.
Prof. Girish Chandel highlighted the important role of agricultural universities in connecting scientific research with farmers, startups and rural industries. He stressed that entrepreneurship-oriented agricultural education can enable students to become innovators and employment creators while contributing meaningfully to agricultural development.
Dr. S. S. Tuteja underlined the need for closer coordination among research institutions, agricultural extension systems and rural entrepreneurs so that scientifically validated technologies can reach farmers more effectively. Dr. Vivek Kumar Tripathi emphasised the importance of translating research outcomes into practical and commercially viable solutions without compromising scientific quality and credibility.
The programme concluded with a call for stronger collaboration among agricultural universities, scientists, startups, farmers, government institutions and rural communities. The seminar reinforced the view that rural entrepreneurship can generate sustainable livelihoods while strengthening soil health, agricultural productivity, local value addition and farmers’ access to markets.