agriculture platform that helps increase productivity and profitability for farmers, trained Maharashtra’s first female drone pilot, Linta Shelke Waghmare from Wardha district. This remarkable initiative underscores the company’s commitment to skill development while equipping more women as a crucial part of the country’s agricultural ecosystem.
By enlisting Linta in their drone training program, Salam Kisan has taken a step ahead to encourage gender neutrality in agriculture technology. She was trained under an intense five-day training program at a DGCA-approved institute. Linta’s determination and enthusiasm has broken down traditional gender-biased barriers, setting a precedent for the future of farming. Her achievement is not only an inspiration to aspiring female drone pilots but also a symbol of women’s potential in shaping the future of agriculture.
Dhanashree Mandhani, Founder & CEO of Salam Kisan, highlighted the significance of the initiative,
“A majority of women labor in agriculture is still informal, and their contributions aren’t accounted in our country’s GDP. While championing gender-neutral workspaces, we’ve been continually working towards including women in the formal fold. Among 100s of field officers, Linta has emerged as a beacon of change. From a field officer in the male-dominated landscape, she has risen to become Maharashtra’s inaugural drone pilot. I am extremely proud and excited to be on this journey with her. It’s also encouraging to see the Indian government take similar initiatives with their upcoming scheme where 15K women SHGs will receive agri-drones.”
Sharing her experience of Salam Kisan’s drone training program, Linta Shelke Waghmare said, “Growing up in a farming family, I always had an interest in agriculture. When I got associated with Salam Kisan, Dhanashree Ma’am encouraged me to equip myself with more skills. Her running a big company while modernizing agricultural operations inspired me. With her support, I completed extensive training and learned to fly a drone. It is like a dream come true, and I can now help farmers improve their daily operations. I am glad to contribute to our country’s agriculture. ”
Recently, Salam Kisan introduced the Capacity Building Program, a pioneering initiative offering drone pilot training and employment opportunities to rural youth. Beyond its core focus on skill development and job creation, this program is committed to nurturing leadership qualities and resilience within each participant.
Salam Kisan is a rapidly growing data-driven agriculture ecosystem providing centralized solutions for stakeholders in the agriculture ecosystem. They equip farmers with various solutions from pre-sowing to post-harvest, from AI-enabled crop planning calendars, equipment rentals, drone rental services, storage facilities, and produce marketplace, among others. In just 7 months, they have catered to over 22k farmers across 7,000 villages in India. They also launched a drone-based spraying service in collaboration with Farmers’ Producer Organizations (FPOs) on a rental basis for farmers in the Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
