Jamshedpur: A steel city resident's model of producing organic vegetables and milk from Dutch cows reared in five villages of Dalma has earned accolades at a prestigious entrepreneurship summit at IIM-Bangalore, opening up the possibility of receiving guidance from one of the most accomplished incubators of start-ups.
Santosh Sharma's agro-entrepreneurship model M'ma Farm, spread across 100 acre in Dalma and empowering close to 5,000 local residents, was adjudged second among 213 entries in the "Other Incentive" category meant for projects making a social impact at Eximius held on August 4-5 by N.S. Raghavan Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning.
"We had participated in Eximius, aiming to get more innovative ideas in furthering our M'ma Farm model. More than the certificate and cash prize (Rs 20,000) we won, it has given us the opportunity to receive mentorship from experts at NSRCEL and funding for future expansion," said Sharma.
M'ma Farm lost out to a Chennai-based entrepreneur's model of making water from air that was adjudged first in the same category at the event organised by the N.S. Raghavan centre that is supported by the Centre, namely, departments of science and technology, IT, and Niti Aayog, Intel and Nasscom.
M'ma Farm had been selected by the innovation wing of IIM-Calcutta in July after a recce by a two-member team from the B-school's Innovation Park, a company formed to promote innovation in research and business. The team was impressed with the process of organic farming being followed and had assured Sharma of future collaborations to replicate the model in other towns.
"It is certainly exciting to receive the attention of two premier B-schools for our project based in the rebel-hit hinterlands of Dalma. We hope to get their support in taking our project to other cities," Sharma said.
Significantly, M'ma Farm had carved a niche for itself in 2016 by bringing organic vegetables and milk produced in Dalma villages to the doorstep of urban residents through its portal www.mmawithlove.com.
M'ma Farm provides pure milk from Dutch cows that munch on fresh organic feed grown in Dalma and organic vegetables grown in cow dung-based vermicompost. People can buy milk and vegetables also via email at order@mmawithlove.com or call at 9031730990.
Sharma has adopted five villages of the sanctuary for five years and employed over 5,000 villagers in the project. Fifty per cent of its earnings (sale from products) go towards improving health, education, unemployment and living standards of the villages.
