| SLC-S29/W6-“Thinking and Ideas!| One Idea Worth Spreading!”
Here I am with my idea in response to @ninapenda's - One Idea Worth Spreading- Thinking and Ideas.
I invite @jyoti-thelight @suboohi and @josepha
Share one idea you believe could improve lives (locally or globally).
Oh, we have tons of such problems and ideas, but since you have asked about one, I feel a practical idea that could truly improve lives, with an Indian perspective, resourceful innovation, community spirit, and self-reliance, is village-level "Solar Agri- Sceme" powered by affordable solar tech and farmer cooperative societies.
This fits India and even globally, but I will focus on India's large rural population, which depends on farming, but unreliable electricity, water scarcity, and market access hit small farmers hardest, especially in certain states. I know water scarcity in India might sound strange to you, but that's true.
Places like agricultural belts, these hubs would be community-run centers in every village council, using cheap solar panels to run essentials like cold storage, drip irrigation pumps, grain dryers, and EV charging for local e-transportation facility.
Why is this idea important now?
Farmers pool resources via apps like a local version of WhatsApp groups or Unified Payments Interface linked cooperatives, selling produce directly to urban buyers, bypassing the greedy middlemen who take 40-50% or even larger cuts.
It will improve the lives of local farmers, as it might boost income by 30-50% through better storage, no more post-harvest losses, which account for up to 20-30%, and fair pricing. Our rural women will gain time via mechanized tasks, and our youth will stay put in the villages with skill training in solar maintenance.
For example, an Indian farmer could store potatoes for weeks instead of selling them cheap at the market, which I feel he does as distress selling to avoid rotting. Youth get better facilities for further studies, and womenfolk increase their reach to the gadgets.
Don't you think it applies globally like it does in your continent, in Africa's sahel or Southeast Asia's rice belts? So, rural electrification without grids through solar power and cutting migration and hunger is my idea of tackling the situation.
I feel it's the best Indian way because it builds on existing local council systems, leverages government support to the labor force, and emphasizes self-reliant collectives. For example, if you are aware about Amul dairy started on cooperative basis did it successfully decades ago. And today, it's the biggest milk producer in the world working on cooperative basis.
Who do you feel needs to hear this idea the most?
Everyone, including our small and big farmers, youth, and rural women in India's heartland villages, like those in rice, potato, sugarcane, and wheat belts, needs to hear this the most.
They bear the brunt daily due to power cuts, which spoil their harvests. Also, the middlemen take advantage of potatoes that will fetch them more money if they have facilities to store them. As I said, in certain areas women still walk miles for water, missing family time or education. Youth migrate to cities for jobs, leaving their villages, which creates a gap in food production.
Our village councils, leaders and young entrepreneurs, the district management, and the members of state and national assemblies for applying solar schemes that already exist but are underused.
What is the first small step someone could take to begin?
If you ask me, the first small step will have to be taken by the farmers' group in their villages to estimate local needs. A group of trusted farmers at the village council office should discuss it with the council as well as block-level officers.
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They should tell their problems in detail and list points, like power cuts spoil milk, shortage of power deprives them of storage facilities for their produce, and the middlemen take advantage.
They should calculate the cost of solar panels and ask for more subsidy. They might start tiny, like a group-bought solar pumping set, or ask for cold storage facilities for their veggies.
This might sound like a small plan in the beginning, but the way our governments work on good ideas and act fast, it might change the life of our rural population.
https://x.com/simaodev11/status/2023400084294304022?s=20
This is not only a brilliant idea, but the benefits of solar panels have a significant impact on the well-being and economy of the community, as well as the state budget. Solar energy technology not only saves energy, manages agriculture, and increases crop yields, but also allows communities in the upper regions to harvest electricity.
Indonesia has also begun implementing solar energy technology for agriculture, such as driving water pumps (irrigation). However, unfortunately, not all areas are effective for solar energy technology unless supported by high solar intensity and suitable land. It is very possible for industrial and even household-scale energy sources.
Good luck, sir @dove11
Actually we have so much solar and wind energy sources and if take their full advantage of them we can reduce our crude export to less than half saving billions in foreign exchange. WE are working on these two and done a lot but yet a lot to be done. Thanks for your kind visit.