Why I Picked This Book?
The title of the book was interesting and intriguing. I wanted to know more about how a person from a fast paced city life working with a reputed IT company quit his job and decided to move to farming in a rural area. I wanted to know why he decided to do farming, what were his initial challenges and overall experience.
The Book
The book is a story or a first hand experience of Venkat Iyer, who was in IT profession for about 15 years and decided to move away from the fast paced city life. Venkat has presented his story is a very simple and systematic way. It is easy to read and more than that it is very well researched guide for anyone who wants to switch over to farming.
It starts with the same question(s) most of us ask ourselves after spending 15-20 years in corporate job. I can relate to Venkat here. There are very few people who take the decision to quit a decent paying job. Very few among those have a plan ready before they quit, and very few among those with a plan succeed in implementing their plan efficiently. Venkat is one example who has done it right.
The book lays down his whole journey from planning what he will be doing after quitting his job, the actual ground work for the alternate he has chosen for himself and then how he proceeded with each step and what challenges he faced during the process. Everything is meticulously documented.
Venkat narrates the story about his search for a farming land, how he got it, how he decided on his first crop, his first year of farming and where he stands right now. His experience of living in a village and the challenges/perks of living in the village. Through out the whole process, one thing that is constant is his ground work and research on what he will be doing and that made him succeed in a field which was entirely new to him.
The book has many interesting anecdotes which makes it fun to read at the same time you get a lot of information and knowledge as well. The biggest challenge for any farmer and especially a small time farmer is marketing and understanding the supply chain. Venkat with his knowledge understood this and used it to his advantage.
All in all this book is an interesting read, it is easy and simple to understand. This book can serve as a guide for anyone who wants to start farming from scratch. It gives you a broad road-map, which if you follow along with your own research and ground work can be your go to book.
About the Author
Born in 1966, Venkateshwaran (Venkat) Iyer is a science graduate and acertified project management professional. He last worked with IBM in Mumbai asa project manager for software implementation. After seventeen years in the ITindustry, he quit in 2003 to live on his organic farm in Peth village in Dahanutaluk, Palghar district, Maharashtra. This is his first book.
He can be reached at moongovermicrochips@gmail.com.
Our Verdict
A fine read for everyone. For those who want start farming and want to make a livelihood out of it, this book can be more than a handy guide to you.
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