Thread by @thebetterindia

(1/15) Janaki Amma Kona, 23, started working in the cotton farms along with her siblings when she was 19. Having spent her entire life in the fields, farming is all she knew.

@NokiamobileIN

(2/15) After her father passed away a few years ago, her passion for farming grew stronger as this was the only path for their survival.
But, the 2-acre land that her family has tilled for decades doesn’t belong to them. It has been allocated to them as tribal land.

(3/15) And Janaki, like many indigenous farmers, is caught in a long-drawn land dispute waiting for the ownership papers to arrive.
This is just one of the challenges that the tribal farmers from villages in Vizianagaram district, Andhra Pradesh are facing.

(4/15) From applying to taking regular updates on the progress from the closest registrar office more than 10 kilometres away, these farmers clearly needed access to technology to be able to manage the rest along with farming

(5/15) And that’s when #NokiaC3forChange came to their aid by helping the community remotely access all of their information needs.

(6/15) Aneel Kumar Ambavaram was selected as one of the 20 changemakers to collaborate with the #NokiaC3forChange initiative and was given six Nokia C3 smartphones for the farmers.

(7/15) Helping these farmers become landowners has been an ongoing process. But it has become a lot easier now with phones.

(8/15) This has also helped them gain access to several government schemes, etc., says Aneel, who is also helping some of the farmers avail online crop insurance after the cyclonic storm Nivar ravaged their fields in late November 2020.

(9/15) Usually, more than 500 kilos of cotton is harvested but this year due to the storm, they got only a 150-kilo yield. During instances like these, farmers can now apply for crop insurance.

(10/15) We have also downloaded a weather application on their phones that can be extremely useful to predict such situations, he adds.
Having used the phones for a month now, the farmers are discovering new uses of advanced technology.

(11/15) Be it learning about organic farming techniques, addressing plant-related issues through AI-based applications, learning new skills or even gaining necessary information about their land disputes — access to Nokia smartphones has opened up the world to them.

(12/15) Another such beneficiary farmer is Sathyavathi Jatala, a BCom graduate who has been helping her mother and sister in the fields.
“I lost my father at a very young age, and since then, my mother did everything possible to raise us well.

(13/15) The biggest thing she did was to give us the opportunity to study. Now, it’s my turn to give back to her by helping on the fields. But I want to also make use of my degree, and the phone has been helpful in that regard.

(14/15) I have subscribed to many Youtube channels that talk about job opportunities and teach interview skills and spoken English. I want to upskill myself and find a good job so that I can give my family a better life,” the 26-year-old says.

(15/15) Do you know of changemakers like these who are using technology to create an impact? Nominate them here - bit.ly/34bF0hM. You can nominate your own inspiring change story too. The top shortlisted entries will get a Nokia phone! Terms and Conditions apply.