(March 11, 2025) Gurnoor, a small-scale paddy farmer from Batala in Punjab, had seen the family struggle for generations, working under the sun to make a living. Despite changing times, his challenges only deepened due to limited knowledge and access. But everything changed when Harvesting Farmer Network (HFN)stepped in. “If I had not attended the Harvesting Farmer Network info session (Kisan Samridhi Programme), I would have never imagined that I could double my income just by farming,” says Gunoor. He is just one of the 30 lakh farmers that HFN has impacted so far. The brainchild of Ruchit Garg, the entrepreneur who left his cushy job at Microsoft in the US, HFN is disrupting India’s traditional agricultural landscape. “The mission is to help small farmers in India by connecting them to markets, providing quality resources, and improving supply chains, using technology and data to make farming profitable and improve their livelihoods,” Ruchit tells Global Indian.
Ruchit Garg
What began as a Twitter page to help distressed farmers sell their crops quickly became a micro-movement, giving rise to Harvesting Farmer Network. Today, HFN operates in 13,000 villages, powered by 9,000 Saarthis (village-level entrepreneurs) who drive its mission forward. “Last year, we helped farmers sell 40,000 metric tonnes of food, and this year, we’re aiming for much more.”
From Reading Harvard Business Review to Speaking at Harvard
The desire to create a grassroots impact drew Ruchit back to India. But as a young boy growing up in Lucknow, he never imagined his life would take this path. After losing his father at the age of nine, Ruchit was raised by his mother, who secured a job at the Indian Railways Library on compassionate grounds, earning just enough to get by. “Money was always short”. Yet for an avid bibliophile, the library became his escape, which opened up a door of possibilities and opportunities for a teenager Ruchit who read books on University Physics, University Math, and computing.
“I got my hands on some of the most expensive books. Despite our financial struggles, at 12, I was reading the Harvard Business Review, which cost $12,” recalls Ruchit. Little did he know that three decades later, he would stand at Harvard University, invited to speak on financial inclusion for smallholder farmers. “It was a proud moment,” he says, reflecting on how far he had come. Decades ago, a young Ruchit devoured issues of Harvard Business Review—now, he was delivering a lecture at Harvard. “It was surreal.”
In 2018 – I was invited to be on the panel at @Harvard about financial inclusion for smallholder farmers pic.twitter.com/JbsbNjJNXK
— Ruchit G Garg (@ruchitgarg) March 16, 2023
Breaking Into Tech: From Lucknow to Japan to Microsoft
But it wasn’t an easy journey. Coming from a life of hardships and financial struggles, Ruchit recalls being the only student in his master’s degree worried about getting a job from day one. “I’d scan job advertisements in newspapers. One listing from a startup in Lucknow caught my eye, and before I knew it, I was interning with them and soon they offered me a job.” With his team, he developed India’s first commercial text-to-speech system in Hindi in 2001. That big break in innovation forged the path for Ruchit, who landed in Japan to build an IVR system for Shinsei Bank. “Going from Lucknow to Japan in 2002 was huge. It was another world with automation and technology. That’s when I realised the coming wave of mobile innovation.” He returned to India with an epiphany, to start his company. In 2004, working out of his government quarter with just a desktop, he launched a mobile value-added services startup.” I felt mobile gaming was going to explode.” While the startup didn’t take off, it put him “on the path to Microsoft” — a turning point in his career.
A meeting with the CEO of Real Network turned out to be a game-changer, leading to a job offer at Microsoft a year later. Three years later, an opportunity led him to Microsoft US. “Moving to the US was a new experience with the change in cultures and landscape,” says Ruchit, who was never drawn to the idea of the American Dream. “I wanted to see what this exciting opportunity had in store for me.”
Navigating the first few months in the US in 2008 was “tricky” as he had to learn the American way of doing things, including “how to use the GPS or learn right-hand drive,” he laughs. Starting afresh in a new country came with its challenges but Ruchit adapted quickly. “The Indian community in Seattle is strong, with Indian grocery stores and temples, which made the transition easier.”
During his six years at Microsoft, Ruchit worked on projects like Xbox, Windows OS, and the Windows Phone. Those years shaped his mindset, pushing him to think big. “In American culture, no one puts a cap on your ambitions. There’s always someone willing to support your ideas and dreams.”
By the time Ruchit arrived in the US, the Indian community had already broken barriers and defied stereotypes, paving the way for professionals like him. “Americans already knew what Indians are capable of. They were no longer looking down on those of us arriving fresh into their country.”
Returning to Entrepreneurship: The Birth of HFN
After learning the ropes, Ruchit returned to his first passion – entrepreneurship – with 9Slides, a multi-media training platform that he successfully ran for five years, before it was acquired. During the transition phase, Ruchit started exploring “agriculture for the challenges and opportunities it holds.” Having grown up in a farming family, he had witnessed his grandfather’s struggles firsthand. This personal connection pushed him toward a more meaningful pursuit.
The Turning Point: Using AI to Empower Farmers
Still in the US, he founded Harvesting Farmers Network in 2016, integrating technology and AI to drive financial inclusion for smallholder farmers. “The idea was to build AI for agriculture—to help microfinance institutions track farmers, their crops, and income, enabling better loan access.” His platform provided solutions across Myanmar, Ethiopia, Nigeria, and other countries. After a few years, Ruchit realized MFIs weren’t ready, and the impact on farmers was minimal, prompting him to rethink his strategy.
After 11 years in the US, Ruchit was eager to create a grassroots impact and returned to India in 2019 with the vision for Harvesting Farmers Network (HFN). Within a year, the pandemic struck, sending India into lockdown. As mandis (markets) shut down, farmers were forced to discard surplus produce, unable to sell their crops. “I was already in touch with many farmers and realised I could bridge this gap by simply posting about them online so that people could buy directly.”
Scaling Up: From a Twitter Page to a Nationwide Movement
In April 2020, Ruchit took to Twitter, launching HFN page by posting about six farmers, their produce, and prices. “It took off and soon became a micro-movement online.” It was a lightbulb moment for him – he had set out to drive financial inclusion, but he now realized that true inclusion meant ensuring farmers secured a fair price. “That completely changed the way I was solving the problem. I ended up posting about $500 million worth of crops.”
As demand surged from across India, Ruchit expanded, launching a website to streamline the process and reach more farmers – directly connecting farmers to buyers.
During the lockdown, direct-to-consumer (D2C) sales took off, but as restrictions eased, HFN pivoted to supplying quick commerce players. “The mission has always been to empower smallholder farmers. Initially, the high demand pushed us into D2C, but as the market evolved, we adapted to quick commerce. Today, we sell 10,000 kilos of fresh produce every day,” Ruchit shares.
Farmers in Andhra Pradesh getting onboarded – love teams effort going door to door, village to village explaining how HFN can help them from seed-to-market ..
Leave No Farmer Behind #HFN pic.twitter.com/g2OSWqJM7u
— Ruchit G Garg (@ruchitgarg) March 5, 2025
Empowering Farmers with Saarthis & Tech-Driven Solutions
To scale HFN pan-India, Ruchit introduced Saarthi — a network of village-level entrepreneurs who help bring small farmers together. “They are young, educated individuals with a smartphone and a dream. Each Saarthi connects 100 farmers in their area, creating a network while earning a decent livelihood,” he explains.
The initiative runs through the HFN Saarthi app, designed to build trust-based relationships with farmers without complex legalities or paperwork. As Saarthis take over, Ruchit has witnessed a significant increase in trust among farmers, strengthening the ecosystem. Beyond market access, HFN also provides seeds, pesticides, and other essentials to support farmers.
To scale operations, HFN is aggressively building distribution centers across India. “Within the next two years, we plan to establish 100 distribution centers in all major cities, where produce collected from farmers will be supplied to large corporations, quick commerce platforms, and modern trade networks.” Currently, HFN has a presence in every state, with most of its work concentrated in Uttar Pradesh, parts of Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, and Bihar.
Bringing Farmers Online & Revolutionizing Mandis
The first step is to create farmer clusters with Saarthis, bringing more smallholders online. “Right now, we have 4 million farmers, and in the next five years, we aim to reach 50 million. Being a data-driven company, we can provide them access to finance, seeds, and fertilizers.”
HFN’s vision extends beyond just market access—it aims to create an alternative to government mandis. “We want to build structured, transparent, and digitally connected multi-service points for farmers. These hubs won’t just be about selling produce; they will also offer on-the-spot loans, advisory services, and essential inputs.”
A Scalable, Sustainable Future
India currently has 7,000 mandis, generating $2.5 million in annual tax revenue. But Ruchit sees a massive opportunity. “With that same amount, I can build 42,000 digital mandis, making farming more structured, profitable, and lucrative for farmers nationwide.”
Our presence across India…
Leave No Farmer Behind #HFN pic.twitter.com/KEnR5lSTnf
— Ruchit G Garg (@ruchitgarg) November 29, 2024
HFN is not just transforming farming; it’s reshaping the agricultural economy by making it more profitable, transparent, and data-driven. With millions of farmers already onboard and ambitious plans for the future, Ruchit envisions a system where smallholders have fair prices, financial access, and market opportunities at their fingertips. “The goal is simple—empower farmers, scale impact, and make agriculture truly sustainable.”
