By Segun Adeyanju
After 17 years in agricultural research, Kamini Singh left the lab to transform lives on the ground.
A former scientist at CISH and CSIR CIMAP, she turned her expertise toward organic moringa farming, aiming to bridge the gap between science and smallholder farmers in Uttar Pradesh.
Disheartened by how little her research reached farmers, Kamini leased seven acres in Lucknow in 2017 to test moringa, a resilient, low input, high yield superfood.
The crop thrived, and her strategy of growing it along farm boundaries helped farmers save costs without sacrificing their main crops.
Encouraged by the early success, she trained farmers and bought their produce directly, cutting out middlemen.
One such farmer, Shalikram Yadav, now cultivates moringa on 10 acres, earning 60 rupees per kilogram and harvesting five quintals this season.
In 2019, Kamini established Doctor Moringa Private Limited and a Farmer Producer Organisation, providing farmers a platform to market their produce efficiently.
Her company now offers 22 moringa based products including soaps, teas, oils, capsules, and cookies.
It has grown from a personal investment of nine lakh rupees into a business worth 1.75 crore rupees with a 30 percent profit margin.
So far, she has empowered more than 1,000 farmers across 15 villages by providing training, technical support, and a sustainable alternative to traditional farming.
Kamini’s journey from researcher to rural changemaker proves that science can become a powerful tool for grassroots development and economic transformation.
