The Conversation
Farming Futures is a unique collection of 15 contemporary case studies documenting in detail social enterprises in agriculture showcases the emergence of an entrepreneurial route to solve India’s deep-rooted agrarian crisis. The case studies chart the exciting journeys and tribulations in matching purpose and profit, often with a deep concern for the planet’s future.
This conversation shall highlight the findings of the case studies and discuss way forward.
Ajit Kanitkar, Senior Advisor & Researcher at VikasAvnesh
Dr C Shambu Prasad, Professor at IRMA
AJIT KANITKAR
Dr. Ajit Kanitkar is a Senior Advisor and researcher at VikasAnvesh Foundation, Pune. Prior to this, he was Programme Officer at Ford Foundation and Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, both in New Delhi and a faculty member at Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA). He is currently a visiting faculty at Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Udaipur and is associated with a number of civil society organizations from all parts of the country as a volunteer and pro-bono consultant, including his alma mater Jnana Prabodhini in Pune. He has published extensively in professional journals, including three books on the themes of entrepreneurship and management of cooperatives. He contributes regularly to VillageSquare, India Development Review (IDR), and other online social media platforms on diverse themes related to the developmental sector.
DR C SHAMBU PRASAD
Dr. C. Shambu Prasad is a Professor, General Management-Strategy and Policy, at the Institute of Rural Management Anand (IRMA) where he also is the Chair of the Incubator for Social Enterprises and Entrepreneurs for Development (ISEED). His expertise and research straddles several interdisciplinary fields such as social entrepreneurship, science and technology studies, rural livelihoods, ecosystem management, innovation management, and managing producer collectives. He is a recipient of the Villgro–CSIE–IITM award in 2013 for academic contribution to social entrepreneurship. Prior to joining IRMA, he spent a decade at Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneswar and was Fulbright Senior Research Fellow at Cornell University (2013–14). He also serves on the Board of a few non-profit organizations and is an advisor and mentor to several social enterprises.
