MANAGE Unveils ‘The Far Acre’: A Tribute to the Visionaries Transforming Indian Agriculture

The National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE), Hyderabad, has launched ‘The Far Acre’, a new volume chronicling the journeys of agri-entrepreneurs who are reshaping Indian agriculture. The book was unveiled on Saturday, 18 April 2026, at its Rajendranagar campus.

Authored by Ms. Akanksha Shukla and Dr. J. Shanti, ‘The Far Acre’ brings together the stories of MANAGE alumni and associates who are building enterprises through ambiguity, staying with hard problems, and choosing long, patient paths over short-term wins. The cohort spans founders working across agri-finance, post-harvest management, market linkages, farmer aggregation and rural technology, each chronicled in a dedicated chapter.

The book situates itself against a backdrop in which Indian agriculture, despite being the country’s largest source of livelihood, still grapples with fragmented value chains, avoidable post-harvest losses and inadequate access to credit for smallholder farmers. ‘The Far Acre’ documents how its featured entrepreneurs have chosen to work within these realities, improving the system from the inside rather than seeking to disrupt it from the outside.

Among the founders featured in the volume is Anand Chandra, Co-founder of Arya.ag, India’s largest integrated grain commerce platform. Reflecting on being part of the cohort, he said, “MANAGE gave me a way to look at agriculture, not as a sector, but as a system. Complex, interdependent and deeply human. In systems like these, change is rarely loud. It shows up quietly, in warehouses, in mandis, in a thousand small decisions made every day. That has been the journey with Arya.ag. I am grateful to be part of this cohort from MANAGE. Different paths, shared intent.” 

Delivering the chief guest address, Shri S. Sivakumar of ITC Limited said, “The book reminds me of the Pandavas. The agri-entrepreneurs are Arjun, sharply focused, able to withstand any challenge and move ahead even when there is a lack of visibility on all the facts. MANAGE, as an institution, is Yudhishthira, never fazed or dramatic, yet quietly connecting markets, institutions and livelihoods. The MANAGE Alumni Association is Bhima, carrying the intent, getting people together and driving execution. Sahadeva is known for keen perceptiveness; the authors are a reflection of that perceptive nature, bringing out the doubts, decisions and detours that are the hallmark of Sahadeva. And Nakul, the most beautiful of them all, is the book itself.”

The launch event was attended by senior officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, MANAGE faculty, alumni, industry leaders, and the entrepreneurs featured in the book. Organisers positioned the volume as a celebration of systems-led thinking in Indian agriculture, a narrative often missed in conventional startup storytelling.

Established in 1987, MANAGE has been a central institution in Indian agricultural extension, supporting policymakers, practitioners, researchers and entrepreneurs across the country. ‘The Far Acre’ is part of its wider effort to document, connect and amplify the work of those reimagining rural India.

About MANAGE

The National Institute of Agricultural Extension Management (MANAGE) is an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India. Established in 1987 and headquartered in Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, MANAGE is the country’s premier national institute for agricultural extension management. It nurtures policymakers, practitioners, researchers and entrepreneurs working to transform Indian agriculture, and anchors programmes that bring scholarship and practice into conversation.

About ‘The Far Acre’

‘The Far Acre’ is a new book from MANAGE, Hyderabad, presenting first-person journeys of agri-entrepreneurs who are improving Indian agriculture from within. Each chapter profiles a founder whose work reflects long-term, systems-led thinking across India’s agricultural value chain. The volume was launched on 18 April 2026 at the MANAGE campus, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad.

About Arya.ag

Arya.ag is India's largest and only profitable grain commerce platform. It enables freedom of choice for farmers and their organisations to decide 'when' and 'to whom' they would want to sell their produce post-harvest by offering access to farmgate-level storage, seamless finance and transparent commerce. It eliminates the trust deficit in grain commerce through its exponentially growing layer of visibility and control, currently stretching across 60% of Indian districts and having 12,000 agri-warehouses in its network. Arya.ag aggregates and stores USD 3 billion of grain annually while enabling disbursement of over USD 1.5 billion of loans to small-holder farmers, their organisations and other stakeholders. Arya.ag works towards creating equitable value chains in agriculture, assuring inclusive growth and greater transparency.