SUMMARY
2019 witnessed niche genres like farming becoming popular, says Google India blog
Farmers post videos ranging from tips on fertilizers, weeding to irrigation and smart farming
These farmers use simple smartphones to create, edit and post their videos
YouTube’s portfolio of categories widened to add new verticals like learning and farming, says Google blog post, as it looks back into 2019.
The blog talks about how across categories, women video creators could be seen leading from the front. “While 2016 had just 1 woman creator with a subscriber base of over 1 million, 2019 has seen that number climb to a whopping 120 women creators with over a million followers,” it says.
However, the most interesting trend seen in 2019, as mentioned in the blog, is the increased demand for niche categories like farming. “2019 has proven to be a coming-of-age year in more ways than one. It was also the year when previously niche genres like farming, gaming and learning blossomed into categories worth reckoning, notching impressive reach and engagement,” it says. This is the twelfth year of YouTube’s journey in India.
YouTube has been witnessing great reach for its videos on farming. With the internet reaching villages and small towns today, youngsters from farming families are taking to social media and YouTube to reach a large section of society.
The tech-savvy farmers post videos ranging from fertilizers, weeds to irrigation and secrets of farming. These videos are taken on smartphones but are edited and presented in a simple and comprehensible manner.
For instance, Harvilas Singh. Who is a buffalo breeder from Ambala, posts videos explaining things like innovative automatic drinking bowl that he uses to ensure his farm animals get a 24×7 water supply. Another channel, Indian Farmer, has 333K subscribers and shares tips on how to make nursery, do cucumber farming, cauliflower farming and smart irrigation.
While YouTubers from urban India are struggling every day to taste success in terms of a number of subscribers, these farmers with their simple and genuine videos are winning hearts. What gives these farmers-cum-YouTube stars an edge over others is their command over vernacular languages and a strong knowledge of agriculture is becoming an important part Indian economy.
Farming is a $400 Bn industry in India and leading investors are infusing capital in agritech startups that work towards revolutising farming. There are more than 1,090 agritech startups in India and according to Inc42’s DataLabs, the total funding in agritech startups in India grew from $46.1 Mn 2017 to $66.6 Mn in 2018.
While these startups are working towards improving the lives of farmers, these farmers are also leveraging technology to spread their farming knowledge.
