Damu Jadhav, aged 38, was a farm labourer until 2016. Coming from a small tribal village called Sanderi Adivasiwadi in the Mhasla block of Raigad district, he would spend his day like other fellow villagers logging trees and harvesting crops on others’ land. The meagre wages he earned through this routine work was not enough to sustain his family of four. He was aware of this deprivation and would constantly seek some positive development in his life. After coming into contact with our field support, he learnt about our training and exposure visits. Without any inhibition, he engaged with us and over the course of the next few months gained immense exposure to advanced paddy cultivation, marigold, beans, watermelon and also market linkages. In his second year only, he has managed to earn over 100,000 income through dedicated efforts on a leased land. His exuberance has inspired 3 more villagers from his hamlet to uptake farming. Damu is a hero we respect and a force to reckon with.