Imagine toiling under the scorching sun or trudging through muddy fields, day in and day out. For countless farmers, this is their reality. But what if a simple pair of shoes could change their lives?
Three young innovators from the NID, Nakul Lathkar, Vidyadhar Bhandare, and Santosh Kocherlakota, saw this very need and took action. They spent months living alongside farmers in the harsh conditions of Maharashtra, understanding their challenges firsthand.
“While working under the hot sun, or in a sloshy field, all the farmers used to walk barefoot. This not only caused deep cracks in their feet but also made them prone to fungal infections and snake bites,” says Santosh.
Determined to find a solution, they tested 15 natural fibres before discovering Deccani wool, traditionally used for “magic blankets” known to adapt to weather conditions.
This wool became the foundation of Earthen Tunes, a Hyderabad-based social enterprise launched in 2019 to craft sustainable, water-resistant shoes for farmers.
These mud-proof, sunlight-resistant shoes are durable, antimicrobial, and require minimal maintenance. Earthen Tunes sources wool from pastoralists in the Deccan, Himachal Pradesh, and Kutch, supporting livelihoods and preserving a 1,500-year-old craft.
Through partnerships with NGOs and corporates and their ‘Buy a Pair, Give a Pair’ initiative, they’ve already provided over 6,000 farmers with protective footwear.
Read more about this innovative shoe that's changing the lives of farmers : https://buff.ly/3UGnlcl
Earthen Tunes Designs
#farmerfootwear #socialimpact #DeccaniWool #empoweringfarmers #EarthenTunes
[farmer footwear, Deccani wool, community impact, empowering farmers, innovation]