00:00I'm Uma Khosun Popi, an agri-entrepreneur, and I create agriculture-based videos to build awareness about safe farming.
00:09Popi's goal? To teach safe farming. How to grow crops and fruits without the harmful pesticides that can put your
00:16health at risk.
00:18If mangoes are bagged like this using fruit bags, there's no need to spray pesticides on them for a long
00:24time.
00:24Also, the mangoes remain fresh and safe to eat.
00:30I don't feel safe eating fruit that I buy outside because I'm unsure what's in it.
00:35When excessive pesticides are used in the food we consume during cultivation, some chemicals remain and cause diseases like kidney
00:42damage.
00:43Many people get cancer now, and one of the reasons behind that is the use of pesticides during cultivation.
00:53But it's not just about health. It's also about protecting the environment.
00:57In a densely populated, flood-prone country like Bangladesh, that matters a lot.
01:03That's what many farmers told Popi, so she decided to act.
01:07In 2022, she started making videos, showing safer, smarter ways to farm.
01:13A popular Bangladeshi TV show about agriculture helped her.
01:17That's how she figured out how to tell stories that farmers would actually watch.
01:24As our team was small when I started making video content, I had to film stories using the phone I
01:30had in my hand during my visit to a farm or chats with farmers.
01:34I thought if I filmed and shared the information I learned from them online, many people would benefit from it.
01:43Influencers can earn thousands of euros every month.
01:46They make money from ads on the platforms where they post.
01:49Some work directly with brands that pay them to promote products.
01:52Others sell their own merch or exclusive content to paying subscribers.
01:57But getting started wasn't easy for Popi.
02:01Cultural norms make it tough for women to build a career, especially as an influencer.
02:06Popi faced a lot of pushback when she first started online.
02:10But...
02:11As my online presence grew, I found a very positive audience.
02:15My followers have been so kind.
02:18They are curious about my work and have taken it very seriously.
02:27Today, Popi has more than 4.5 million followers across Facebook, YouTube, TikTok and Instagram.
02:34She posts five to seven short clips a week.
02:37The popular influencer now has a team to keep the content flowing.
02:41Play it. I want to see the whole clip.
02:44Popi says she's not promoting brands in her videos.
02:47She's promoting her own business.
02:48The agri-entrepreneur has built a network of farmers who now sell their produce to her company at a fair
02:55price.
02:56Her goal?
02:57To make safe farming both practical and profitable.
03:00By paying farmers fairly, she helps remove the pressure to use harmful pesticides.
03:06We try to solve their existing problems, hoping that they would try to follow our advice on using safe farming
03:12methods.
03:16With income from her fruit company and the ad revenue from her videos, Popi has built a stable business.
03:23She now employs several people.
03:25She's only 26 and already planning her next move.
03:29A training center to take her agri-lessons from online to in person.
03:35Fireworks too.
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03:42You
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