Amid stunted crops & stunted dreams, even politicians have turned their backs on this dry belt. : Shashikant Garad, 31, has taken over the role of a farmer, from being the son of a farmer a few years ago. In the last season, akin to how a retail investor diversifies his investment portfolio, he diversified his crop portfolio on his 20-acre farmland by planting jowar (sorghum), onion, and lemon — a cereal crop, a vegetable, and a fruit.