Kheyti`s Greenhouse-in-a-Box-Protecting Farmers from the Vagaries of Nature |
|
|
|
|
| <<Previous Page |
EXCERPTS |
|
| |
The Greenhouse-in-a-box (GIB) of Kheyti was a modular, low cost greenhouse that was affordable to the small and medium farmers (Refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 for model of greenhouse). Most of the greenhouses provided by the competitors comprising various public and private firms were bigger in size and were not affordable to small farmers with their small tracts of farmland. The greenhouse supplied by Kheyti occupied an area of 1/16th of an acre (2000 sq. ft.) to 1/8th of an acre (5,000 sq. ft.) with a price ranging from Rs 160 thousand up to Rs 300 thousand per unit. .. |
| |
 |
| or |
 |
| or |
PayPal (7 USD)
|
|
|
| |
| |
| With a one-time investment, the small farmers would be able to reap the benefits of cultivating vegetables in the greenhouse for approximately 15 long years. This assured them of a continued source of additional income. As the greenhouse fitted into a small portion of the farmland, a regular income was assured apart from the revenue earned from the crops grown from the remaining major portion of farmland which was not assured or consistent. Kaushik said, “The biggest problem that we found is income variability. Farmers make money only once or twice in a year. That income is affected by all sorts of environmental risks, including unseasonal rain, pest attacks…That’s why they’re stuck in that poverty cycle.” .. |
| |
|
| The funding partners and associates of Kheyti were of the view that Kheyti’s agri tech innovation model had the potential to scale up and grow in the future. When the labor and capital invested in the greenhouse were compared with those invested in the open field, the yields were found to be higher in the greenhouse and were a crucial factor for the success of Kheyti’s innovative model. Lennart Grebelius, Chair at Satila Foundation, Sweden, said, “In the controlled environment of greenhouses, yields can be high in spite of unpredictable weather conditions. The increase in yield in relation to labor and capital invested is crucial. Once that equation works out fine, we have the foundation for a large scale-up.” .. |
| |
|
| As of December 2018, Kheyti had tested the GIB among 150 famers in 15 villages and the success of the project led to around 500 more farmers signing up for the adoption of the agritech innovation. By 2025, Kheyti had targeted to sign up 100,000 farmer families. Kheyti was working on a mobile app to further help the farmers in accessing information pertaining to the greenhouse and the crops grown... |
| |
|
Exhibit I: Various Awards Won by Kheyti
Exhibit II: Various Agri-tech Companies in India
Exhibit III: Partners Associated with Kheyti
|
| |
| |
| |
| |
|
