Kheyti Greenhouse-in-a-Box Empowers Farmers to Combat Climate Change, Boost Incomes, and Promote Sustainable, Resilient Agriculture. This emphasizes the dual benefits of climate resilience and increased income, along with the sustainability aspect.

Climate change has hit everyone, especially farmers in rural India, who face annual losses from droughts, heat, erratic rainfall, and pests. Sathya Raghu Mokkapati, at 17, witnessed the harsh reality of this when he saw a farmer from his village resort to eating mud.

What if a minimalist greenhouse could be designed from the start, tailored specifically to meet the needs and constraints of small farmers?

Hyderabad-based Kheyti has collaborated with manufacturing and design companies to bring this concept to life. Their modular greenhouse kit, complete with a drip irrigation system, covers only a tenth of an acre and costs under ₹1 lakh—much smaller and more affordable than traditional greenhouses, which are typically out of reach for small farmers. Around 500 farmers in Telangana have already adopted this “greenhouse in a box”, which also includes essential inputs such as the right seeds and fertilizers.

Sathya explains the model by comparing it to building houses for protection: “We construct homes to shield ourselves from environmental factors like heat, rain, and insects”. Similarly, a greenhouse creates an ideal environment for plants to flourish. Our greenhouse reduces excess heat by 2-4 degrees Celsius, cuts pest levels by 90%, and conserves 98% more water compared to traditional open-field irrigation.

The seed of the idea was sown over a decade ago when Kaushik was working for an impact enterprise and visiting villages across India, helping school dropouts get access to livelihoods and jobs. He recalled, most of the kids we were trying to help belonged to farming families. Since agriculture was not working, they were moving into other industries, right? That is where the initial impetus came in that we should help farmers increase their incomes. And, that is when I met my co-founders who were going through similar journeys.

The main thesis for us till now is that we move the ecosystem along. Ideally what should happen is that these finances are as available as tractor loans have become. I do believe that the scale model is for banks and NBFCs to come together to make this a standardized product instead of us becoming a big financier, adds Kaushik.

The goal, according to Sathya, is that while we can not cool the entire planet in a day, we can create a favorable climate for a small portion of farmer land, making it more suitable for sustainable farming.

Kaushik explained, while there are numerous technologies and solutions in developed countries to help farmers adapt to climate change and make their farming more sustainable, these are often unsuitable for small and marginal farmers in India. With less than five acres of land and making up 85% of the agricultural workforce, Indian farmers find these solutions costly and lacking the necessary training for effective use.

Kheyti currently serves 3,200 farmers across seven states, with a particular focus on Telangana, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh.

We are adding around 200 farmers every month and plan to scale up significantly over the next 18 to 24 months. By 2032, our goal is to reach one million farmers. Rather than expanding to more states, we aim to deepen our presence within existing regions. Crucially, we are not asking farmers to stop growing their traditional crops; instead, we are offering them a diverse and reliable income source that can withstand extreme weather conditions.

The “Greenhouse-in-a-Box” kit comes in two variants: one priced at around Rs 2 lakh for 320 sq meters, and the other at Rs 3.35 lakh for 462 sq meters. Farmers also receive training on what to grow, how to grow, and when to grow.

Kheyti field officers play a crucial role in making everything come together. One such officer is Naga Sai, an electrical engineer from NIT Nagaland, who grew up on a farm in Andhra Pradesh where his family mainly grows red chilies. “Vegetable farming in greenhouses was new to me when I joined Kheyti two years ago. From trellising and pruning to ensuring healthy growth, it demands more attention than paddy or red chili farming,” says Sai.

He has been working closely with farmers, witnessing the transformative impact of Kheyti solutions. Just last week, he met a 55-year-old farmer in Trimulgherry, on the outskirts of Secunderabad, who had been growing paddy and cotton for decades. The farmer has since diversified into growing carrots and cabbage, and this winter became the first Kheyti farmer to experiment with greenhouse-grown broccoli, a crop typically suited to cooler climates.

Looking ahead, Kheyti, a climate-resilient agriculture organization, plans to introduce more solutions aimed at enhancing farmers incomes. With the Kheyti Greenhouse, smallholder farmers are taking control in the fight against climate change.

Edited by Gayathri