Manish Prahlad founded Verdant Impact after losing his buffaloes, offering affordable veterinary services like telemedicine and animal ICU to over 25,000 farmers in India. The startup is transforming livestock healthcare with sustainable solutions.

In 2019, Jaipur-based Manish Prahlad experienced a devastating loss when all of his nine buffaloes mysteriously died overnight. Despite seeking answers from a local veterinarian, the cause remained unknown, as many farmers faced similar cattle deaths. This tragic event sparked Manishs quest to improve livestock healthcare in India.

The Founding of Verdant Impact and the Need for Innovative Veterinary Solutions

The economic impact of livestock losses is profound, threatening individual livelihoods and the broader agricultural economy. In rural India, limited access to specialized veterinary care exacerbates the situation, leaving farmers without essential support.

The loss of livestock is more than an economic setback for farmers; it is a loss of investment, labor, and often, a part of their family. This emotional and financial toll highlights the urgent need for innovative solutions to connect rural livestock practices with modern veterinary care, ensuring the health and well-being of Indias vast livestock population.

In January 2020, Manish Prahlad, alongside Maya Zeph, Vimal Shastri, and Dr. Navneet, founded Verdant Impact to address the critical need for improved livestock healthcare in India.

The Problem: Why Does This Matter?

Devastated by the loss of his buffaloes, Manish Prahlad reflected on how these animals were his family only assets. He recalls that his maternal grandfather had gifted a Murrah buffalo to his parents, a prized breed revered for its high-quality milk production, often referred to as Black Gold. With a typical market value of Rs 3 lakh, Murrah buffaloes can fetch up to Rs 35-40 lakh for purebred animals. These buffaloes were not just livestock but family treasures. Unfortunately, due to the unknown cause of death, they could not file for insurance claims, leaving Manish emotionally and financially devastated.

Manish Prahlad shared a deep bond with his buffaloes, as they played a vital role in supporting his family. His mother relied on their milk to pay his school fees. The health of livestock is crucial for income generation for farmers like us, he says. It is not just farmers who care for the animals; these animals take care of the farmers. Realizing the impact of this issue in Jaipur, Manish understood that many small farmers in remote areas were likely facing the same struggles.

That day, I decided to focus on improving medical facilities for livestock, Manish Prahlad shares. With 536.76 million animals, India has the largest livestock population in the world, contributing 6.20% to the nations GDP. Yet, livestock healthcare remains neglected. India has fewer than 12,500 veterinary clinics, and due to systemic apathy, farmers continue to lose their most valuable assets, he adds. To address this crisis, Manish launched Verdant Impact in 2020, offering a range of services including telemedicine, animal ICUs, remote monitoring, cattle commerce, and virtual veterinary consultations for livestock care.

What does Verdant Impact do?

Originally from Banswara, Manish Prahlad left his PhD program in the first year to focus on improving livestock healthcare. Discussing the challenges in the field, he explains, “Unlike cats and dogs, the major issue with livestock is that farmers cannot transport them to hospitals due to high transportation costs and the inconvenience of the process”.

“Telemedicine enables farmers to connect with doctors anytime and anywhere, providing a convenient doorstep service as a traditional doctor visit can cost up to Rs 500,” Manish Prahlad explains.

Common livestock health concerns include diseases like foot and mouth, fever, digestive issues during the monsoon, lumpy skin disease, and poor nutrition levels.

To address livestock health issues conveniently, Manish Prahlad introduced a mobile app where farmers can upload photos, videos, and detailed descriptions of their animals for consultation with veterinarians.

The vet then shares prescriptions and remedies, and if needed, connects farmers with nearby vets for field visits. The app features an SOS button, allowing farmers to book consultations with nearby doctors, similar to the Uber and Ola model, displaying available doctors within a 40 km range. With a response time of under an hour, this solution is highly efficient for rural areas," he explains.

Manish Prahlad has established over 10,000 telemedicine centers and onboarded more than 1,700 veterinarians and para-veterinarians across 16 states in India. These states include Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Telangana, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, Maharashtra, and Haryana.

Revolutionizing Livestock Healthcare

Verdant Impact conducts over 2,500 telemedicine consultations daily, charging Rs 90 for expert consultations and Rs 150 for field visits, significantly lower than the market rate of Rs 300-500.

The startup has also developed Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags to monitor livestock health, location, movement, and track disease history and prescriptions. Currently, Verdant Impact serves over six lakh farmers, with 1.7 lakh benefiting directly from teleconsultations.

Manish Prahlad highlights that among the major health challenges faced by livestock are productivity issues and pregnancy complications due to malnutrition. To address this, the startup offers herbal treatments to improve the ovulation cycle in cattle.

Manish Prahlad explains that malnourished bovines typically conceive after 37 to 40 months, but with proper nutrition, they can conceive in just 22 to 27 months. This gives farmers an additional gestation cycle before the bovine is ready for the next calving. Depending on the breed, farmers can earn an extra income of up to Rs 2 to 3 lakh annually by improving livestock nutrition.

Manish Prahlad highlights that Verdant Impact generates its primary revenue through cattle commerce, genetics care, and the sale of health supplements. Currently, the startups annual revenue stands at Rs 8.72 crore.

Our lives revolve around livestock, and we have proven that we are not a charitable organization, but a viable and profitable business. This achievement is a significant milestone for a PhD dropout and a farmer like me, he says.

For Manish Prahlad, the satisfaction from his work outweighs the profits. “Today, doctors can no longer provide vague reasons for livestock deaths; they must offer clear explanations in postmortem reports to help farmers with insurance claims,” he says.

We have been able to increase farmer incomes by 40%, enabling them to sell high-quality breed bovines to fund important life events like their daughter weddings. Being able to support millions of voiceless animals and farmer families brings me immense fulfilment, Manish adds.

Verdant Impact has also introduced Animal Ancestry Animal Mark, a service that uses DNA analysis and unique identification techniques to help farmers make informed decisions about breeding and trading. Additionally, under-skin RFID implants are used to store important health history data, enhancing livestock management and care.

In addition, Manish Prahlad founded the Tribal Economy Alliance (TEA), an Indigenous forum designed to promote impactful initiatives through innovative partnerships and collaborations.

Edited by Gayathri