Kheyti | Greenhouse-in-a-Box for Smallholder Farmers

Agriculture

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 1 – No Poverty, SDG 13 – Climate Action, SDG 2 – Zero Hunger, SDG 6 – Clean Water and Sanitation

Company Overview

Kheyti is a Hyderabad-based agricultural technology company that designs low-cost, modular protected cultivation structures for India’s smallholder farmers. Its Greenhouse-in-a-Box approach re-engineers conventional greenhouse technology into a compact unit sized for small plots, and pairs it with agronomy support so that farmers moving from open-field cultivation can manage both the structure and the crops inside it.

The company was founded in 2015 by Kaushik Kappagantulu, Saumya Sahay and Ayush Sharma, and press coverage also credits Sathya Raghu as a co-founder. The founders spent months speaking with small and marginal farmers before developing the design. According to the Lipman Family Prize, iterative engineering reduced the cost of a greenhouse by 90 percent. The operating entity is Kheyti Tech Private Limited, registered in Telangana.

The flagship product is the Kheyti Rakshak Net House, the first offering within the wider Greenhouse-in-a-Box ecosystem. It is available in 10 variants and is designed to grow vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers on plots as small as 240 square metres. Kheyti reaches farmers through a mix of direct field teams, non-profit partners and state government programmes across several Indian states.

Key milestones include investment from Acumen Fund and Ceniarth, the 2022 Earthshot Prize, and the 2026 Lipman Family Prize grand prize. In March 2026, the national horticulture mission wrote to state mission directors recommending low-cost protected cultivation for small and marginal farmers, and copied Kheyti to provide technical assistance.

Why These SDGs Matter

The model is built around raising and stabilising incomes for small and marginal farmers, which links directly to poverty reduction in rural households that depend on small plots. The Lipman Family Prize reports that 58 percent of farmers earned over 250 dollars a year from greenhouse cultivation by FY25.

Protected structures lift output per unit of land and allow off-season cultivation of vegetables, herbs, fruits and flowers, which supports smallholder productivity and food production.

Optimised irrigation and reduced evaporation losses connect to efficient water use in agriculture. The Earthshot Prize reports that Kheyti greenhouses saved 2.5 million tonnes of water in 2023 compared with conventional farming.

Structures that buffer crops against extreme heat, storms and unseasonal rain are adaptation measures, strengthening farmers' ability to cope with climate hazards.

Products & Services
  • Kheyti Rakshak Net House in 10 variants
  • Greenhouse installation and maintenance support
  • One year of free agronomy advisory
  • Crop and greenhouse practice training for farmers
  • Seed and farm input recommendations
  • Last-mile delivery of farm inputs
  • Pest and disease advisory through WhatsApp
  • Technical assistance to state horticulture programmes

Business Challenges Solved
  • Crop losses from extreme heat, storms and unseasonal rain
  • Pest infestations damaging open-field vegetable crops
  • Inability of smallholders to grow high-value crops off-season
  • Unstable farm income dependent on a single seasonal harvest
  • High water use in open-field irrigation
  • Greenhouse costs that exceed small-plot budgets
  • Limited agronomy knowledge when moving to protected cultivation
  • Difficulty for government programmes in delivering low-cost protected cultivation at smallholder scale
Approach & Methodology

Kheyti's approach starts with product design shaped by farmer research. The team talked to small and marginal farmers before designing, then used computer-aided design and repeated prototyping to shrink a conventional greenhouse into a modular, affordable kit. The Kheyti Rakshak Net House covers a minimum of 240 square metres and scales to variants of up to 1,600 square metres, so farmers can start small and expand.

The physical structure is only one part of delivery. Each kit includes a year of agronomy support from on-field representatives and an online advisory team. Training covers efficient crop and greenhouse practices, while recommendations on seeds and farm inputs are matched to the crop and the farm. Inputs are supplied in farmer-friendly packaging with last-mile delivery.

Advisory is tech-backed. A media statement from June 2026 describes AI-powered advisory delivered through field agronomists and a mobile decision-support tool, and the company offers pest and disease management through WhatsApp. Support also covers crop choice, crop planning and trial-based protocol building.

Scaling relies on partnerships rather than only direct sales. Non-profit partners bring the product to farmer groups, state horticulture departments and rural livelihood missions co-design programmes, and NABARD has anchored demonstration projects. This operating model lets Kheyti pair a standardised product with local agronomic and financing support.

Market Position

Kheyti operates in protected cultivation and agricultural advisory for small and marginal farmers in India, a segment that conventional greenhouse suppliers have historically priced beyond reach. Its primary customers are smallholder farmers, reached directly and through institutional channels that include non-profit partners, state governments and NABARD.

The Earthshot Prize reports that Kheyti works with 16 non-profit partners with access to more than 200,000 farmers. The Lipman Family Prize describes Kheyti as the only social enterprise offering a full-service greenhouse solution designed specifically for smallholders.

Technology differentiation rests on a modular structure sized for small plots, a bundled input and advisory service, and cost reductions of 90 percent reported by the Lipman Family Prize. Reported greenhouse cost fell from 756 dollars to 665 dollars between FY23 and FY25.

Procurement Considerations
  • Match the net house variant and size to plot area, crop mix and local wind and rainfall conditions
  • Confirm installation scope, site preparation needs and who is responsible for each
  • Clarify what agronomy and advisory support continues after the first year
  • Check eligibility for state horticulture mission subsidies or NABARD-linked financing before committing
  • Ask for maintenance terms, replacement cover costs and regional service availability
  • Build expected returns from crop choice and verified market linkages, not generic yield figures
  • Request pilot results from comparable agro-climatic zones and set a baseline for independent evaluation
  • Confirm advisory language, channel access and data-sharing terms for farmers
Funding, Recognition & Ecosystem
  • Earthshot Prize 2022 winner in the Protect and Restore Nature category, with a prize of 1 million pounds
  • Lipman Family Prize 2026 grand prize winner, receiving 250,000 dollars in unrestricted funds
  • Investment from Acumen Fund in 2020, alongside existing backer Ceniarth, which has invested since 2018
  • Investor listings also include MIT Solve (per CB Insights)
  • Satila Foundation, a Swedish funder (per Outlook Business)
  • Portfolio company of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures at Columbia Business School
  • Aga Khan Foundation partnership supporting delivery and subsidy to its farmer network in India
  • NABARD Farm Sector Promotion Fund demonstration projects for 200 farmers across Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan
  • Telangana tripartite programme for 1,000 farmers with the state rural-poverty mission and the Department of Horticulture
  • Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture letter of 7 March 2026 to state horticulture mission directors, copied to Kheyti for technical assistance
Natnavi Analysis

Kheyti matters because smallholder farmers are among the groups most exposed to climate variability, and protected cultivation has traditionally been priced for larger commercial growers. Kheyti addresses that gap with a product sized and priced for small plots, and the Lipman Family Prize reports growth from 1,317 cumulative installations in FY23 to 5,854 in FY25.

Its significance is also institutional. State governments in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh have adapted the model, and the central horticulture mission has encouraged states to consider low-cost protected cultivation. This gives Kheyti a route to scale that does not depend only on individual farm sales.

The sustainability contribution is mainly climate adaptation, water efficiency and income stability rather than emissions reduction. The bundled agronomy service is a notable strength, since structures alone rarely deliver results without crop management knowledge.

Buyers and partners may wish to note that much of the published impact data comes from the company and from prize bodies, so independent evaluation in each deployment region is valuable. Results also depend on crop choice, market access and the quality of local support, which vary across agro-climatic zones. Kheyti's reliance on partnerships makes the strength of each regional partner a key variable for programme planning.

Sources & References
Website
Founded: 2015
Company Stage: Startup
Headquarters
Hyderabad, Telangana, India
Geographic Presence
Kheyti operates in India and is headquartered in Hyderabad. Company materials cite farmers in Telangana, Rajasthan, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh, while press coverage reports state government programmes in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. NABARD-anchored demonstration projects run in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan. Delivery reaches farmers through non-profit partners, state agencies and Kheyti's own field teams.
Solution Type
Equipment Supplier, Service Provider, Technology Provider
Sustainability Outcomes
Climate Resilience, Resource Efficiency, Sustainable Agriculture, Water Conservation
Industries Served
Agriculture & Food, Government & Public Sector
Last Reviewed: October 15, 2026

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