Khetibuddy Agritech recently released its first-ever Impact Report highlighting how it has improved farming habits through promoting sustainable agricultural practices via its agritech platform. The 2021 Report – to be updated annually – shares Khetibuddy’s work for farmers in a few districts of Maharashtra in improving farming practices measured on five different parameters.
“We believe that science and technology have the power to transform the current state of agriculture. Our commitment to the farmers extends beyond just software solutions, the idea is the real impact on the ground which has to be benefit for the farmer. It’s only then any technology is useful,” said Vinay Nair, Co-founder and CEO Khetibuddy. “Khetibuddy now has a template for scaling this for other agribusinesses to serve their farmers. We would want to share our learnings with them and offer this as a service along with our technology solution,” Vinay added.
Key highlights of the Impact Report
Yield Quality Enhancement – Represents the metric in which company’s focused interventions to improve and enhance specific contents of produce via agricultural practices. With an objective to increase the marketability of the produce and farmers’ revenue, Khetibuddy has helped farmers increase the curcumin content (in percentage) in turmeric and germination rate in onion seed by up to 30 per cent.
Yield Quantity Increment – Metric that shows the direct impact on the livelihood of the farmers belonging to climate-vulnerable regions where the yield is in direct correlation to the vagaries of the nature. Several trainings, constant guidance and tech for enabling the goal-driven process of more yield per acre has helped Khetibuddy’s farmers achieve more than 28 per cent increase in yield of sugarcane and 35 per cent in turmeric.
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Input Cost Reduction – Khetibuddy’s weather-based recommendations for preventive approach in pest and disease management and optimisation of nutrient usage via remote sensing technology helped farmers reduce cultivation cost. By inducing sustainable agricultural practices to preserve soil biology the total input consumption and hence costs severely changed for farmers. They reduced overuse of fertilisers in potato and reduced pesticides spraying in cabbage.
Avoid Crop Loss – Thrusting the use of remote sensing technology for monitoring crop health along with preventive measures in farming, Khetibuddy has avoided crop losses in terms of quantity and quality. Intervening with agricultural practices for onion and watermelon farmers among other vegetables helped limit the usage of plant protection which covers for large portion of input costs.
Good Agricultural Practices – Khetibuddy’s drive for improving soil health is part of its long term vision to make farmers self-sustainable. These small steps towards the larger goal are best summarised in its efforts put in imparting knowledge and training farmers towards the adoption of GAPs.
“With technology adoption on a high as well access to smartphones and internet in rural India, now more than ever is the time to do meaningful impact which is result-driven for farmers. said, Dr. Richa Nair, Co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer, Khetibuddy.”Our agri-first approach and emphasis on reduction of chemical load on plant ecology is weaved into the technology platform we represent, Richa added.
