Kaushik Kappagantulu’s Greenhouse in a Box Is Aiding India’s Farmers

Sensing a systemic problem that needed addressing, Kappagantulu pivoted to agriculture. In 2015, he launched an agri-tech enterprise called Kheyti, which means farming in Hindi. The goal was to help the more than 100 million smallholder farmers who produce the bulk of India’s staple foods like rice, wheat, and pulses. And one of the biggest challenges facing farmers today is the changing climate.In India, the combination of extreme heat, unseasonable rain, and depleting groundwater is making it difficult for farmers to grow during the summer season from March to June. During a heatwave this April, sensors installed by Kheyti recorded ground temperatures on multiple farms hitting 125 degrees Fahrenheit. “Climate change is wiping out their hard work,” says Kappagantulu, adding that the average Indian farmer earns about $1,000 a year. “It is not even enough for them to make ends meet,” he says.Kheyti’s solution was a low-cost modular “greenhouse-in-a-box.” These net houses are designed to be smaller than conventional greenhouses, suitable for the one-acre farmer. They have shade cloth on top, which reduces internal temperatures by about 9 degrees Fahrenheit, and drip irrigation. Each ...