What is the name of your organization?
DV Excellus
What is the name of your solution?
Kheti
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
First of its Kind Leading Agri-FinTech Platform for Farmers, Consumers and Stakeholders – One Stop Solution
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Kupondole, Lalitpur 44600, Nepal
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Nepal
What type of organization is your solution team?
For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
In Nepal, around 66% of the population is engaged in agriculture, with smallholder farmers contributing over 70% of agricultural production (FAO, 2022; Roka, 2018). Despite favorable topography and climatic conditions, the sector faces challenges, including low productivity and increasing imports of agricultural produce. These issues are compounded by limited access to credit and financial services, especially for women farmers, due to a lack of gender-disaggregated data (IFC, 2023) and collateral requirements (Mishra, 2024). According to Nepal Rastra Bank, 70% of rural farmers cannot access affordable credit, hindering their ability to invest in inputs and improve productivity.
Kheti addresses these barriers by offering collateral-free loans and digitally tracking farmers' transactions, production data, and market linkages. This allows farmers to access microloans and financial services based on real-time data, rather than traditional collateral. With 30,000 app downloads and 12,000 active users, Kheti uses AI to predict productivity and connect farmers to suppliers, buyers, and subsidies, improving market access and financial inclusion.
With the potential to disburse NPR 1.80 billion (approximately $13.14 million, at 1 USD = NPR 137), Kheti can transform Nepal’s agricultural finance landscape, fostering economic resilience and poverty alleviation.
What is your solution?
Our team is well-positioned to deliver Kheti due to our deep expertise and strong partnerships across agriculture, fintech, and field implementation. Led by Tulsi Giri (Executive Director), Subash Bhattarai (CTO), and Neuraj Karki (Operations Director), our team has secured over 30,000 application downloads engaging more than 12,000 farmers through pilot projects. Our collective experience has shaped Kheti, ensuring it is both data-driven and designed with farmers' needs in mind.
We have strong relationships with agri-value chain actors, financial institutions, and government agencies. Kheti has already disbursed NPR 170 million (approximately $1,241,000) through the NMB Kheti Karja Loan Initiative, impacting over 1,000 farmers in collaboration with NMB Bank. Through AI and machine learning, we’ve optimized access to microloans, improving financial inclusion and increasing market linkages for farmers.
Our work has created jobs within local communities, including positions in branch offices, facilitator models (Sahajkarta), and training programs for farmers, vendors, and cooperatives. Our solution has also contributed to significant cost savings for farmers up to NPR 83,000 (approximately $606) annually in logistics, product purchases, loan processing, and advisory services.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Kheti has already reached 30,000 app downloads with 12,000 active users, primarily serving smallholder farmers in rural Nepal, with a special focus on empowering women farmers who face significant barriers to financial inclusion and productivity. The platform provides digital financial services and market linkages, empowering farmers to access credit and improve productivity. Kheti is integrated with the agri-value chain, connecting farmers to suppliers, buyers, and government subsidies. Our platform also helps farmers build verifiable credit histories and gain access to microloans for purchasing farming inputs. Through AI and machine learning, Kheti tracks production data and loan repayments, enabling better financial inclusion. Altogether, Kheti aims to improve the livelihoods of thousands of underserved farmers, boosting economic mobility and financial resilience in rural Nepal.
