How AI, digital advisory, and last-mile connectivity are transforming India’s smallholder farming landscape

DeHaat has emerged as one of India’s most consequential agritech platforms by tackling a problem that has long constrained farm productivity: the fragmentation of smallholder agriculture. Founded in 2012 by IIT and IIM alumni Shashank Kumar and Manish Kumar, DeHaat integrates AI-driven crop advisory, organised input supply, and transparent market access into a single, scalable system designed for rural India.

What began as a research-led pilot in Bihar has evolved into a nationwide network serving over 1.8 million farmers across 12 states, delivering more than seven million agricultural services. At the core of DeHaat’s model is a phygital architecture—digital intelligence reinforced by a dense physical presence. Its advisory engine blends satellite imagery, weather data, soil profiles, and pest intelligence to deliver crop-stage-specific recommendations across 30+ crops in multiple regional languages, while its supply and procurement layers reduce input costs and improve price realisation.

Today, DeHaat operates through 11,000+ DeHaat Centres and works with 503 Farmer Producer Organisations, enabling farmers to access institutional buyers, financial services, and post-harvest infrastructure. Thousands of rural micro-entrepreneurs run these centres, creating local livelihoods while serving as the platform’s last-mile interface.

Beyond farm-level impact, DeHaat is building a data backbone that brings visibility and predictability to India’s agricultural value chains—benefiting farmers, input manufacturers, FPOs, and buyers alike. Recognised by institutions such as NASSCOM, NITI Aayog, Forbes and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, DeHaat illustrates how AI-enabled platforms can convert scale into resilience.

As climate volatility intensifies and demand for traceable, high-quality produce grows, models like DeHaat point to the future of Indian agriculture—one where technology doesn’t replace farmers, but systematically empowers them to compete, adapt, and grow.

To read the full story by NITI Frontier Hub, click: https://frontiertech.niti.gov.in/story/dehaats-ai-enabled-agriculture-network-driving-market-access-and-efficiency-for-1-8-million-farmers/