Kheyti Co-founder & CEO Kaushik Kappagantulu says he launched his Greenhouse-in-a-Box concept to help some of India’s nearly 100 million small-hold farmers, among the poorest people on the planet and the most impacted by climate change. His initiative, which offers shelter from unpredictable elements and destructive pests and also trains and supports farmers to ensure their greenhouse is as effective as possible, has now won Prince William’s £1-million Earthshot Prize.
Kappagantulu said: “We are honoured to be recognised by the Earthshot Prize this year. The world depends on its small-hold farmers and yet their lives are amongst the hardest on earth.
“Our Greenhouse-in-a-Box is empowering farmers in India today. The steps we have already taken at Kheyti are now building to change farmers’ lives at scale.”
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The results of the project in the southern Indian state of Telangana have been described as “dramatic”. Plants in the greenhouse require 98 per cent less water than those outdoors and yields are seven-times higher. Ninety per cent cheaper than a standard greenhouse, they are more than doubling farmers’ incomes, helping them invest more in their farms and their children’s education. Using less water and fewer pesticides, they are protecting the planet too.
Another Indian project, Founder and CEO Ankit Agarwal’s Phool from Uttar Pradesh which converts flowers dispersed into the river Ganges into sustainable leather called Fleather, was among this year's 15 finalists worldwide projects. All 15 will receive tailored support from the Earthshot Prize Global Alliance – a network of world-leading philanthropies, NGOs, and private sector businesses around the world who will help scale their solutions.
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Inspired by US President John F. Kennedy’s Moonshot challenge in the 1960s, which united millions of people around the goal of putting a person on the moon within a decade, the Earthshot Prize aims to discover and help scale innovative solutions that put the world firmly on a trajectory toward a stable climate by 2030. Each year, five winners will be chosen for their ground-breaking solutions to five of the greatest environmental challenges facing our planet.
