Indian Startup Helps 3,200 Farmers Boost Yields by 120%

What started as a college robotics project in 2019 has become a lifeline for thousands of Indian farmers battling unpredictable weather and shrinking profits.

Three engineering students from Kerala noticed something crucial while designing their weed-removal robot: farmers didn't need fancier machines. They needed better information to make smarter decisions about when to plant, water, and protect their crops.

Atthri Anand, Vishnu B Raj, and Sayanth NS founded Deepflow Technologies with a different approach than most tech startups. Instead of rushing to build products, they spent two and a half years talking with farmers, visiting fields, and learning how agriculture actually works on the ground.

"Farmers don't resist technology," Anand explains. "They don't trust unproven promises." So the team partnered with agricultural scientists and research stations to ensure their solutions would actually work in real conditions.

Deepflow's system combines weather stations that track local conditions in real time with portable devices that test soil quality across different plots. All that data flows into a simple mobile app that gives farmers personalized advice in their own language about what to plant, when to irrigate, and how to prevent disease.

The results speak louder than any marketing pitch. Farmers using the platform have seen their average yields jump 120%, cut costs by 20%, and watched their incomes rise 80%.

The startup works with over 3,200 farmers across Kerala, many through partnerships with government agencies that provide the service free to small farmers. Rather than selling directly to individual farmers who can barely afford monthly subscriptions, Deepflow found a sustainable path by partnering with farmer collectives and state departments.

Their farmer-friendly platform helps government officials plan crop programs, track progress, and communicate with farmers using data instead of guesswork. Agricultural extension workers can now reach more farmers with better advice, backed by hyperlocal weather forecasts and soil data.

The Ripple Effect

Deepflow's impact extends beyond individual farm profits. By helping farmers shift from reactive crisis management to proactive planning, the platform builds resilience against climate change across entire communities.

When one farmer sees their neighbor's improved harvest, trust spreads faster than any advertising campaign. Farmer collectives share knowledge, reducing risk and encouraging others to adopt data-driven practices.

The startup recently secured incubation support from IIM Bangalore, connecting them with mentors and resources to scale across India. Their team of nine stays based in Kerala, close to the farms and farmers they serve.

Making farmers co-creators rather than customers turned a promising tech idea into genuine agricultural transformation that's improving lives across rural India.