A person who wants and does every work as creatively as possible, Subash, co-founder at Khetalo is a person whose goal is to make a positive change in the agriculture industry. More importantly, he wants everyone from the small students at school to the adults to learn their way around agriculture, and for this, he plans to teach and impart the knowledge that he has so that others can do the above. A future-oriented person and a person who wants to do greater good, Subash also often writes poetry and articles.

How did you get yourself into agriculture?

Back in my childhood days, I used to wander around the unused land back at home and it got me thinking “Why can’t we create something here?” We can do so much and in so many different ways is what went through my mind constantly. This led to my fascination with biotechnology which I pursued and did my studies on. After completing my studies that urge to do and make a change in this industry became stronger than ever which led to the establishment of Khetalo.

What is the usage and benefits of vertical farming and to whom can this be most associated?

Vertical farming is for the small spaces which are mainly in the urban area. You can already guess by the name itself that this kind of farming allows us to grow our food vertically which helps us to save tons of space and at the same time helps us grow our food in a very small space. You can utilize the saved space for anything else you desire. This technology is for all those who are residing in urban areas with small space but who at the same time wish to grow their own food in their own homes.

What is the purpose and vision of Khetalo?

Our purpose at Khetalo is to work for agriculture and for the environment; to advocate green energy and also teach to the small students at schools to how they can be a part of this change that we are trying to bring. The vision is to make Khetalo an umbrella organization in the field of agriculture by diversifying into all aspects of agriculture and using the internet of things to bring about a change in the agro-industry of Nepal.

Do you think agro-entrepreneurship is underrated in Nepal?

No, and yes. No- because we can see people introducing ostrich, turkey, elaichi farming here in Nepal which people previously would not have even thought of BUT Yes it is under-rated in the sense that it has not met its true potential meaning I see a lot of people wanting to start their own venture and they choose event management or the IT sector. I am not saying you should not do that but people have not realized the potential of agriculture here. If you see out of 100 people on their entrepreneurship journey, only 2-3 are agro-entrepreneurs. So it is under-rated in that way.

In your opinion, what is important while forming a startup?

Having a team that moves and works towards achieving the same vision is what I think is important in a start-up. Different perspectives definitely exist as we all are unique in our own way but everyone should head towards the same destination.

Any opportunity to work with you in any of your current research and projects?

Yes, definitely. We are looking for research interns as of now. Anybody interested, do write to us at info@khetalo.com or on our Facebook page – Khetalo.