NEERX is a precision agriculture startup that is bridging the gap between high end R&D and on-ground farming realities. With its flagship soil and climate sensor, SHOOL, and an integrated advisory platform, the company enables smallholder farmers to make data informed decisions even in low connectivity, high variance field conditions. Recently, NEERX was integrated into the DeHaat ecosystem, enhancing agritech capabilities and delivering greater value to Indian farmers.
In this detailed conversation with Agrotech Space, Nikita Tiwari, Co-founder of NEERX, reflects on her journey from engineering labs to rural fields, the interdisciplinary foundations of the company’s innovation approach, and the systemic shifts needed to make agritech more inclusive, especially for women led ventures. Below are edited excerpts from the interview:
Agrotech Space: What led you to identify agriculture as the sector where you could apply your engineering and R&D experience meaningfully, and how did this crystallize into the founding of NEERX?
Nikita Tiwari: Early in my career I was working on advanced sensors and data systems. I saw how technology could transform critical challenges. Visiting rural farming communities in Gujarat, I realized that smallholders made high stakes decisions without real time insights. That gap between cutting edge R&D and on the ground needs inspired me to launch NEERX, with a mission to bring precision tech directly to farmers’ fields.
Agrotech Space: How did your experiences at ISRO and UNICEF shape NEERX’s focus on reliability and user centric design?
Nikita Tiwari: At ISRO, I learned non negotiable standards for reliability and calibration, at UNICEF I saw the power of empathy driven design. Combining those mindsets taught me to build solutions that are both technically robust and deeply attuned to farmers contexts whether that means simple, offline-first mobile interfaces or ruggedized hardware tuned for different soil types.
Agrotech Space: What drove the development of the SHOOL sensor, and how did you ensure it worked reliably and remained affordable for smallholders?
Nikita Tiwari: We set out to build a soil and climate sensor that does what satellites cannot measure below the ground. From the very beginning, our goal was to make a device that delivers reliable subsurface data in real farming conditions. To prove it worked, we conducted extensive field trials across multiple regions, comparing our readings not only against satellite derived estimates but also against well established sensors from the US and Australia.
In every soil type, our measurements matched or exceeded those benchmarks at better than 97% accuracy.
At the same time, we knew that simply having the technology was not enough. Smallholder farmers need solutions they can actually afford and maintain. That is why we moved design and assembly in-house and partnered with local manufacturers for most of the parts. By producing roughly 70 to 75% of the components in India, we could control quality, reduce costs and adapt quickly to feedback delivering a sensor that meets the performance demands of field use while fitting the budgets and service networks of the farmers we aim to serve.
Agrotech Space: How did you design NEERX’s device to function reliably in low connectivity, high variance field conditions?
Nikita Tiwari: We designed the device to operate completely offline in the field, using offline data persistence as its primary link to our mobile app. All measurements are recorded and stored locally and then synced with cloud services. When a farmer comes within range of a network enabled phone, the app automatically connects, retrieves the stored data, and uploads it to the cloud without any manual intervention. This approach ensures that the device delivers continuous monitoring even in areas with no cellular coverage, while seamlessly synchronizing historical and real time data once connectivity is available.
Agrotech Space: How do you ensure NEERX’s advisories are locally relevant, easy to understand, and actionable for farmers?
Nikita Tiwari: Our platform brings together sensor, satellite, and weather information to deliver advice that feels personal, timely, and easy to act on. During the growing season, farmers receive forecasts of temperature, humidity, wind, and rain probability along with clear recommendations on when to irrigate, spray, or address nutrient deficiencies. After harvest, they get regional weather outlooks and reminders to conduct soil tests before the next planting cycle.
Every message appears in the farmer’s own language, references local soil and climate norms. By tailoring each advisory to the stage of the crop and the local context, we ensure that every notification inspires confidence and directly guides the farmer’s next steps.
Agrotech Space: How have collaborations with institutions like ISRO and ICAR strengthened NEERX’s credibility and impact?
Nikita Tiwari: ISRO partnerships unlocked satellite development/testing facilities, high resolution imagery and algorithm validation; Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) ties lent agronomic legitimacy and opened state extension channels for pilots. Those institutional endorsements signaled rigor to investors, accelerated farmer trust through official networks, and aligned our work with emerging agtech policies.
Agrotech Space: Beyond technical validation, what has been your approach to building farmer trust in sensor based decision making, particularly in regions where traditional methods dominate?
Nikita Tiwari: We build trust by bringing farmers directly into the process and letting them see the benefits firsthand. In each village, we set up live demo plots where local growers can compare sensor driven recommendations against their usual practices, side by side. We invite progressive farmers to serve as “field ambassadors,” sharing their experiences and results with neighbors in their own language.
Our team also hosts hands-on training sessions at Model Dehaat Centres (Post acquisition of NEERX), where farmers learn to interpret data and ask questions face to face. By combining clear, local language explanations with visible yield gains and water savings and backing it up with ongoing field support we make it clear that our sensors amplify, rather than replace, traditional knowledge. Over time, these real world successes and personal interactions turn early skeptics into enthusiastic adopters.
Agrotech Space: Can you share a real world example of how NEERX’s technology improved outcomes for a farming community?
Nikita Tiwari: In one standout case study, strawberry growers around Jaipur used SHOOL’s real time insights to cut their water use by 50 percent while maintaining crop health. When the sensor flagged a high risk of Powdery Mildew, they treated it in time to prevent what could have been over 50 percent plant loss. By planning irrigation and protection around unexpected heat waves, they preserved both yield and fruit quality. Today, this same approach supports growers in more than five states.
Agrotech Space: Following the acquisition by DeHaat, what is your strategic roadmap for integrating NEERX’s precision tools into their pan India operations while retaining autonomy in R&D?
Nikita Tiwari: Since the acquisition, NEERX’s core advisory models and data pipelines have already been embedded into DeHaat’s system and piloted via multiple channels. Our next step is to scale that integration across DeHaat’s network of 13 million farmers by keeping our NEERX team fully embedded within DeHaat’s product organization.
This close partnership lets us develop and test enhancements such as multi crop advisories, predictive pest and disease alerts, and dynamic nutrient recommendations while DeHaat’s operations and field teams roll them out broadly without delay. We rely on an API first architecture to feed real time sensor, satellite, and weather data into DeHaat’s existing backend systems, ensuring every recommendation flows seamlessly to farmers.
A joint steering committee, with representatives from both NEERX and DeHaat, tracks key metrics – adoption rates, system performance, farmer feedback, and compliance to maintain transparency and preserve the rapid cycle innovation that drives our R&D edge.
Also read: INTERVIEW | How a Student Built IoT Kit, JalSaathi, Tackles Water Waste in Indian Farming
Agrotech Space: What operational and governance frameworks are you adopting post acquisition to safeguard product affordability and data integrity at scale?
Nikita Tiwari: We’ve put in place straightforward, transparent practices to keep our service both affordable and reliable as we grow. Every new feature or pricing update goes through a simple internal review where NEERX and DeHaat product leads agree that it meets our guidelines for farmer access and clear value. All data collection and storage processes are documented, with defined retention periods and who on the team can view or update records.
Rather than formal audits or committees, we rely on regular joint check ins reviewing usage metrics, farmer feedback, and any data quality flags to catch issues early and adjust before they affect users. Detailed process documents live in shared spaces so everyone can see how decisions are made and trace any changes. This keeps our platform straightforward to use, our advice consistently accurate, and our commitment to farmers front and center
Agrotech Space: As Indian agriculture faces intensifying climate variability, how is NEERX preparing for future use cases such as predictive modeling, carbon farming, or regenerative monitoring?
Nikita Tiwari: NEERX is turning years of weather, yield, and sensor records into reliable forecasts, so we can warn farmers about pest outbreaks and water stress before they happen. For carbon farming, we’re working with DeHaat and an external partner to use our sensors for soil carbon measurements and a traceability layer that links those readings to verified credits. And for regenerative monitoring, we combine continuous in-field data with periodic soil tests to track how practices like cover cropping or reduced tillage build organic matter over time. By building these capabilities now well ahead of formal markets and policies. We’ll make predictive insights, carbon credit opportunities, and soil health tracking both practical and accessible for every farmer.
Agrotech Space: What systemic changes, whether policy, funding, or education, do you believe are most critical to fostering more women led innovation in deep tech agribusinesses?
Nikita Tiwari: True change means reshaping programs end to end. First, funding bodies and VCs should create women focused innovation funds with lighter application hoops so female founders aren’t trapped in endless pitch cycles. On the policy side, government R&D and pilot schemes must reserve a share of spots for women led ventures and mandate gender balance on agtech advisory panels. In education, universities need mandatory hands-on agtech and entrepreneurship modules, plus internship pipelines that place women founders with extension services and corporate farms.
Finally, industry associations and incubators should build dedicated networks, peer cohorts, field trial partnerships, and mentor circles that give women entrepreneurs practical guidance, visibility, and real world testbeds. These shifts in funding rules, program design, and educational pathways will open doors for more women to launch and scale deep tech agribusinesses.
Agrotech Space: What gaps do you see in the current ecosystem when it comes to supporting women led agritech or deep tech startups in India, and what structural changes could enable more inclusive innovation?
Nikita Tiwari: Women founders in agritech often hit a double hurdle: investors hesitate because they doubt returns, and pilot or procurement programs rarely ring fence spots for women led teams. Without that guaranteed entry, they struggle to prove their technology and build a track record. To fix this, governments and large corporations should reserve a share of pilot projects and procurement tenders specifically for women owned startups, giving them real world testbeds and revenue.
At the same time, we need dedicated incubation and field testing hubs spaces where women can access lab facilities, conduct on-farm trials, and get hands on mentorship from seasoned agritech experts. Those two shifts a guaranteed lane into early pilots plus structured R&D support would break the cycle of underfunding and open the door to broader investment and impact.