KhetAI:Smart farming fair prices

Inspiration

The idea for KhetAI emerged from our collective experiences. While buying vegetables at the market, we noticed how prices were incredibly high, yet news reports frequently highlighted how farmers were struggling to sell their produce. In some cases, farmers even resorted to throwing away their harvest in protest of unfair pricing. This paradox—where farmers suffer losses while consumers pay more—exposed deep inefficiencies in Nepal’s agricultural supply chain. Middlemen dominate the market, purchasing produce at extremely low rates and reselling it at inflated prices. This system not only reduces farmers' earnings but also creates artificial shortages, driving prices even higher. As a result, food waste increases, farmers are exploited, and consumers bear the financial burden. With KhetAI, we aim to eliminate middlemen, connect farmers directly with consumers, and bring transparency to agricultural pricing through AI and real-time market data.

What it does

KhetAI is a mobile and web platform where users can sign up as either:

Farmers – Sell their produce directly, access AI-powered plant disease detection, and receive expert farming advice via chatbot. Consumers – Purchase fresh produce from farmers and check daily vegetable prices using real-time data from Kalimatimarket.gov.np. Core Features & Tech Stack AI-Powered Plant Disease Detection – Farmers can upload images of diseased crops, and our AI model provides diagnoses and treatment suggestions. AI Chatbot (Nepali & English) – Helps farmers with queries on crop selection, disease treatment, and best farming practices. Real-Time Vegetable Price Tracking – Uses web scraping to fetch daily vegetable prices, helping consumers ensure they are paying fair rates. Direct Marketplace – Farmers list their produce, and consumers buy directly—eliminating middlemen and ensuring fair pricing. Scalable Tech Stack – Built using React (frontend), FastAPI (backend), AI for disease detection, and Python for web scraping.

How we built it

We developed KhetAI using a robust tech stack tailored for efficiency, scalability, and accessibility:

Frontend: React Native (Expo) for a seamless, cross-platform mobile experience. Backend: FastAPI for fast, scalable, and efficient API handling. Database: MySQL for structured and efficient data management. AI Integration: TensorFlow for training and deploying the AI-powered disease detection model. AssemblyAI for speech-to-text, enabling voice-based chatbot interactions. gTTS (Google Text-to-Speech) for converting chatbot responses into audio, making it accessible for farmers with low literacy. Web Scraping: BeautifulSoup (b4f) for automated real-time vegetable price tracking from Kalimati Market. This tech stack ensures KhetAI remains user-friendly, data-driven, and AI-powered, providing farmers and consumers with a powerful tool to improve their agricultural experience.

Challenges we ran into

Data Availability: Limited public agricultural datasets in Nepal required extensive data collection for AI training. Language Barriers: Implementing a chatbot that supports both Nepali and English was challenging due to limited NLP resources. Real-time Price Scraping: Ensuring accurate, up-to-date market prices required automation and API optimizations.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully built an AI-powered image recognition system for disease detection. Developed a functional marketplace that directly connects farmers and consumers. Integrated a real-time price tracking system for better market transparency. Created a bilingual AI chatbot accessible to farmers with low digital literacy.

What we learned

The importance of user-friendly UI/UX design for adoption in rural areas. Real-world agricultural problems require a mix of technology and policy interventions. The potential of AI in transforming traditional industries like agriculture.

What's next for KhetAI:Smart farming fair prices

We aim to enhance KhetAI with new features that further empower farmers and ensure fair pricing for consumers:

Smart Weather-Based Alerts Integrate real-time climate data to provide region-specific crop recommendations. Predict potential weather hazards like droughts or heavy rainfall to help farmers plan accordingly. AI-Driven Pesticide Monitoring Leverage AI to track pesticide usage and recommend safer alternatives. Educate farmers on sustainable and organic farming practices through the AI chatbot. Marketplace Expansion & Logistics Support Partner with local delivery services to ensure efficient transportation of farm produce. Introduce a logistics optimization feature to reduce post-harvest losses. Scaling Beyond Nepal Adapt KhetAI for other developing countries struggling with similar supply chain inefficiencies. Customize AI models for region-specific crops and farming practices.

Built With

• assemblyai
• beautiful-soup
• expo.io
• fastapi
• figma
• gtts
• mysql
• react-native