From satellite images to real-world impact: How IFPRI's collaboration with Dvara opened new doors for Odisha's marginalized farmers
IFPRI and Dvara have been working since 2018 on KhetScore, an innovation that digitizes smallholder farmer agricultural profiles; scores their credit risk based on satellite imagery; and protects them from production risk by providing picture-based insurance.
- imagery
By Berber Kramer, Senthil Kumar Sankararaju, and Tarun Katoch
August 25, 2026
How a conversation sparked innovation
In the paddy fields of Odisha, India, many farmers cultivate land they do not own, and thus do not have land titles that
can be used as collateral to obtain formal credit for agricultural activities. Instead, they must rely on informal, often
high-interest loans. But digital technologies are offering new ways to integrate smallholders into the financial system.
In Odisha, satellite images would prove to be a crucial tool to verify what farmers grow—providing an alternative form
of collateral and reliable access to credit.