A proven approach
Precision Development (PxD) partners with governments to design, test, and scale evidence-based information and tools that farmers can use to improve their livelihoods. This includes timely agronomic and weather guidance, climate-resilient inputs, decision support tools, and more — delivered at the right moment, in farmers’ own languages, through channels they already use. This helps them act on risks before they become losses and invest with greater confidence. Over time, and at scale through government systems, this translates into stronger incomes, greater resilience, and better lives for farming households.
Our mission
PxD is scaling innovations that millions of smallholder farmers can use to improve their lives.
How we do this
Deliver
Building and scaling proven innovations directly to millions of farmers at very low cost.
Improve
Making existing government digital agriculture programmes more effective through evidence, farmer feedback, and continuous learning.
Advise
Helping governments design, coordinate, and monitor nationwide digital agriculture portfolios.
Our organization
We are governed by a Board of Directors, guided by an Advisory Group, and led by our Chief Executive Officer, Niriksha Shetty.
PxD is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit, operating in Ethiopia, India, Kenya, Nigeria, and beyond. The majority of our team — spanning technology, program delivery, research, and data — is based in our program countries, working directly alongside government partners and farming communities.
Our values
Our origins
Precision Development (PxD) was founded in 2016 by a group of development economists and business leaders dedicated to harnessing innovation to improve the lives of underserved communities. Our founders include:
Michael Kremer — Former PxD Board Director, 2019 Nobel Laureate.
Shawn Cole — Former PxD Board Director and Treasurer, Harvard Business School.
Daniel Björkegren — Former PxD Board Director, Columbia University.
Heiner Baumann — Former PxD Board Director, Independent Adviser.
PxD emerged from a large-scale experimental evaluation co-led by Michael Kremer between 2011 and 2014. The study tested an SMS-based agricultural advisory service in Kenya, which increased smallholder farmers’ yields by 8% — a result that demonstrated the power of scalable, low-cost digital solutions and directly inspired PxD’s founding.
A related study co-led by Shawn Cole between 2009 and 2012 tested a voice-based agricultural advisory service for cotton and cumin farmers in Gujarat, India. The study found strong farmer demand for the service and a measurable shift in farmers’ information sources and input choices, evidence that farmers would seek out and act on mobile-delivered agricultural advice.
For more on PxD’s origins, see Michael Kremer’s Nobel Prize lecture, Experimentation, Innovation, and Economics (2019).
Meet Paddy
Paddy is PxD’s innovative platform for automated, two-way communication across channels like Voice, SMS, WhatsApp, and Telegram. Purpose-built for large-scale interaction, Paddy enables seamless data collection, personalized messaging, and cross-channel integration – empowering meaningful engagement at scale. to enhance user engagement.
Join a growing and diverse team!
At PxD, we are powered by a dynamic and diverse team working globally.
Together, we take pride in driving meaningful impact worldwide. Joining PxD means becoming part of a collaborative, impact-driven community committed to innovation and positive change on a global scale.
Make an impact today
