For over two decades, Mihir Shah has worked closely with Indian farmers, witnessing first-hand the challenges that continue to limit their productivity and profitability. From hazardous chemical exposure and labour shortages to poor access to modern technology and financial constraints, these recurring problems inspired him to build a different kind of agricultural company. Those frontline lessons drove me to build AgriOwn — a platform and service network that helps farmers access modern farm technology, practical advisory and last‑mile services so they can take control of productivity and profitability.
Building AgriOwn Around Farmers, Not Machines
“After years of working with farmers, I realized that technology adoption was failing because it wasn’t reaching the last mile,” says Mihir Shah. “Most small and marginal farmers cannot afford expensive equipment, nor do they have access to reliable advisory services. We wanted to create a system where farmers could access advanced technologies without making huge investments.” AgriOwn was built around a pay-per-use model, enabling farmers to access modern farm technologies, practical advisory services and last-mile agricultural solutions without owning expensive assets themselves. The vision was bigger than selling equipment — it was about building an ecosystem where farmers could improve productivity while local entrepreneurs created sustainable rural businesses
Why drones, and how adoption changed?
A defining moment came in 2017 when Mihir witnessed the devastating impact of pesticide exposure. “I saw reports of 22 farmers losing their lives due to hazardous chemical exposure in Yavatmal, Maharashtra. That incident deeply affected me and reinforced the urgency of creating safer farming solutions.” We introduced agricultural drones in 2021 to solve immediate, painful problems: acute labour shortages, hazardous chemical exposure during spraying, and inefficient water and input use. Early adoption was slow — farmers feared crop damage and the idea was unfamiliar. A decisive moment came when the Gujarat government rolled out a subsidy scheme that helped farmers try drone spray services at scale. That policy, combined with visible on-ground results, accelerated trust. Today, our services have touched 2.5 lakh farmers in Gujarat, and the state’s subsidy-backed rollout covered roughly 2 lakh acres with drone sprays.
The philosophy behind the name
The brand name AgriOwn reflects our mission: empower farmers and local entrepreneurs to own technology. Ownership is not just about machines; it’s about agency. We work to convert local influencers into farm-technology centres and encourage the next generation — farmers’ children — to become rural entrepreneurs. That last mile of accessibility is how technology moves from novelty to norm.
Why AgriOwn Chose Depth Over Expansion?
We chose to expand vertically within Gujarat rather than spreading thin geographically. Covering more farmers in a focused region lets us deliver reliable, 24–48 hour services and build repeat trust. That execution-first approach meant bootstrapping initially and relying on targeted seed support I invested personal savings and received seed funding via a Government of India, EDII grant. Profitability from day one and disciplined spending helped us remain mission-aligned and avoid dilution by premature external pressures.
Making innovation affordable
Affordability and ecosystem support are vital. Drones, IoT sensors and analytics will only scale if OEMs, cooperatives, state policies and local entrepreneurs pull together. Our work includes building partnerships with OEMs for cost-effective equipment, leveraging government schemes, and creating income opportunities for rural service providers. That’s how we make expensive tech economically viable for smallholders.
Tech roadmap: AI, IoT and beyond
Technology is evolving fast. Over the next decade, AI, IoT and automation will reshape farming: driverless tractors, predictive farm analytics and real‑time decision support will become practical tools. We’re already integrating AI and IoT into our roadmap — from soil and crop analytics to supply‑chain insights — to move beyond mechanization services into financing, farm analytics and market linkage solutions. Our ambition is to enable 10,000–50,000 rural entrepreneurs across India and establish up to 100,000 farm-technology centres so farmers can access real‑time services at the last mile.
Sustainability concerns and solutions
Water depletion and excessive synthetic fertilizer use worry me. Technology must solve such structural issues, not just replace labour. That means better soil testing, balanced nutrient management, precise water use and incentives for sustainable practices. We pilot tech solutions that reduce water and chemical use while improving yields — and we document results so adoption spreads faster.
Metrics that matter
Our growth model is rooted in outcomes. We prioritize farmer-centric metrics: reduced chemical exposure, labor saved, liters of water conserved, yield improvements and improved incomes. Those are the measures that build credibility more than any marketing claim.
Closing: a vision for rural entrepreneurship
What keeps me going is the vision of an empowered rural ecosystem where technology and entrepreneurship coexist. If we can enable millions of farmers to access modern services through locally owned farm-technology centers, we will have transformed not just yields but livelihoods. That, to me, is AgriOwn’s purpose.
Interview By : Sejal Thakur
