Irrigation as a Service Entrepreneur Series: Story #1
Addressing Agricultural Challenges Through Resource Sharing
Agrishare is a digital platform that facilitates the rental of vital agricultural resources, connecting farmers to equipment like irrigation pumps and accessories tractors, land, labor, and other agricultural resources. By making it easier to rent and hire these resources, Agrishare tackles the dual challenges of limited access to equipment and idle assets. The platform's business model connects resource owners with farmers, allowing equipment owners to earn money while providing farmers with access to tools they need to be successful.
Agrishare's competitive advantage lies in its shared economy platform that connects farmers who own equipment with those who need it, increasing both access to and affordability of agricultural equipment. By facilitating the sharing of underutilized equipment, Agrishare provides a cost-effective solution for farmers, allowing them to improve their productivity without the need for significant capital investment. This approach benefits farmers and optimizes the use of agricultural resources within the community.
The Founder's Vision: Paul Zaake's Personal Journey
Paul Zaake’s vision for Agrishare is rooted in his own life. Growing up on his family’s farm in Uganda, he experienced the struggles of smallholders firsthand, recalling one particularly difficult season when drought threatened their sweet-potato crop, forcing him and other children to fetch water from five kilometers away to save the crop. This early lesson in vulnerability was later complimented by his degrees in agriculture and climate change adaptation, giving him a unique blend of lived experience and formal knowledge.
This combined perspective highlighted how access to resources can make or break a farming season. While working with farmers across Uganda, Paul realized that a lack of equipment was one of the most critical yet overlooked constraints on productivity. He began mapping equipment supply and demand in simple Excel spreadsheets, laying the groundwork for Agrishare: creating an inventory of which farmers had tractors, pumps, or land to offer, and which farmers needed them. Eventually, he co-founded Agrishare with a vision to digitize this system and make it widely accessible.
Overcoming Obstacles
Early on, Agrishare faced several challenges. The first, was overcoming farmer hesitancy; instead of the expected quick uptake, the team encountered issues with digital literacy. The second was a supply-and-demand problem: in many regions, there was not enough rental equipment to meet farmers’ needs. Agrishare’s solution was twofold. They diversified their communications to go beyond the digital platform by creating a call center and in-person hubs around Uganda. Agrishare strategically acquired their own rental equipment, allowing them to serve areas with high demand but few local providers.
Growth and Future Vision
Today, Agrishare has more than 17,000 registered users and 4,000 active listings. Agrishare has expanded from central Uganda into the Eastern, Northern, and Western regions.
Reflecting on Agrishare’s growth, Paul points to key lessons that now define their customer-focused strategy: the necessity of offline access, a diverse services offering, and the underestimated time required to build trust with farmers. Looking forward, Paul imagines Agrishare becoming a leading agricultural platform across Africa. His aim is to reach five million active users within the next few years. This plan involves entering new areas, bringing on more service providers, and developing a strong network of partners to support farmers' success.
Conclusion
Paul's journey with Agrishare shows how identifying a problem, understanding the local context, and using technology can lead to farmer-friendly solutions. From its modest start, Agrishare has grown into an important asset for Ugandan farmers and is ready for continued expansion.
For other entrepreneurs, Paul's story emphasizes the value of determination, flexibility, and a dedication to the communities you aim to serve in addressing real-world issues.
About the Irrigation as a Service Entrepreneur Series
The Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) Entrepreneur Series highlights eight entrepreneurs who are developing innovative solutions to improve water access for smallholder farmers. In January 2025, DWFI brought together eight founders from seven countries for a workshop in Uganda, marking the largest-ever gathering of companies dedicated to IaaS. This series explores each of these companies’ journey with providing access to irrigation as a service – an alternative to pump ownership by farmers. Each founder offers a unique approach to providing this service. The series aims to share real-world experiences to guide future business development, research, and investment in IaaS, ultimately enhancing agricultural productivity in the Global South.
Erin Anders, DWFI Senior Program Manager, also contributed to this story.
