Irrigation as a Service Entrepreneur Series: Story #8
Charting Uncharted Waters: Sri Malladi
How can someone prepare to lead a company in a totally new industry, one with no roadmap to follow? For Sri Malladi, the founder and CEO of Agrirain, the answer was found in a professional background uniquely suited to the challenge. Entering into uncharted territory, Sri brought together all the elements you would want: technical knowledge, proven business leadership, and irrigation expertise.
The Path to Agrirain
Sri’s journey began with a strong technical foundation, earning degrees in electrical engineering and physics. His early career spanned the IT and management consulting sectors before he pivoted to agriculture. In the agricultural landscape, he worked for a center pivot company, where he was tasked with exploring emerging markets. Each step of this diverse career path equipped him with the specific knowledge and perspective needed to eventually found Agrirain.
From Blueprints to Business
The concept for Agrirain emerged during Sri’s time developing financial models for a center pivot company’s international expansion. He realized that large-scale irrigation technologies did not translate well to the context of smallholder farmers, particularly in regions like India and Rwanda. Simultaneously, he observed a broader business shift toward service-based models and saw the potential to apply this approach to smallholder irrigation.
Although market opportunities existed in several countries, Sri recognized that launching a company from the ground up was the only way to effectively prove and scale the "Irrigation as a Service" (IaaS) concept. Securing initial funding, Agrirain established itself in India, leveraging the country's high demand and varied farming conditions to work with smallholders, governments, and industries.
Watering the Roots of a New Business
Today, Agrirain provides supplemental irrigation to farmers in India using a specially designed hose reel traveler system. The business model is innovative yet simple:
- Service-Based Pricing: Agrirain charges per acre-millimeter of water used.
- Local Empowerment: The company employs local entrepreneurs as service providers who use Agrirain’s equipment and scheduling tools to deliver water.
Agrirain’s competitive advantage is its service-oriented approach, specifically tailored for small-scale farmers in emerging markets. By offering irrigation as a service, Agrirain removes the burden of high upfront costs and maintenance—barriers that often prevent small farmers from accessing irrigation technology. This model not only makes water affordable but also allows Agrirain to reach markets that larger competitors cannot. Furthermore, their technology enables them to provide water at competitive prices while using data to irrigate more effectively.
Expanding Horizons and Future Vision
Agrirain has utilized multiple pathways to expand the IaaS model. The company has:
- Partnered with private industries to irrigate smallholder farms within their value chains.
- Collaborated with government programs to improve irrigation efficiency.
- Supplied irrigation directly to farmer cooperatives and individual farmers.
Through these efforts, Agrirain has developed supply chain and financing methods that provide valuable insights into how IaaS can scale.
Looking ahead, Sri aims to expand the Agrirain method to small and mid-size farmers across India and Africa. To achieve this, he plans to improve venture margins and integrate more closely with equipment manufacturers in the supply chain. Given Sri's extensive experience and persistence, Agrirain is poised to remain a source of inspiration and knowledge in the IaaS sector.
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, and Arianna Elnes, DWFI Communications Specialist, also contributed to this story.
