Irrigation as a Service Entrepreneur Series: Story #7
Farming Forward: Andrew Massaro's IaaS Journey
The emerging Irrigation as a Service (IaaS) model offers a new approach to expanding agricultural water access. As a young industry, it requires rapid iteration and learning to support widespread growth. Andrew Massaro has been central to this effort as CEO of Stable Foods, a Kenyan startup that supplies farmers with irrigation water, agricultural inputs, and marketing services.
Stable Foods relies on a shared infrastructure model that lowers the costs associated with irrigation. By offering access to large-scale irrigation systems, the company allows farmers to increase their productivity and profitability. This approach makes farming more viable and contributes to economic growth and food security.
Through a monthly subscription, Stable Foods supplies irrigation water, agricultural inputs, and marketing services. Its shared infrastructure provides a way for farmers to obtain irrigation year-round without the burden of high upfront costs.
Expanding Services and Strategic Pivots
Andrew Massaro joined Stable Foods as CEO in 2022, bringing his background from US corporate management and participation in Kenyan social enterprises. Although the company had already established its initial model, Andrew played a key role in driving strategic shifts to strengthen and expand its services.
First, recognizing the financial limitations farmers faced, Andrew broadened the company’s offerings beyond IaaS. He introduced a credit program that allows farmers to get essential inputs like seeds, fertilizer, and crop protection, with payment delayed until the end of the harvest season. Stable Foods also began purchasing and reselling farmers’ produce through local stores. This initiative was important to address farmers’ difficulties in marketing crops and to serve as a vital source of revenue for the company.
The second major change involved location strategy. Initially Stable Foods focused on building irrigation systems near fish farms to use wastewater and decrease potential pollutants. However, Andrew saw a greater need for irrigation services in areas less dependent on aquaculture. Farmers in fishing and aquaculture-focused areas placed less emphasis on irrigation, so he led the company to explore new locations with stronger agricultural activity to grow Stable Foods’ IaaS operations.
Challenges and Achievements
Stable Foods has overcome a number of other challenges, including strengthening irrigation infrastructure, onboarding farmers, and improving water-use efficiency. The irrigation systems used by Stable Foods are fixed and therefore cannot be moved. As such, the company must provide a wider array of services to ensure farmers can irrigate profitably.
Despite these hurdles, the company has been successful and continues to expand to new locations, with a goal of covering over 1,000 acres within the next few years. Andrew is optimistic that the lessons learned will help Stable Foods streamline operational costs and improve the company’s earnings and potential for growth.
This journey provides valuable understanding of how IaaS businesses develop to satisfy the needs of farmers and expand access to irrigation in Kenya and other places.
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.
