AgriVijay: Turning Farmers Into Climate Champions
AgriVijay, founded during the 2020 COVID lockdown, is India’s first curated marketplace and agtech social enterprise dedicated to empowering farmers through renewable energy and climate action. Supported by the Atal Innovation Mission and NITI Aayog, the company has rapidly become one of the fastest-growing startups in the agri-tech sector.
Operating across Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, AgriVijay provides farmers and rural households with access to solar, biogas, and electric energy solutions through its network of over 80 Renewable Energy Stores. By combining innovation with impact, AgriVijay helps farmers become both energy producers and consumers—boosting income, reducing emissions, and driving India’s journey toward a self-reliant, sustainable future.
DeliveryRank explores AgriVijay’s story with founder Harshal Kawale.
AgriVijay was established during the COVID-19 pandemic by Shobha Chanchlani and Vimal Panjwani. Could you elaborate on the initial challenges you faced and how your combined experiences in government service and agritech shaped the company’s mission?
As a woman co-founder of AgriVijay, it was challenging to build an agritech climate action social enterprise. However, 30 years of experience working with the government gave me an edge in liaising with various departments. With strong government support, we were able to scale our business and impact across India even without VC backing so far.
Today, as we operate across 18 states, 37 districts, and 595 villages, it is this continued government support and our consistent work on the rural ground with renewable energy solutions for farmers and rural households that have enabled us to create impact at scale.
Your approach includes over 80 Renewable Energy Stores at the village level, offering products like solar water pumps, biogas digesters, and electric farming tools. How does this decentralized model enhance accessibility and affordability for rural farmers?
At AgriVijay, we bring renewable energy solutions directly to last-mile consumers, our farmers and rural households. Unlike many companies that focus on a single product, technology, or region often catering mainly to urban markets we take a comprehensive approach. Our decentralized model, with over 80 Renewable Energy Stores established at the village level, ensures that farmers have direct access to a wide range of clean energy technologies, including solar water pumps, biogas digesters, and electric farming tools.
This local presence, supported by a dedicated ground team, allows us to not only make these solutions physically accessible but also to guide farmers on selecting, installing, and maintaining them. To further enhance affordability, we provide flexible EMI financing options, enabling farmers to adopt higher-value technologies without financial strain.
By combining village-level accessibility, hands-on support, and innovative financing, we make renewable energy both attainable and practical for rural communities, empowering them to become energy independent and improve agricultural productivity while contributing to climate action.
AgriVijay emphasizes understanding a farmer’s energy and agricultural needs before recommending solutions. Can you describe the process and tools, such as your AI-enabled WhatsApp chatbot, that facilitates this personalized approach?
At AgriVijay, we strongly believe that understanding a farmer’s energy and agricultural needs is the foundation for providing meaningful solutions. Rather than focusing solely on sales, our approach is centered on awareness, recommendation, and tailored support, ensuring that farmers make informed decisions about renewable and green energy products.
To facilitate this personalized approach, we leverage a combination of digital and on-ground tools:
● AI-enabled WhatsApp Chatbot – Our chatbot engages farmers in their preferred language (English, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, and Gujarati) to understand their energy requirements and provide initial guidance. It also connects them seamlessly to our customer care team for more detailed discussions.
● Dedicated Website and Social Media – These platforms serve as knowledge hubs where farmers can learn about various renewable energy solutions, benefits, and applications.
● Call Centers – Active, multilingual call centers allow farmers to directly discuss their energy and agricultural needs, ensuring personalized recommendations.
● Field Sales & Technical Teams – Our on-ground teams visit villages, interact with farmers, assess their requirements, and provide expert guidance.
● Offline Renewable Energy Stores at Village Level – These stores act as both product demonstration points and learning centers, enabling farmers to see, understand, and experience technologies firsthand.
Through this omnichannel ecosystem, we create demand generation, product awareness, and knowledge-building rather than simply pushing for sales. Farmers often lack awareness of advanced renewable energy technologies, and most market players focus only on selling products. AgriVijay differentiates itself by first educating the farmer, assessing real needs, and providing the right recommendations. Only after the farmer is confident in their understanding do we move towards installation and adoption.
This holistic approach ensures that farmers not only adopt renewable energy solutions effectively but also gain long-term benefits, making our mission of empowering rural communities through sustainable energy both meaningful and impactful.
With over 20,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions mitigated and significant reductions in firewood usage, how do you measure and communicate the environmental benefits of your products to both farmers and stakeholders?
At AgriVijay, we follow industry-standard methodologies to measure the environmental impact of our products. With over 1,24,153 tonnes of CO₂ emissions mitigated and significant reductions in firewood usage, we ensure that our data is accurate, credible, and aligned with recognized benchmarks.
To communicate these benefits effectively:
● For farmers: We focus on tangible, relatable benefits. Beyond environmental impact, we illustrate how our products help them save money or increase income. For example, by adopting solar irrigation or energy-efficient cooking solutions, a farmer can significantly reduce expenditure on diesel, electricity, or firewood, translating directly into higher savings. We also share real-life customer testimonials, highlighting their experiences and the practical benefits they’ve achieved, which
helps other farmers understand the value of switching to sustainable solutions.
● For other stakeholders: We leverage social media, our website, and detailed impact reports to showcase the broader environmental and social outcomes of our work.Theseplatforms allow us to communicate both quantitative metrics—such as CO₂
reduction—and qualitative stories that highlight community transformation and sustainable development.
By combining data-driven impact measurement with relatable examples and authentic stories, we ensure that the environmental and socio-economic benefits of our products are clear and compelling for every audience.
Looking ahead, AgriVijay aims to expand into regions like Africa, Vietnam, and Taiwan. What strategies are in place to adapt your model to different agricultural contexts, and what partnerships are essential for this global outreach?
We are planning to expand to Africa and other Asian countries while keeping our business model intact. Our major strategy will focus on taking Indian companies and startups global, as well as partnering with companies, startups, and manufacturers from Asian countries to enter India with us. This approach will create a win-win scenario not just for nations, but also
for companies looking to expand, scale their businesses, and amplify their impact. We look forward to the journey of becoming a truly global AgriTech Climate Action Social Enterprise.
If you would like to find out more about AgriVijay, please visit https://agrivijay.com/