Client Ambition

Our client, a dairy-tech company (along with its investor British International Investment) aimed to expand its agri-input and advisory business into new rural markets by offering high-quality products supported by expert guidance. To do so, they sought to understand farmer needs, validate their value propositions, and design an effective pilot for market entry and scale-up.

Our Solution

We supported the client through a two-phase research and strategy engagement to inform pilot design.

In the first phase, we conducted a field immersion study to generate emerging insights on farmer behaviors, unmet needs, and the existing agri-input ecosystem. This helped shape initial hypotheses around product categories, service gaps, and opportunities to improve farm and dairy productivity. Building on these insights, we designed and executed a value proposition testing study across three districts in Uttar Pradesh. We engaged farmers, retailers, and ecosystem stakeholders to assess the relevance, demand, and adoption potential of proposed products and services—including soil testing, advisory, seeds, crop protection, and cattle nutrition.

We synthesized insights across offerings to identify problem-solution fit, refine the “one-stop shop with expert advisory” model, and define key strategic and operational decisions required for pilot execution.

Additionally, we co-facilitated a workshop with the client team members to present the most relevant insights and help them design the pilot.

Results

The engagement provided the client with a nuanced, ground-up understanding of farmer needs, purchase behaviors, and ecosystem dynamics across target districts, validating strong demand for an integrated model combining high-quality agri-inputs with trusted advisory services. It identified clear product-market fit for priority offerings such as soil testing, advisory, seeds, and crop protection, while highlighting challenges in driving adoption for categories like cattle nutrition. The study also outlined an ideal farmer journey, key ecosystem partnerships, and critical decisions around store models, product mix, and engagement strategies. These insights enabled the client to design a well-informed pilot program and strengthen its pathway to building a scalable rural agri-input business.