Crowdfunding, crops and community: Inside Agriventure’s bold bet on farmers

The morning sun casts a golden hue over the fields of Tangail as 38-year-old Rokeya Begum wipes the sweat from her eyebrow and looks out at her rows of eggplants — healthy, uniform and almost ready for harvest. 

Just last year, she nearly gave up farming after a failed season left her in debt. "I didn't have the money to buy better seeds or the knowledge to fix what went wrong," she recalls. "I thought this land had stopped loving me."

But this season, things changed. She got a visit from a young field officer representing a startup she had never heard of — Agriventure. He did not offer loans or lectures. Instead, he listened. 

He helped her register for a crowdfunding initiative that financed her farm inputs. A week later, she received high-quality seeds and hands-on training. Now, with a harvest on the way and a market already waiting to buy her produce, Rokeya does not just feel lucky, she feels in control.

Planting a new kind of seed

Agriventure is not just a mobile platform or a financial service — it is a comprehensive agri-tech solution focused on transforming the way farming works for the most vulnerable stakeholders: smallholder and marginalised farmers in Bangladesh. 

The startup was founded in 2023 by Rabib Ridwan, a North South University graduate in Accounting and Finance, who brought his experience from previous ventures like Greenery Cart into building something more community-rooted and impact-driven.

"As the CEO and co-founder of Agriventure, I am deeply passionate about leveraging technology to empower farmers and transform the agricultural landscape," Ridwan says. "Our goal is to build a sustainable, tech‑driven ecosystem that enhances productivity, market linkage and food security."

For Ridwan, agriculture is not a sector to "disrupt" with flashy innovation. Instead, it is a space to repair with respect, inclusivity and sustainable economic design.

Agriventure's approach is built on four core components, which work together to empower farmers from planting to profit.

Through a tech-based crowdfunding model, Agriventure allows individuals to directly invest in smallholder farmers. For example, a power tiller worth Tk100,000 can be financed by an investor and handed over to a farmer to use during a growing season. After the cycle, the investor receives a 15% return while the farmer keeps the asset.

"We're not solving hunger with handouts. We're building systems that allow farmers to solve it for themselves."

Rabib Ridwan, CEO and co-founder, Agriventure

Each farmer receives training tailored to their needs — either digitally or through field officers. This includes modern agricultural practices, climate-resilient techniques, pest control methods, and post-harvest handling. "We want to turn these farmers into entrepreneurs," Ridwan says.

Agriventure ensures farmers have access to verified seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, and tools. It works with both wholesalers and small retailers to build a reliable supply chain for input distribution, even in remote areas.

Through Agriventure's digital marketplace, farmers are connected to institutional buyers and urban retailers. This eliminates middlemen and ensures fairer prices for produce. "We want to increase their income by improving how they buy and how they sell," Ridwan explains.

Technology rooted in humanity

While many startups in the agri-tech space focus on digital-only models, Agriventure takes a hybrid approach. Its field agents, often young agri-entrepreneurs, work closely with farmers, offering hands-on support, product delivery, and real-time advice. They also help bridge the digital divide for farmers who don't use smartphones.

"Technology is only as strong as people's willingness to use it," Ridwan emphasises. "And that willingness comes from trust, not just features."

Agriventure's app is designed with simplicity in mind, but where necessary, a farmer can also call a helpline and receive tailored advice from an expert agronomist in Bangla.

Real stories, real stakes

As of 2024, Agriventure works with over 1,000 registered farmers, with 200+ active users engaged in input packages, training, and equipment financing. More than $10,000 worth of crowdfunding has been disbursed into the field, and 10 retail partners help maintain the flow of essential farming materials.

In Bogura, a group of farmers pooled crowdfunding to secure a power tiller. It not only helped speed up cultivation but also enabled them to start a shared rental service for nearby farms, generating new income streams.

In Gazipur, a local agri-input retailer joined Agriventure's B2B financing scheme. With a Tk40,000 investment, he could keep his shop stocked with quality inputs, earning an 8–10% return over four months and better serving his community.

In each case, the result is the same: shared prosperity and greater confidence.

"We're not solving hunger with handouts," Ridwan says. "We're building systems that allow farmers to solve it for themselves."

Scaling without losing soul

While Agriventure aims to expand across more districts in 2025, Ridwan is cautious about growing too fast. "We've seen what happens when you scale without listening. You lose touch," he says.

That's why the company is developing new tools like satellite-based crop monitoring, AI pest detection, and predictive analytics — but only rolling them out in communities where farmers are ready and trained to use them. "We want to scale responsibly," Ridwan adds, "and we never want to lose our field-first mentality."

Beyond farming

Agriventure isn't just about crops or profits. It's about dignity. For many farmers, their work is an inheritance. Yet years of unpredictable yields, low margins, and outdated systems have worn them down.

"Agriventure gave me hope," says Rokeya Begum, whose story opened this article. "Now, I feel proud to be a farmer again."

Ridwan believes that's the real bottom line. 

"For too long, farmers have been seen as passive recipients. We see them as innovators, as problem-solvers, as the future. They just need tools, trust, and training — and they'll do the rest."