LUXORUS Aquaponics

Food crop production is affected by the irregularity of rainfall, lack of arable land, and the considerable use of pesticides in Senegal. The goal is to provide access to healthy food across the whole year to reduce the nutrient deficiency and use of pesticides to protect people's health while maintaining a clean environment by producing organic food vegetables and fish using aquaponics. 

LUXORUS business model includes the use of digital monitoring and management to collect data and control growing conditions remotely but also solar power systems for clean energy supply. After the first two years, LUXORUS will develop a training center on aquaponic system design and production and produce fingerlings tilapia and fish feed to facilitate the adoption of modern farming technologies. 

In addition to increasing food supply and preserving a clean environment, this production system will contribute to reducing rural exodus and the high rate of unemployment.

Half of the country of Senegal is characterized by severe droughts and poor soils quality, limiting crop production and supply. The food vegetable production, which occurs mainly in the coastal region is limited by a lack of arable lands due to the strong urbanization and the overexploitation of the groundwater. This decreased groundwater also increases the risk of salinization of existing arable lands.

Pesticides are considerably used on vegetable crops, leading to pest resistance, groundwater pollution, and serious health problems. In addition, food vegetables production declines during the rainy season. Post-harvest losses are quite high because most crops mature at the same time during the growing season while there is lack of adequate food storage facilities for growers.

The over exploitation of fish due to international exports makes fish products rarely accessible to low income communities and people living in localities far from production areas. The fingerling tilapia is produce only by the national agency of aquaculture and seventy percent of fish feed used in Senegal is imported from Europe, making the fish farming difficult.

Local communities are more aware of the importance of diversified diet; however, biological farming represent less than one percent of the national agricultural production.

LUXORUS is a structure to produce vegetables and fish across the whole year using the aquaponic system. Aquaponic is a sustainable aquaponic method to grow fish and vegetables simultaneously in a greenhouse or indoor without the use of pesticides or chemical fertilizers. This system is a key alternative to increase food production and supply to local communities. This will also contribute to resolving the high rate of rural exodus and the lack of youth employment. 

To facilitate the management of growing environments, we will mainly implement environment-friendly technology. This includes the installation of digital monitoring and management to continuously collect data and control the aquaponic system remotely. Such as technology will provide real time data on growing conditions that can serve for training and model prediction. In addition, we will principally use solar panels as energy supply to promote the use of clean energy to preserve the healthy environment and also avoid the problem of recurrent power outages. Our training center on aquaponics design and production will enable the development of sustainable modern farming system across the region by offering efficient training sessions in collaboration with our partners. This contributes to increasing the adoption of modern farming techniques.

The production of high amounts of fish and green leafy vegetables will contribute to increasing people's standard of living in low income areas and localities situated far away from the main production areas. We seek to participate in social and economic development, provide access to healthy food without interruption across the whole year to reduce nutrient deficiency, and raise awareness of the use of pesticides to protect people's health and preserve the natural environment. 

The organic farming system in Senegal is composed of pioneers that are mostly supported by NGOs. We will collaborate with NGOs and farmer organizations to promote the adoption of modern farming technology while collecting information about sensitivity to taste, flavor and quality of produce to develop sustainable agriculture. In addition, we will mainly focus on product quality, affordable price-performance ratio, and customer service. To assess the effectiveness of our service and supply, we will develop online surveys to get customers feedback and understand their needs or concerns. We will develop the communication strategy using direct marketing with restaurants, grocery, local community and social media platforms such Facebook and WhatsApp. We will also create a website and blog where customers can express their needs and comments.

The LUXORUS farming method will establish healthy food production. Our model will reduce the insufficiency and high cost of food vegetables and fish in many localities in the country mainly due to their geographic location from the areas of production. By developing business plans based on aquaponics and training center, producers can leverage production skills to increase food supply and develop strong network with local markets. The aquaponic method will enable farmers to grow anywhere in the country and across the year regardless of the rainfall. The use of solar power will definitely enhance sustainable growth.

Most farming systems are based on traditional practices with the use of a high amount of chemical products. By promoting the developing of business plans based on aquaponics and establishing a training center on aquaponics, producers can leverage production skills to increase food supply and develop strong network with local markets. The aquaponic system is a method for growing fish and vegetables simultaneously in a greenhouse or indoor with limited use of water in recycling mode with less evaporation and no chemical fertilizer or pesticide inputs. This method is nowadays experiencing high interests as one of the key alternatives for sustainable food production and supply. With our vision to establish continuously a healthy food production and supply system across the whole year, our goal is to produce organic food vegetables and fish using a sustainable aquaponic system to preserve customers’ health and clean environment. Our business model starts with a small commercial aquaponic system production during the first year. The long term goal is to become a leader in the organic agro-alimentary business in Senegal and across Africa.

Aquaponics is a natural food production system that combines aquaculture and hydroponic to produce fish and organic food simultaneously without the need to discharge water or use chemical fertilizers. The use of solar power as source of energy in aquaponics across different localities in the country considerably contribute to develop a sustainable food production and supply, especially in localities far away from main cities. Coupling solar power with an efficient monitoring system to control growing environments and collect data will be a game change in the region but also to the global community for model building and predictions. Most modern farming technologies are not easily accessible to growers in low income communities. Therefore, developing this monitoring technology to these populations would considerably enhance productivity and increase value chain and extend market values across communities.

The aquaponic system has been demonstrated to work in the USA, Australia and in Eastern Africa (e.g., references below). However, it has not been established in senegal and West Africa in general. This system allows the production of both fish and plants together in a controlled ecosystem where water is recirculated and natural bacteria convert fish waste into nitrates useful for plant growth and development.

Wicoff, E. (2011). Development Of A Simplified Commercial-scale Aquaponic Facility For Implementation In Northern Uganda. Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, Kansas State University.

Aquatic Network. Resource for Aquaculture & Aquaponics. https://www.aquanet.com/

Aquaponics Africa Fish. The Fish. http://aquaponicsafrica.co.za/the-fish.html

Due to the climate of Senegal, the tilapia male fish is the ideal fish to use for the aquaponic system. This fish is relatively easy to grow. Tilapia male can withstand poor water quality, low oxygen, variable water temperature, wide diet variety of plant matter, algae, worms, detritus, commercial pellets, good growth rates (harvest every three months), self breeds and food conversion ratios, good polyculture possibilities with other species, disease resistant and excellent taste and texture (Wicoff, 2011). With the integration with an efficient solar system network and monitoring system, we expected to enable the productivity, promotion, and training of growers and smallholder farmers. This will contribute to providing diversified agricultural practices and food diet to all niches of the population, including children, pregnant women, smallholder farmers, peri-urban communities etc. 

During the first year of operation, we expect to master our production capacity and the local market. In the next five years, we expect to produce enough food products to sustainably provide fresh vegetables and fish to local communities by increasing the number of production sites. By opening food stores in different cities, in Thies, Mbour, and Dakar, we will contribute to the development of food chain value and facilitate the access of food products to customers. This will contribute to promoting the aquaponic production system across Senegal. We expect to be a leader in the organic production business and establish a training center on aquaponic design and production. To increase the production and supply to communities located far away from production sites, we will implement several aquaponic systems in several regions in Senegal and across West Africa. We expect to enlarge our production zones across West Africa and Central Africa. LUXORUS staff and partners have the necessary knowledge and background to implement the business model to efficiently provide healthy food produce to the local community.

We are currently implementing our business plan and we expect to reach out to people within the cities of Sebikontane, Thies, Mbour, Saly, and Dakar in the first year. In five years, we expect to develop our model across all the country and expand it to West Africa.

Our goal is to master aquaponics production and the market within the first year by developing door-to-door advertisements, using social media to promote new farming technologies that reduce environmental pollution. In the five years period, we will also develop training skills for growers to enable our farming production system, increase the number of production sites, and open food stores in different regions including Thies, Mbour, and Dakar to facilitate access to the food products.Install several aquaponic systems in different regions in Thies, Dahra Djolof, and Tambacounda, all integrating monitoring system to collect data and solar power to preserve clean energy.

To implement a highly efficient monitoring system that can collect time series data while controlling the growing environment in growers fields, it would be essential to develop cost-effective monitoring prototypes because most growers in Senegal have limited income to afford standard monitoring technology. It would also be critical to develop solar panels that are efficient and cost-effective for rural communities or to compete with the existing power grid systems in main cities. The construction of greenhouses and drilling wells would be also a challenge in the beginning of our operation plan and in the next five years when expanding our production sites or teaching and training stations.

We are also planning to apply for possible funding in the USAID development projects. Our worst case scenarios will be to apply for loans from banks in order to implement our business plan.

At this moment, there are:

Full-time staff: 2

Part-time staff: 1

Partners: 2

Lucie Thiao is the Chief Executive Officer of LUXORUS

Kira Everhart-Valentin is working network development, funding opportunity, as an adviser and collaborator. She has a lot of experience in working on international development, especially crop improvement in smallholder farming systems.

John Hacunda is the founder of Aquanet with great knowledge on aquaculture, aquaponics and many other development projects with strong networks in the field. 

Jacques Faye is supporting in the realization of the business plan as well.

LUXORUS is currently working with an important partner, Aquanet to provide guidance, mentorship, and propose aquaponics technology. 

Our marketing strategy will mainly focus on product quality, affordable price-performance ratio, and excellent customer service. We will plan harvesting times such that they don't coincide with the harvesting periods of the local farmers to ensure continuous production and food supply. The position of our aquaponic system offers the opportunity to deliver the product to the local market, making it easily accessible to the customers. We will deliver every Wednesday and Saturday each week. 

Our marketing strategy will ensure the delivery of produce directly to our customers without any intermediate to regularize the product price. We will sell to the local restaurants, the local grocery stores, and the community to promote and advocate biological food products consumption. Luxorus will develop the following marketing strategies:

• direct sales

• online delivery platform 

• social media advertisement (Facebook and WhatsApp)

• direct marketing (visit restaurant, grocery, local community)

• marketing (flyers, radio)

• referral 

• create an internet blog and a website.

• link with commercial online platforms (Jumia, senboutique, soreetoul) 

In addition, Luxorus will add a promotional strategy for following the effectiveness of services by creating an online survey to get clients feedback and offer discounts on referral clients. We will collaborate with NGOs and farmer organizations to promote the adoption of modern farming technology while collecting information about sensitivity to taste, flavor and quality of produce to develop sustainable agriculture.

LUXORUS is applying to Solve to implement to implement a highly efficient monitoring system that can collect time series data while controlling the growing environment in growers fields; develop cost-effective monitoring prototypes that would affordable to low-income growers in Senegal; develop solar panels that are efficient and cost-effective for rural communities; to construct a greenhouse and drilling well.

In order to achieve our goals mentioned above, LUXORUS seeks partnerships to:

• Mentor and advise product development and strategic planning
• Support the development of solar power and digital monitoring prototypes that would fit the low income growers partners.
• Develop connections to investors to expand the business model across West Africa

LUXORUS would like to partner with MIT faculty or initiatives for the development of cost-effective solar power and digital monitoring prototypes that will help to collect data and control the growing environment in aquaponics. LUXORUS would like to partner in the development of fingerlings tilapia fish and feed production to facilitate growers.

Our long term goal is to demonstrate the capacity for women to contribute in technology innovation, particularly in aquaponics to provide a diversified diet and establish food security in low-income communities.

The long term goal of LUXORUS is to be a leader in the aquaponics design and production and establish an efficient training center on aquaponic design and production in Senegal with the aim to expand it to West Africa. This would increase the fresh food production and supply to communities located far away from production sites.