Algae Biofeeds

many farmers often suffer from the problem of inadequate and low quality feeds and as a result their livestock productivity becomes reduced.  Algae Biofeeds offers a solution to this problem by providing an alternative source of feed which is affordable, reliable and highly nutritious. Use of this alternative feed could ensure food security for livestock and improve productivity hence increase yields and additionally create employment to local farmers who would help in growing of the alternative feed. 

Over 70% of local small scale livestock farmers in Kenya, do not have access to quality livestock feeds. Many of these farmers end up feeding their animals with substandard feeds which results in poor productivity and yields hence many of these farmers end up running a loss in their businesses. Most of these farmers rely on their livestock as a source of income from the different products they obtain from their animals. Additionally the good quality and nutritious feeds available in the market are too expensive and most of these small scale farmers are not able to afford it. Many of this farmers therefore opt to buy poor quality feeds because they cannot afford the expensive feeds. 

Algae biofeeds provides a solution to this problem by providing an alternative source of feed which is highly nutritious and very affordable. The alternative feed is dried Algae. Algae Biofeeds is involved in the growing, harvesting and drying of Algae and using it as an alternative source of feed. Algae is an aqua plant which many treat as a weed, however when properly utilized it can be a great source of protein which is a vital element in most animal feeds in order to boost productivity. Therefore our team is focused on curbing the problem of sub standard feeds by providing an alternative highly nutritious feed. Additionally Algae does not require alot of capital in its growth hence can be sold at a cheaper price which the local small scale farmers can be able to afford and as a result increase their livestock yields. 

Algae biofeeds targets local small scale farmers in Kenya who do not have access to quality and affordable animal feed. Our team has conducted market research among the local small scale farmers and we found out that most of them are willing to embrace an alternative source of feed which is cheaper and nutritious. We engaged several farmers who said that many of them often incur losses because of the poor quality feed they have for their animals hence they are unable to break even with the initial capital investment. We were also able to explain to the farmers the benefits of Algae by explaining to them the high protein contents found in Algae. Algae is a non conventional feed and most of the farmers were curious on how it could be turned into an animal feed. However we were able to convince these farmers and they were open to the idea of using Algae as an animal feed. Our solution will address their needs by providing a cheap, reliable and highly nutritious feed.

Algae biofeeds provides a solution to a problem that has for many years hindered livestock productivity among small scale farmers in Kenya. It is doing so by providing a non conventional feed which is highly nutritious and does not interfere with conventional food crops. Additionally we are providing an alternative source of feed which diversifies the available feeds in the market 

There are some countries in South America and Asia that have embraced use of Algae as an animal feed and have shown remarkable results in terms of livestock productivity. There are three ways of drying Algae in order to use it as an animal feed; they include mechanical, chemical and biological drying. Algae Biofeeds intends to use mechanical drying of the Algae. What makes our solution innovative is that while the countries using mechanical drying use mechanical presses, Algae Biofeeds intends to adopt sun drying using sun dryers to dry our Algae. Kenya experiences heat almost throughout the year hence we are planning to utilize this natural heat and use it to our advantage. Because the country experiences long spells of sun, the heat energy is enough to sufficiently dry the algae and make it available for consumption by livestock.

In sun drying, produce is exposed directly to solar radiation and -more or less effectively- to the wind. In solar drying, the produce is contained in an enclosed space, and the air in contact with it is heated by solar radiation. By heating the air' its humidity is reduced and thus its efficiency as a vehicle for removal of moisture is increased. Generally, natural convection dryers are sized appropriately for on-farm use. The structure consists of three main components: a solar collector, a drying bin and a solar chimney. Natural convention dryers that are smaller in scale are basically wooden boxes with vents at the top and bottom. Food is placed on screened frames which slide into the boxes. A properly sized solar air heater with south-facing plastic glazing and a black metal absorber is connected to the bottom of the boxes. Air enters the bottom of the solar air heater and is heated by the black metal absorber. The warm air rises up past the food and out through the vents at the top. While operating, these dryers produce temperatures of 130–180° F (54–82° C), which is a desirable range for most food drying and for pasteurization.

Solar drying technology has been adopted in many countries especially those countries in the tropics, subtropics and the equator. Attached is an academic paper showing how the technology has been utilized.

https://www.researchgate.net › 2762...
Web results
(PDF) Solar Drying Technology: Potentials and Developments - ResearchGate

Kenyan Local small scale livestock farmers are in need of quality, reliable and affordable animal feeds. Our team conducted a market research among the small scale farmers in Lanet area and based on our findings we discovered that 65% of this farmers had long endured problems of sub standard feeds, unreliability of this feeds and constant hike in prices of the animal feeds. After further interviews with the farmers we discovered that some of them had tried adopting and using other animal feeds but failed to get positive results. Some of the farmers complained how the government had not subsidized the prices of this feeds, therefore only large scale farmers could comfortably afford the quality feeds which are very expensive. Our team explained to the farmers the use of Algae as an animal feed and many of them were open to the idea of embracing this new product and were looking forward to its results. Algae Biofeeds if successful could cause a revolution in the animal feed industry. This is because the local small scale farmers would be able to afford it, it would be reliable and furthermore the nutritional benefits of it are remarkable. This would in turn result in increased productivity and yields which would increase the standard of living for most of this small scale farmers which is the vision of our team. However Algae Biofeeds would be providing competition to the already existing animal feed companies that sell their products expensively, hence it would face some criticism as this companies will begin losing valuable customers. Nonetheless, the small scale farmer would benefit more and begin to realise profit of their investments.

Algae biofeeds is currently in the prototype stage. Hence we have been able to successfully serve on farmer and observed remarkable results. However we plan to scale up and serve as many small scale farmers as we can reach. Our target is serving atleast 35% of the small scale farmers within the first year and in five years we are targeting 70% of this small scale farmers.

Our main goal is to improve livestock productivity among the local small scale farmers in the country. We plan on doing so by creating awareness to as many small scale farmers as possible through advertising and also the county agricultural shows which take place annually at different times in different counties. We plan to showcase our product at this agricultural shows and engage as many farmers as we can therefore ensuring that word of our product reaches the farmers in the most remote regions because this shows are attended by a diverse group of farmers. Our long term goal is to be able to reach out to the large scale livestock farmers as well and scale up even to neighbouring countries. We also plan to get the government involved because they have early year statistics of livestock production among the small scale farmers which would help our team strategise better

The first barrier that currently exists for Algae Biofeeds is financial constraints. In order to grow Algae and supply Algae to the farmers we would require to lease land, develop it and set up our drying areas. However being a company in its early stages of development we are having problems scaling up due to lack of financial aid. Additionally another barrier that exists is cultural barriers. About 35% of the small scale farmers we interviewed believe that Algae is a weed and would there be poisonous to their livestock once fed. They only believe in the conventional sources of animal feed such a maize stalks which they have used for generations.

Our team plans on reaching out to potential investors who may be interested in assisting us scale up our business. Additionally we plan on applying for Grants which would help us get financial assistance to help us scale and expand our company. Furthermore we plan to sensitize the farmers who believe that Algae is not s conventional source of feed by showing them the benefits of the the plant from pilot projects and use testimonials to convince them that Algae is not poisonous but instead has long lasting benefits for livestock.

Currently our team has three people working on it. The three members of the team are all full time staff 

1. Margaret Nganga,  founder and CEO
2. Melvin Kizito, Research and Development 
3. Philip Mwangi, Marketing 

Our team is well positioned to deliver this solution because we have spent over one year researching and interacting with the small scale farmers. In this one year we have been able to better understand the needs of the small scale farmers, seen the problems they go through and even understood their beliefs when it comes to livestock farming. We have also been able to prototype our project and obtained positive results. The whole team is passionate about making a difference in the lives of this farmers and we hope to do so in the coming years. Furthermore members of the team have a background in Agricultural Engineering hence better understanding of the many systems that the farmers use and also background knowledge in livestock production.

Currently our team has partnered with 

1. Chandaria Business Innovation and Incubation Centre where we have been exposed to both local and international mentors . Additionally the centre has helped us develop our prototype 
2. Tony Elumelu Foundation for mentorship 

1. Key resources- Money, Labour, Material, Equipment and Machinery

2. Key activities- Cultivation, harvesting, drying, distribution of Algae 

3. Type of intervention- Product delivery of finished product 

4. Partners and Key holders- Small scale farmer and county government officials and Incubation centres

5. Cost structure- Our biggest expenditure is lease of land, acquiring of equipment and logistics. However they change as we scale up because land can be leased for upto 100 years and equipment  once bought would only need to be serviced. Logistics get better when feed increases since we get value for our money when transporting in bulk.

6. Channels- county governments, media through advertising, agricultural shows, word of mouth from one farmer to another

7. Surplus- 1. We plan to invest our profits  in securing more land and equipment. Additionally  we plan to help out farmers who do not have initial money for feed to get started. 

8. Segments- 1. Small scale farmers benefit from the product directly 2. Partners who are willing to invest in the company would pay by buying shares and growing the company. 

9. Revenue- 1. Sell of animal feed which is 80% of revenue 2. Shares bought in the company which bring in 10% of the revenue 3. Partnerships, grants and donations which bring in 10%of the revenue

10. Value proposition-1. Creating jobs that is the labour required during growing, harvesting , drying and distribution of the product 2. Our customers will be getting a cheap, reliable and highly nutritious product.

Our team is applying to solve in order to get support financially, mentorship support and also networking opportunities. One of the barriers that Algae biofeeds faces is lack of money, and solve can help us by investing in our company and helping us start out and scale up and also be able to conduct several pilot projects in order to get a more refined final product.

We plan to partner with Solve in order to get help is setting up a good business model and business plan, get funding for the project, get assistance with legal and regulatory matters and also get exposure to potential investors and partners who will help scale up our business.

We would love to partner with Solve in order to get exposure and financial assistance. Additionally we would love to partner with MIT faculty in order to get collaborate on making our drying process more efficient and expanding the technology we use in growing the Algae.

Algae Biofeeds is capable of being scaled up to a big firm that can reach out to the countries that neighbour Kenya. Because we offer a product we are able to get profits by selling this product and get as much profits as possible.