Zani

In rural Africa, many women are house-bound due to their child rearing responsibilities – as a result, are often uneducated and have no economic security and independence.  This financial dependence often leads to social ills such as gender inequality and gender-based violence.  Zani consists of 3 parts:

1.      An agricultural Co-operative business model that educates its members and organises the sales, purchases and marketing and management of its members produce.

2.      development of the Zani App to facilitate and coordinate the efforts of these Co-Ops, within each Co-Op and amongst each other.

3.      Construction of the Farmhouse which acts as a base for the Co-op but also sets an example to educate members on how to build their homes and agricultural plots as they earn and save.  It should be largely off-grid, made from locally available materials and able to be constructed in phases.

In developing nations, more specifically in rural areas, women (and their families) form a vulnerable population.  Women are generally house-bound due to their child rearing responsibilities – as a result, are often uneducated and have no economic security and independence.  They generally are involved in some form of subsistence farming but are dependent on a male counterpart to provide for the household.  In many instances, this support is not dependable, and this one-sided financial dependence often leads to social ills such as gender-based violence.

Members of the Co-op are trained in organic farming methods in order to produce specialist crops .  The Co-operative determines what specialist crops the members are to plant  based on geographic markets available; and is responsible for the logistics, storage and sales of the produce, as well as the purchasing of equipment and consumables.  Because of the larger market share, the Co-operative would also be able to negotiate better rates. 

A portion of all revenue earned by members will retained by the Co-operative to fund its work: including training (farming, mobile financing, literacy, etc.) as well as to issue microloans to members. Engagement will be stimulated through frequent member meetings – social and health education can also be introduced in these meetings.  

At scale, the Farmhouse will include solar drying facilities and off-grid coolers.  It will be located close to logistic routes, and therefore the Zani App will be upgraded to allow for tourists to book “farm experiences” – they can tour the farms and pick produce for their lunch.  It will contain a giftshop (selling any crafts produced locally) and a café, where local youth can be trained in Food and Hospitality.  

The Zani-App will facilitate these transactions.

Women-led households in rural areas in Africa.  These women are generally house-bound due to their child rearing responsibilities – as a result, are often uneducated and have no economic security and independence.  They are vulnerable to main social ills: poverty, no education, gender based violence, poor health care, etc.

This project is to facilitate Co-ops that allow these women to move from subsistence farming (and living in poverty) to becoming entrepreneurs and having an income stream.  It facilitates them working as a community to uplift themselves.  It will allow them to get preferential rates and access markets that they couldn't on their own (due to size).  And the education programmes will allow them to improve their families' quality of life.

I have seen Co-ops for women in North Africa - but they have been for limited arts and crafts, as well they are generally controlled by a few wealthy males.  I would like to borrow that concept, but use it to enable the female farmers that I have seen in our rural areas in Africa.  I would also like it to educate the women, not just in the operational aspect, but also in financial aspects like mobile banking, savings, and microloans - as well as link it to existing social support and education programmes. 

The Co-ops under the Zani programme are also facilitated by the Zani-App that encourages the women to communicate, to access information and to get instructions regarding demands and sales, etc. This communication is for within a co-op, as well as the other co-ops in the programme.  The app will also allow organisers to know what produce is in demand directly from suppliers, the relative market prices, and what supply is already being supplied by other Co-ops.  This economic organisation will guarantee the best sales prices for our members.

Finally, the Farmhouse is a living educational tool, showing the ladies how to plan and build a home and plot in phases, that will allow them to have a better standard of living as their businesses grow.

Essentially Zani is three components - a business model, a central off-grid hub and an App.  Simple robust technology would be used to design the Farmhouse.  The Farmhouse needs to be design using off-grid technology - not just for domestic utilities, but also to look at solar drying facilities and off-grid coolers for agri-processing.

The App will also make use of technology.  It will have to be simple for users to orientate around, and use fairly low data.

I have Co-ops in many developing countries that I have visited or worked in.  It's a wonderful idea.  It's just that the ones I have seen have been for limited arts and crafts, as well they are generally controlled by a few wealthy males.  This is taking idea and putting on steroids by using simple technology.

This model requires an initial capital investment  - but these Co-ops, once running, is self-sustaining.  It will act as a binder to allow these women to develop themselves whilst relying on the strength of their own community.

It is still a concept - but in the next three years, the intention would be to have one Co-op fully running.  This could include 20 women.  With an average household of 8 (including children and elderly), this solutions could change the lives of 160 people.  In 5 years, we would hope to have this open to more co-ops - within South Africa, Kenya and Rwanda.

I would like to pilot the App and the model with at least one Co-op in South Africa and then use that to approach governments to propagate the concept.  The two other countries that I would like to approach is Kenya and Rwanda.

It's really to gain the support of public sector institutions and the local government (the chiefs).  If this idea is to work, we would need to employ strong local community engagement specialists.

If this idea is to work, we would need to employ strong local community engagement specialists.  There is a lady I know who started her own business - if I had the funds, I would want to approach her to work on this project.

Right now it is two work colleagues/friends and my sister.

We have the following partners in mind to join us:  Mass Design (design of the Farmhouse), Siyavuma Trust (non-profit organisation trying to boost small scale agricultural activity) and a community engagement specialist.

I have two options for the App development - there is a local commercial company - or a Moroccan social entrepreneur that I met last year.  I need to see who has the most interest to join.

We're local so we have a good understanding of what is really required.  As engineers we make good programme facilitators because we have experience in infrastructure development.  We're also good at being team players - we're used to working in multi-disciplinary teams - which we will need to deliver this project which a combination of technical, digital tech, construction, economics, social engagement, etc.

We also truly believe that these communities can play a large role in uplifting themselves if they have assistance in being organised, networked into larger markets, and had financial and technical educational programmes made available to them.

still in concept phase.

My team would act as programme facilitators to drive the process.  We require initial funding to set the business model for the co-op up.  Which would then translate into us hiring the app developers and the designers for the Farmhouse.  These components can then be made available to public sector agricultural departments to use.  They would have to make the initial CAPEX available for the construction of the farmhouse, the community engagement specialists and the hiring of the Co-op Manager.  But soon after, the subscriptions from the Co-op will be used to financially sustain the Co-op, the Farmhouse and the Co-op Manager.

We would need donations or grants to business model for the co-op up and to hire the app developers and the designers for the Farmhouse.  

The implementing agent (public sector agricultural department) would get these designs and models free of charge.  They would have to make the initial CAPEX available for the construction of the farmhouse, the community engagement specialists and the hiring of the Co-op Manager.  But soon after, the subscriptions from the Co-op will be used to financially sustain the Co-op, the Farmhouse and the Co-op Manager.

I need help to flesh the detail of the project.  I think the Solver process will help to facilitate this.  I believe the network will also assist in developing the idea.

I am an engineer who works in these rural areas, and sees the lost potential of these women.  I know that this idea of the Co-op brought into the 21st century (with the App and the offgrid Farmhouse prototype) can change their lives.  I need help to figure out how to make that a reality.

MIT faculty to develop the business model

The Earthship Movement to look at how their offgrid tech and innovation can be modified to work in rural Africa

World Bank/USAID to get support to get government involved

The aim of this project is to create a self-sustaining system that provides food security and economic freedom to women-led households in rural communities. 

I want to use it to enable the female farmers that I have seen in our rural areas in Africa.  I would also like it to educate the women, not just in the operational aspect, but also in financial aspects like mobile banking, savings, and microloans - as well as link it to existing social support and education programmes. 

This idea is about educating and facilitating women in rural Africa to change from being subsistence farmers to having small scale commercial farms.

This project does integrate traditional Co-ops with education: social, literacy, health and financial (including mobile banking and saving).  As it is facilitated through an App - digital literacy will also be taught.

This project definitely has the ability to be scaled to not only my country, or continent, but also to Asia, South America, etc.