NEIGHBOURFOOD

We are committed to creating extra income and food security for people living in poverty. Each family in a low-income housing development is empowered by joining a co-op agribusiness and to manage their own micro scale tree based farm which exists out of 2-4 trees of localized cultivar such as fruits or nuts. Their home is fitted with grey water and composting fertilizer systems, to feed trees from household waste. The farm is collectively supported by an experienced agribusiness team. During harvesting season each family gathers their share of the produce, the co-op collects and sells to market. Families are compensated and can also use part of their own produce for food. By reducing costs on water, fertilizer and labor we are able to produce food at a lower cost through community cooperation, all while turning their waste into resources.

ONE IN EVERY NINE PEOPLE GLOBALLY GOES TO BED HUNGRY EACH NIGHT WHILE MILLIONS OF LOW INCOME FAMILIES  STRUGGLE TO PROVIDE FOOD SECURITY FOR THEIR FAMILIES WITH GROWING FOOD PRICE INFLATION. 

MORE THAN 6 MILLION CHILDREN IN SOUTH AFRICA REGULARLY GO HUNGRY.

Eighteen million South Africans rely on social grants, with 20% of households depending on grants as their main source of income and almost 20% of South African households had inadequate or severe inadequate access to food in 2017. 

Rising food costs are a result of farmers having to deal with record droughts and inflated costs in electricity for extracting water, importing fertilizers, transport and labor.

With approximately 40% of South Africans currently being unemployed, inspired communities become a valuable human resource. When people are empowered to produce food for personal use and economic growth they spark a shift towards solving multiple challenges, and when smart technologies are used to turn their waste products into resources we turn the obstacles into opportunities. 

WE WANT TO CREATE COLLECTIVE PRIDE OF OWNERSHIP AND SUPPORTIVE SYSTEMS OF SOCIAL CAPITAL, WHILE MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES ACCESS  AND CREATE GOOD JOB OPPORTUNITIES.

Imagine a low-income housing development with no greenery and a macadamia farm being overlaid to fulfill each others needs. 

The housing development needs jobs, food security and social upliftment.

The farm needs labour, water and fertilizer.

Now imagine the community that lives in this NEIGHBOURFOOD is able to own the farm, with each family being custodians for trees in their yards. The trees are watered through using the house's filtered grey waste water and fertilizer is made from the communities organic waste products through composting toilet technologies. All managed by a cooperative agri-tech business that brings together the entire community and farming professionals to sell a collected harvest to markets and distribute the income fairly. 

Members of the community create their own self sustaining farm that in turn creates food security, energy efficient lower cost food production, economic growth, health and well-being through greener neighborhoods and aids carbon sequestration through reforestation. 

A win win win solution. 1+1=3

AN ESTIMATE OF 14 MILLION PEOPLE IN SOUTH AFRICA LIVE IN GOVERNMENT SUBSIDY HOUSES, BUT THESE COMMUNITIES STILL FACE IMMENSE SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CHALLENGES WITH A LARGE DEPENDENCY ON UNSUSTAINABLE SOCIAL GRANT SYSTEMS. 

Grant increases have barely kept pace with food inflation, leading to an increase in hunger in households. During an economic shock such as the COVID-19 pandemic, poor households that spend over a third of their income on food are the most susceptible to malnutrition. With 136,000 new government homes being built per year in South Africa, new communities are being formed that need to become self sustainable by being able to produce food for personal use or trade to create economic stability.

Individuals and communities can be empowered by agri-tech business solutions and systems designs when they become a part of the design process and management team through a fair share co-op. 

We want to transform neighborhoods into energy efficient sustainable farms that create jobs and food security with urban greening that reduce erosion, promote soil health, provide shade, transpiration and cooling, habitat for biodiversity and gives cleaner air and healthier environments for communities to live in.

With millions of South African households needing jobs and food security, Neighbourfood agribusiness is a low carbon sustainable food system that can create socioeconomic growth and a multitude of ecological benefits such as carbon sequestration through reforestation. Creating energy efficient lower cost produce by turning household organic waste into resources and struggling communities into valuable human resources.

A system design that combines two ecosystems with individual challenges that can fulfill each others needs. A tree based farm and a low income housing development.

Some of the challenges for low income housing developments are; lack of, financial income, food security, and general health and well-being.

Some of the challenges for a tree based farm are; inflating costs, for energy and water, fertilizer and labour.  

Some of the value that low income housing developments have are, land and soil for farming, available labor due to unemployment, organic household waste as compost and grey water for irrigation of vegetation.

Some of the value that a tree based farm can offers is, generation of income for communities, food security through produce, cleaner air and upliftment through greener environments and carbon sequestration through reforestation. 

By creating an integrated ecosystem between the two entities we are able to meet the demands for both while solving each of their individual challenges.

We are focussing on systems design that supports a cooperative based agri-tech business to empower low-income communities. Supporting technologies that make the system possible are grey water, rain water capturing and filtration, automated drip line irrigation and organic household waste composting systems and the production of fertilizers from human waste. 

Kusini Water that has created an activated carbon macadamia nutshell filter that does not need any electricity to work, and a research team from the University of Cape Town that has successfully developed a waterless urinal to produce fertilizer, are some of the local South African tech we are working towards implementing.

During the development phase we are planning to use and test the cost effectiveness and overall success of various agri-tech systems such as soil probes that are connected to an operating system that shares data with each household and the management company, empowering all stakeholders to communicate and take actions towards producing successful yields. 

Active Carbon Macadamia shell Water Filtration Systems 

https://www.kusiniwater.co.za/Technology

Urine Fertilizer 

https://www.news.uct.ac.za/article/-2017-12-01-greenovate-award-for-students-recycled-urine-project 

Humanure Composting Systems

http://www.sanergy.com

Soil Probe Technology

http://www.hydrawize.com

FULFILLING THE NEEDS OF TWO ECOSYSTEMS BY CONNECTING THEIR AVAILABLE RESOURCES IN A VALUE CHAIN.

A low-income housing development's community is in need of extra income, upliftement of health and wellbeing but has available labour, land to use for agriculture, waste grey water and organic waste products that can be turned into resources.

A tree based farm needs labour, water and fertilizers, but can offer an extra income, cooling and support health and well-being of communities through creating greener neighborhoods.

Each house becomes an interconnected ecosystem. Rain and waste water is connected to localized cultivar of fruit or nut trees for medium to long term economic return. Organic waste products are used at compost and fertilizers. On the same system a seasonal family food garden is implemented to create short term outputs supporting food security. Long term outputs are, part ownership in an agribusiness, increase in value of property, family and community health and well-being through a green neighborhood.

Regular meetings between all stakeholders in the agribusiness are held to understand evolving needs and acknowledge the value of each entity. Rewards are given to standout participants to give recognition from the entire community. Community engagement is top priority and a culture of pride of ownership is cultivated.

We are creating social change on a micro and macro level through economic empowerment to communities with good job creation in agribusiness, but also in supporting South African agritech and renewable resources companies. 

Large scale environmental impact is created through reforestation of suburban areas, carbon sequestration, erosion prevention and involving communities with education towards the value of nature. 

The system design is currently in prototype phase and do not yet serve the communities whom we want to support. During a further development phase we aim to serve 15 farm workers on a macadamia nut farm through implemented systems at their temporary housing in one year. After successfully fundraising and partnering with government we would like to implement the first systems to serve a new community subsidized housing development of around 120 people in 2-3 years and then up to 5 communities with a total estimate of 600 people.

If adequate partnerships and funding is generated within the first 5 years the potential exists to create value for tens of thousands of people within this period.

PRODUCT

Refine and implement evolving agritech into the system to make it even more self-sustaining and energy positive. Implement lower cost probing technologies into the systems that are monitored and controlled using IOT (Internet of Things).

PLATFORM

Expand platform to other regions. Create awareness around sustainability practices that focus on social and environmental impact. 

PARTNERSHIPS

Create opportunities for people from first communities to take leadership positions in new developments. Partner with bigger agribusinesses, governments, and agri tech companies Gather more investment to scale globally to territories in need of food security and socioeconomic empowerment. 

PROACTIVE

Start developing solutions using system for refugee camps.

POLITICAL

Corruption within government housing schemes. Agenda driven service delivery from politicians.

ECONOMICAL

Immediate value creation. Long term returns in tree based farming. 

SOCIAL

Strong enough incentive to commit to investment period. Buy-in from community.

TECHNOLOGICAL 

Cost of technology.

POLITICAL

Inclusive healthy leadership structures of public private partnerships. Incentivize politicians through positive PR possibilities.

ECONOMICAL

Create food security in short term through family food garden and then phase into longer term economic return. 

SOCIAL

Include local representatives in leadership with invested interest. Share estimates information on agricultural returns and possible property value increase.

TECHNOLOGICAL 

Partner with tech companies in exchange of corporate social responsibility and PR.

Non applicable 

0 Full Time

5 Part Time

We have a strong combination of on the ground local knowledge and expertise, with international experience and networks and the ability to scale globally.

Founder, Xander Ferreira grew up on a farm in Limpopo Province, South Africa, and has worked as creative consultant in social and environmental impact for various organizations in New York for the past 10 years. He grew up with a his friend Mphele Masemula who was the son of one of the farm workers, whom became an environmental engineer and his two brothers Reinier Ferreira, who became a Macadamia Nut Farmer, and his eldest brother, Theo Ferreira, whom is one of the leading South African environmental engineers in solutions for the remediation and management of contaminated land called Georem. Xander teamed up with his friend Sean Bonthuys, a Business Strategist that has worked for clients such as Apple Microsoft and The New York Stock Exchange, to develop the system.

I see the Responsible Leaders Network by the BMW Foundation as a valuable partner through the access that I have to the immense well of knowledge of my fellow members. From technology to conservation and social systems that can bring great value to this project.

Neighbourfood manages and implements agri-tech systems for government subsidized housing developments, transforming low income communities into agribusinesses. 

Public Private Partnerships are formed between the Government, Neighbourfood and the Community that owns the properties.

Systems are implemented through a collective funding of global grants and government investment.

Low cost food is produced and sold to market by Neighbourfood or used by local community for food security.

Systems and profitability is refined through partnerships with agrit-tech companies.

A 15 year commitment between community and Neighbourfood is agreed whereafter the system and management is handed over to local community ownership.

Additional funding is raised by selling carbon credits. 

We have funded the initial development phase through donations of skills and time from various possible future stakeholders such as agricultural professionals, environmental engineers, designers and strategists.

To finalize the development phase we are applying for grants.

For the first implementation of developed system we plan to raise investment capital and apply for government funding. 

The revenue models of large scale agribusinesses will be followed once partnerships are formed between communities and Neighbourfood.

Partnerships with agri-tech and clean-tech companies are formed to bring down cost of implimentation.

Costs of systems are reduced with scale and profit increased.

Alternative incomes explored such as carbon economy.

We would like to gain access to, possible partnerships with agri-tech companies, grant funding for implementation of test project and hiring of permanent staff. Legal and business advisors to help us develop the structure of Neighbourfood.

We would like to refine the solution technology to be best fit to the system.

Therefore we would like to create tech specific solutions with them.

We would like to create access to global public partnerships with various governments to scale the project or test it in various territories.

We would believe that with the right legal and business advice we are able to refine the structure of Neighbourfood into an organization that has the potential to create immense responsible profit and positive social and environmental impact.  

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundtaion to support humanure and composting toilet system for further development.

https://www.gatesfoundation.org/

Microsoft for investment or support in Agri-Tech systems.

https://www.microsoft.com/en-za/eeip/agritech/

Bosch for smart agriculture solutions and tech such soil sensors.

https://www.bosch.com/stories/smart-agriculture/

The University of Cape Town with their urine fertilizer project.

The University of Kwazulu Natal with their Reinvent the Toilet Project.

South African Department of Agriculture for support or funding of agricultural empowerment and food security.

South African Department of Trade and Industry to support in terms of access to implementation of new forms of job creation.

South African ministry of human settlements, water and sanitation to support the project for a public private partnership.

We understand that we are not currently serving the refugee community but believe our solution could create immense impact on the lives of refugees by turning refugee camps into agribusinesses. 

Most households in low-income developments in South Africa are matriarchies where women run the household and take care of the children. A high percentage of these households are single mothers. With Neighbourfood we hope to empower women to become experienced agricultural heroes by creating extra income, gaining agricultural experience and creating food security for their families. 

We are only as strong as the sum of all our parts and therefore would like to build strong communities through job creation. The GM Prize could help us from the very beginning to implement support systems for all our partners to be an example of a healthy business partnership by paying the top wages possible and inspire individuals to be empowered to grow their own businesses. Our aim is to build healthy agribusinesses that we are able to hand over to the communities to fully own and manage and so create a wave of change.

By empowering local low-income communities first through socio-economic agri-tech solutions, we create systems that can be scaled to work globally for communities from various income groups, by transforming the way we live, create food and turn our waste into resources.