Grant me a Plant

I am a social entrepreneur who strives to create hope and livelihoods for the many that won't get a chance in today's high tech, fast paced economy. We need to focus on driving a culture that leaves no one behind if we are to ever truly see radical change effected in impoverished economies. 

I dedicate my free time to assisting other projects who need extra hands. I have successfully run an agricultural pilot project in Swaziland for farmers needing assistance. 

In the investment sector I served as the vice-chairman on the Corporate Social Responsibility Board. Using experiences from my degree, my time in the investment sector and my travels across the world I realize that the issues we are faced with today are multifaceted and require a bundled solution that encompasses education, financial assistance and skills training in order for us to effectively create a sustainable long term impact. 

I am committed to solving the problems of poverty and access to capital in Africa. We have many people living below the poverty line in addition to high levels of food security across many of the nations on our continent. 

My project aims to provide access to the skills, raw materials and education to operate a functional business in agriculture from primary hubs in each country. Raw materials are provided by cloning trees which can be used as long term crop solutions for the farmers. In the event that they do not own any property, we train them to set up agreements in exchange for using the properties of others in exchange for profits as a type of sharecropping strategy.

This project has the ability to create many small farming enterprises whilst simultaneously increasing the continent's food security. It will also help to lift many out of poverty.

There are currently about 3 billion people living in 475 million households in rural areas according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. This represents a substantial portion of the worlds population that exists in these areas. (http://www.fao.org/3/a-i5251e.pdf)

Many of these rural populations have highly restrictive or limited access to financial aid which limits the growth, equipment and capital access available to this portion of the population. (https://evans.uw.edu/policy-impact/epar/blog/impact-rural-and-agricultural-finance-sub-saharan-africa)

Only one quarter of the potentially arable land in Sub Saharan Africa is currently under cultivation according to (http://www.fao.org/3/y1860e/y1860e04.htm) which demonstrates a need for access to different programs capable of expanding production in these regions. Clonal fruit trees represent a low cost method of expanding farming operations at relatively low cost while also providing much needed diversity in local diets and also increasing food security of these regions.

The major contributing factors are lack of access to capital but more over lack of access to raw inputs required to create a successful farm. In some cases land is also restrictive but this can also be overcome through the creation of agreements.

My project creates a central community hub which aims to distribute primarily clonal fruit trees but also seed and other materials necessary for crop growing. 

I want to bring this type of solution to more places in Africa and ensure that people are trained correctly to operate and manage the finances of a farming operation. The lack of access to financing and capital represents a major challenge to informal farming practices, my solution obliterates this barrier by providing clonal trees which can be planted as a long term investment. Over time this will provide a stable income and food supply which will then re-invest into the parent company over time. We also eliminate the barrier of land access by teaching new farmers to create land long-term land usage agreements with land owners in order to carry out their farming activities.

The project is kept sustainable through a minor shareholding in each farm which helps to spread the risk through crop diversity and through many operations. The funds help to finance further operations in this sector.

This project serves neglected communities and impoverished sections of the community to empower them to make profits without having any access to capital or lending facilities.

The project also focuses heavily on educating, developing and training the individuals to properly manage and run their own businesses so that they are capable of making a profit in the future. The overall success and returns of this organization are directly proportional to the time, care and effort we put into to the people that are trained for the project. 

We have currently demonstrated success through a small private initiative and want to scale this up with better information and advice from experienced farmers, management experts and information on the crops being cultivated. This coupled with experience and the necessary documentation to set up permission to use/occupy agreements for land as well as the clonal trees necessary to start the farm should provide all the necessary foundation work to create a sustainable long-lasting source of income for these communities.

This project is aimed at creating poverty alleviation efforts for marginalized communities by providing them with the necessary training and skills that they need as small business owners and not just to become subsistence farmers, as well as raw materials to overcome their challenges and create the many needed farms in Africa. We have severe cases of malnutrition, unvaried diets and overall lack of access to resources. 

Through a clonal tree program coupled with education, we can overcome many challenges including food security, malnutrition and poverty and unemployment. 

I came up with the idea for this project when I helped a farmer with some seed. He had the land necessary for his farm but needed seeds to begin his dream, after helping him with the seed, I explained to him how he should set some money aside to buy equipment, new seeds and expand his operation. I provided him with all of the information on growing maize and he set off to go and start.

He experienced a problem in his first year with a pest infestation but still managed to gain a successful yield through quick manual intervention. He then managed to buy irrigation equipment and expanded his operation even further and now enjoys profits from his farm.

I decided that if something so low cost and relatively easy to accomplish can change one person's life so drastically over 3 years then I should come up with way to scale this even more. I have always had a passion for agriculture and a passion for helping those in need. This journey satisfies 2 of my passions and I would love to see how many more people I can help along this journey.

My grandfather was a small scale rural farmer for many years. He taught me everything that he knew about farming while I was growing up, I learned about apiculture, pest control, growing crops, growing trees, making clonal cuttings of trees and how to process different products once you've harvested them. 

I have seen the plight of the people of Africa and I know that the problems we face are massive. I know we need a solution that not only scales rapidly but is capable of providing opportunity in relatively short time frames.

We need to take a different approach to Africa's problems and I feel that this is one of the more broad-based empowerment programs that can be offered to the people of Africa, it's replicable, scalable and cost-effective.

I have lived here my whole life, I want to see my country and my continent succeed but my plan to do this will only be successful with assistance from programs like MIT Solve. 

Let's all be a part of this solution and help change the lives of many that need it on this continent right now.

I have many skills across disciplines including agriculture, financial skills and technology skills. 

Because of this unique combination of interest and skills I have managed to consolidate all of this into a unique package of experience that I can provide to farmers who are starting out. 

I have also been an educator and understand the necessity for being patient when teaching others. 

I am also highly proficient in the skills necessary to work on and operate a farm, for this reason I know how to clone plants, treat diseases, treat nutrient deficiencies in the soil, check the soil profiles, select the correct crop according to soil studies, harvest and manage the farms funds.

All of this combined allows me to pass these skills and the necessary training on to the farmers who will form part of this program.

I have attempted to grow this project many times over the course of the last few years. I did not have much capital to invest but managed to save enough to invest it into the farm of a small scale farmer who was struggling as a pilot project.

I have been unemployed for large portions of the last few years, I have had partnerships with other organizations that have not worked out but despite this I still have the resolve to pick it all up and try again.

I am persistent and I will keep trying and re-inventing this project until it works. At first I thought that the solution would require a lot of capital to implement but as I applied myself and thought about the problem, I realized that I had become too focused on cash investment and missed the very obvious point that I could invest time and energy as sweat investment by cloning trees for long term sustainability. I have contingencies in place should I not get this funding. I am at the point where I will succeed with or without the help of the program although it would be a nice boost to success.

I was in a leadership position in our company CSR program, I lead initiatives that focused on providing events that were a source of fun for orphaned children. I was also involved with programs to provide the necessary food and other items to similar organization involved with community outreach. 

In addition to this we made over 20 school desks and chairs as well as providing new appliances and upgrades to one of the dormitories at the orphanage. 

I have lead teams in my professional career as well. People look to me as someone who is understanding and compassionate. I am still in contact with many of those people today, many of them are thankful for the way in which I empowered their careers and helped them to achieve the goals they had in their lives.

I have applied principles which defy most business logic by designing an enterprise solution which only grows as fast as it can give. This in itself is a rather unique business design, there are very few business models today which focus on giving to grow their profit margins

How this functions is that at the primary facility we will commence the propagation of commercial tree varieties important in the agricultural sector. We will give these away in sufficient volume to fill up the properties of the farmers. 

We create a permanent source of wealth and value for the consumer through skills training, a permanent source of income and additional food to add to their diet to vary their nutritional intake.

This will create a new dimension of performance in this sphere by creating a model of giving people a permanent source of wealth for which they pay a yearly subscription for as a percentage of profits from their orchards or crops.

I expect this project will grant widespread access to sustainable agricultural practices by implementing long term solutions to the food security problem experienced by many countries in Central and West Africa. 

I have long considered what the greatest barriers to development and business in Africa are and I have discovered that one of the greatest problems is not the lack of access to land but the lack of access to the resources necessary to elevate agriculture. 

This project will uplift and empower mainly women across Africa who are predominantly stationed on the land while the men seek work elsewhere. This will not only provide a sustainable and diverse provision of much needed food but will also provide income from bush/tree products that can be sold in markets. 

By creating these hubs to provision and clone trees in geographically important areas we can provide the means necessary for families to own their own businesses and provide for their families. 

In my pilot project, I helped a Swazi farmer with seed, his family that remained at the farm managed the farm while he was away to work. He has since expanded his operation and bought the necessary equipment to secure his livelihood during drought through water storage and other equipment.

This pilot provided the necessary outcome to determine what long term effects of such a program would be if it is provided in conjunction with the training and skills necessary to run a farm. 

The farmer who this pilot was conducted with can be reached at +27640643042 or ntozakhema@gmail.com 

A full testimonial for this pilot can be found here https://drive.google.com/file/...

Using the knowledge gained from this pilot I determined that operating capital for a venture of this nature can be further reduced by clonal propagation of select trees. Clonal propagation is very inexpensive but does not sacrifice on crop yields. It will also provide alternative food types to enhance the diversity of diets. Many crops produced in tropical Africa lack diversity and are consistent mainly of plantains, cassava and rice. 

This program could therefore spawn multitudes of African agricultural ventures and businesses.

My project currently only affects a small family in Swaziland, while the organization is headquartered in South Africa, the first such smallholder farm I identified for assistance was based in Swaziland. 

By the end of this year I am aiming to start support a small village known as Fafung in the North West province of South Africa with a population of 2000 by introducing clonal avocado, apricot, orange, lemon, plum and mandarin trees. I may include a few nut trees if I am able to clone them in time for planting in December before the rains hit.

In 5 years I want to expand this project to the point where it reaches at least 10 million people in Africa with hubs across at least 10 countries. Due to the low costs of actually implementing and starting this project I believe that these goals are fairly attainable.

The great part about this business model and idea is that it is fairly easy for others to replicate, in ordinary business models this is traditionally an undesirable outcome for business however because my goal is to empower and uplift communities I would welcome the additional assistance and inspiring more people to pursue this method of elevating others would only help me to attain my goal of eliminating poverty in Africa faster. In the Next year I want to establish the Fafung orchard in the North West province of South Africa which will form part of a training and empowerment hub for South Africa.

I want these distribution hubs that empower small farmers to be built across the continent in order to help as many villages and rural settlements as possible. I want to try and attain or at least dramatically improve food security for the Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Cameroon, Swaziland, Sierra Leone, Ghana and Zambia as well as initiate large scale operations in other countries over the next 5 years. 

Gabon, South Africa and Swaziland are high priority goals for me due to their overall spread in the continent and my ability to access property through rural contacts I have made over time in these countries.

My greatest barrier is currently funding, I am unemployed and struggle to support this business fully however I am still able to make many tree and plant clones due to the inexpensive cost of the process. While my funding requirements are more closely related to my living expenses I am fully capable of increasing the scale and magnitude of this operation without too much additional funding.

I require funding to implement the project in the Gabon as the land that has been provided by the community to initiate this project needs some brush clearing, forests will be retained because we are an organization that focuses on conservation of natural environments. 

Property to create hubs and develop the project may present a challenge in some regions.

Legal barriers are not too much of an issue, I have been informed by a lawyer in the Cameroon who operates in Gabon, DRC, Congo and Gabon that the laws of Gabon are suited to this type of venture additional legal barriers include patented cultivars of tree however many commercial varieties are acceptable to clone today due to expired patents. 

Cultural barriers might include that French is traditionally spoken in many Central and West African countries, cultural barriers might also limit the uptake of certain fruit trees due to preferred types of crops and a lack of desire to focus on diversifying crops.

Funding is a minor setback but I will overcome this barrier over time or if my project is awarded a grant to assist in the speed at which it grows.

Land and property barriers are easily overcome through agreements, I have already made a property agreement with a community in Gabon for 10 000 acres of land to create a hub on the Cameroonian border. I also have contacts available in South Africa, Zambia, Swaziland and Sierra Leone that would be willing to assist with finding properties to create hubs in their regions.

Patent barriers, there is plenty of diversity in cultivars and there are many commercial cultivars of different types of tree species available for cloning. For example the Hass avocado was patented in 1935 and the patent has long since expired which now allows for the propagation of these trees without any threat of penalty. 

Cultural barriers, adoption of healthier diets will require some education but should not be too difficult considering that fruit trees provide a flavorful alternative to many of the traditional starchy dishes of Africa. I am currently learning French and can already converse in basic French, fortunately Sierra Leone, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Swaziland are all English speaking countries. Local contacts and translators will be procured and trained to implement programs where necessary.

I am currently partnered with Beyond Transform who will be working very closely with me on this project. They are internationally recognized in the HR and training field and have many awards for their work in this field, they will be assisting in developing the training programs for the business and farming skills necessary to implement this program. 

I have partnered with the Sathya Sai foundation in Laudium, Centurion for a project in Fafung, they will assist in facilitating the necessary logistics and on the ground support to help with transplanting, irrigation infrastructure and other support to ensure the continued upliftment of the Fafung community which they have been assisting for many years. 

The villages in Bitam Province of Gabon have offered properties to initiate a project of this nature on their lands in exchange for assistance with implementing farms on their properties to assist them, further demonstrating the necessity and demand for projects like this in these regions.

The Evans Mangwende Orphanage in partnership with the surrounding villages and their chiefs have offered lands for the establishment of a hub in Zimbabwe in exchange for clonal trees and training for their lands.

The current business model involves the provision of trees to communities and individual land owners across Africa. Agreements are made with the communities and we work together with them, providing trees in exchange for a small percentage of profits from the trees, eliminating the need for capital on behalf of the land owners.

We provide the training and skills necessary along with the necessary commercial grade crops in order to ensure the success of program entrants. We take a percentage from the program entrants depending on whether the crop is an annual or perennial crop in order to cover the costs of the program and expand it in future to assist others.

Technological access to information and information recording will be provided at a later stage via app in order to enhance data accuracy, provide digital marketplaces in Africa and to assist in ensuring we receive a fair ROI from the invested raw materials.

Initially we will have to rely on estimated crop data to understand what returns will look like over the years. Farmers will have to record their identification documents and farm locations when entering into an agreement.

Our path to financial sustainability will occur over the course of a year to 3 years. During this time we will be reliant on initial funds while the program is working within the communities.

We expect that our first seasonal crops will bear financial fruits after year 1 that will be enough to break even but the organization will only reach expansive capacity in year 3 when fruit trees start to generate proper yields and value for the farmers in the program.

The success and sustainability of this program is highly dependent on how well we can deliver quality training and information to the people involved in those program. Unlike most companies, this is a constant customer service exercise and the success of customers will determine largely to what extent we are successful.

Currently we have not received funding for this project.

I have invested $100 (roughly) of my own funds for the pilot project to determine success over time. 

I did not perform the pilot project as a revenue generating exercise however a small percentage (5-10%) of profits would be achievable to cover expenses.

I have $500 of my own capital available to invest.

I am currently seeking a minimum of $25 000 in funding to get this project started. It is a very lightweight project and the bulk of my funding will be invested into allowing me to purchase the initial seeds necessary to start some annual projects as well allowing me to purchase stock commercial grade trees for cloning. $5000 of seed will allow me to fund at least 50 farms worth of annual seeds and another $5000 will allow me to import the trees necessary to begin work on clonal propagation and to acquire import permits. The remaining $15 000 will allow me to fly to the location and will provide subsistence for 12 months including accommodation. I would preferably like to raise this money by October 2020 however in light of the Covid pandemic, donor fatigue seems to be at an all time high.

I would preferably like to raise at least $250 000 so that I can add some translators and educators from Beyond Transform on to the team to help develop the skills training program more.

Minimum Budget:

Seeds : $5000

Trees for Propagation : $1000

Import Licensing : $4000

Clonal Propagation supplies : $500

Subsistence : $14 500

Preferred Budget: $250 000

Seeds : $25 000

Trees for Propagation : $5000

Import Licensing : $16000

Clonal Propagation Supplies : $4000

Buildings and equipment : $80 000

Pesticides and Equipment to Supply : $20 000

Salaries (4 people) : $80 000

Subsistence : $20 000

Property agreements are already in place to allow for long term usage.

I am applying to the Elevate prize because it allows me to access a network of highly skilled and successful people who would be able to share and assist me through their experiences.

The cash prize will go a long way towards making this project more successful and increasing the speed at which I can implement the project.

The project will connect me to marketers and influencers. This is an area that I know I am specifically weak in and it would be great to learn more about how to use this more efficiently to achieve my goals.

A marketing and media exposure partnership would really help to take my project to the next level and would really help me to reach more people with this project, hopefully globally some day soon.

I definitely need more assistance with funding and implementing this project, I was initially considering doing this as a non-profit project but I think that making it for profit would increase the sustainability and efficacy of the project while allowing it to expand.

Monitoring and evaluation will form a very important part of this project and it is very important that I partner with people who could give me more information about how I could possibly do this more effectively especially using technology in areas that have low access to technological solutions.

I would love to partner with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in order to learn more about their experiences and challenges throughout Africa and the world and to learn more about how they dealt with those challenges.

I would also love to partner with Oxfam to learn how they achieve efficiency with their seed distribution projects and how they overcome legal barriers when importing seeds into other countries. 

I would love to partner with seed and pesticide producers in order to achieve better rates when purchasing seed from them and to have reliable and diverse supplies of seed for crop production.

I would also like to partner with specialist horticulturalist and tree producers to acquire high quality commercial grade trees for production as well as licensing for good quality root stocks.