Farmhut

I'm a Zimbabwean entrepreneur aged 20 who is a co-founder at Farmhut.I'm in charge of team leadership, marketing and business development.My main roles involve making sure that our team is motivated and working solidly irregardless of the diversity that exists.I'm a strong believer of inclusive leadership understanding that sustainable solutions have impact if only we work collaboratively.I also believe that the continent of Africa has massive potential and most of it in Agriculture, therefore the digitization of Agriculture in the current industrial revolution will be key in alleviating poverty and increasing food security.I've worked on other projects that include the development of a contact tracing app,I am a participant at the 2020 HultPrize Global Accelerator.I've been actively involved in the establishment of student charity funds in the past 2 years.I also do a weekly podcast known as Entrepreneurs Sound Book Zimbabwe were I share my journey to inspire more entrepreneurs

Half of the Zimbabwean population is considered as hungry according to the WFP.70 percent of the population totally relies on small scale farming to feed and pay for basic commodities. This large chunk of the population can not access any form of loan neither can they afford to sale their produce to premium markets most of it ends up rotting.Farmhut is making sure that small holder farmers across Zimbabwe get access to premium markets without the need to travel,we are making sure that we create a market for their produce.We have built the first online platform that will help farmers across Zimbabwe and the entire continent sell produce, access funding as well as get insurance.All of this in a bid to use agriculture as a tool to reduce poverty and increase food security in Africa.Creating employment for youths and creating sustainable communities across the Continent that are agriculture based.

Zimbabwe has a population of 14,862,924 with 68% of the population being the rural community and surviving in rural Zimbabwe.This large chunk of the population occupies state land that was distributed after independence.Our grandparents who got this land after independence were very poor people and could barely utilize the land to its full capacity,this land has been passed from generation to generation and is now in present day Zimbabwe not being used because we're in a continuous poverty cycle as banks and micro-finance institutions only fund a minority of the population,that is those that are formally employed.Of the few lucky farmers who are able to farm they can only sell their products at the local markets where the prices are extremely low and there is basically no hygiene and zero certainty that their produce will be bought.On days were there's been a lot of produce income at the markets several farmers are turned back and lose a lot of their fresh produce.With levels of poverty and unemployment on the rise,it is very important for Agriculture to play a crucial role in rejuvenating the economy and upraising lives in Zimbabwe and several countries across the continent that face the same problem.

Farmhut is a startup that is addressing the issue of smallholder farmer funding,access to markets as well as accessing clean and affordable energy. We have developed a platform that is accessible via web and sms that allows farmers to sell their produce online, receive funding for projects and access to our partners who are working for energy solutions. A farmer who has produce will list their products online, deliver the products to a storage location so that hey do not decay and be able to sell from the comfort of their homes.Farmers that do not have funding are also listed on the crowdfunding platform and their products are listed for funding, investors can invest a minimum of $10.00 into the project and then wait for returns, our expert agronomists then run the project to make sure that it brings out the best harvests, making use of several organic ways to cut costs and make sure our environment is clean. After the produce is harvested it will be able to access the ready made markets we have created and be sold. The revenue is shared with at least 40% being given to the farmer in a bid to create sustainable communities.

Farmhut when fully scaled is aiming at supporting women and smallholder farmers.There are over 7.1 million people who rely from substinance farming in Zimbabwe, but the main reason why our nation and most of sub saharan Africa is riddled by poverty and food insecurity is because our infrastructre does not cater for small holder farmers yet they are the ones sho own most of the land and they are responsible for feeding the nation.We are looking at serving the rural farmers who have no access to Microfinance institutions, no access to urban markets, no access to modern farming equipment and methods. We have been able to attend several field days over the past year in rural areas,spreading questionnaires . This has helped us to greatly understand the communities and the problems. We have also had several sit in meetings with the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture who have been in charge of  smallholder and rural farmers since independence in 1980.Farmhut is helping farmers on a daily basis, some of the farmers who used to sell their produce in exchange of worn out clothing now have access to cash, they now own a bank account and use mobile money services.

Equality of farmers irregardless of where they are located how much they are producing or their color. We believe that all Zimbabwean Farmers and sub-saharan farmers need equal opportunities and this is something that has been non existent over the past 40 years. We have a large chunk of our rural population living in poverty. This align with the challenge of elevating opportunities for all, given that most farmers are traditionally behind and do not have access to funding and modern technologies. Most of them not even appreciating the concept of selling online.We  are addressing that issue in our work.

My co founder lost his parents while we were at University and also lost the ability to be able to pay for tuition during that time.Fortunately his parents left in his name 10ha of land, that they had received from the government on a 99 year lease. We opted to farming and we came up with a budget if $1000.00 went to banks they couldn't help, we went micro-finance they couldn't help either government funds couldn't help either. The main reason was that we did not have a payslip with us and also we didn't have any collateral security. We ended up raising the funds through a go fund me.And after getting our returns the major challenge was now going to market,with little to no experience in the market it was very hard to sell these birds. So in a nutshell the experience was bad,Ryan had to drop out for a semester to look for funds.7.1 million people face this challenge we said to each other, and we devoted our lives from that day to making their lives better and also increase food security in Zimbabwe and Africa.The idea has evolved very much from then to what it is today

The fight against hunger and poverty is one that I had no personal interests in  when growing up , mainly because I thought that the hunger situation I grew up in was normal,it is only when I got to high school that I started having realisations that nobody deserves to live like this. I had close contact with Charity organisations who were fighting hunger in High school, and one thing I noticed was that they were doing a great job but their impact was only limited to small numbers and the majority still suffered, So I personally began to find ways I could have impact. Joined clubs and basically it was all I was hearing everyday IMPACT, ZERO HUNGER, SDG and now an intense love and passion has grown into me. I have become so absorbed in helping local farmers that I spend over 10 hours a day devoted to the cause. What drives me are the poor people and farmers I meet everyday in the streets of Chitungwiza where I stay. I am motivated by my family members who sit idle on land and can not do anything about it.

We have managed to work on and develop a suitable platform that will deliver the job. We have a fully equipped team. Ryan has managed to win entrepreneur of the year at Green Enterprise on Agricultural solutions. We have Nyasha who is well acquitted in making sure that number balance and that every dollar we make brings impact. Kumbirai has expertise in software and business development. Then there is Zviko with a very strong rural background but has risen up the ranks in tertiary organisations. Then there is me I am someone who is greatly motivated , I am an expert in modern marketing skill and product development. We have tried to assemble a team for the past year and have been having several shortfalls with the team. Finally we came up with this. We have taken our solution to the Hult Prize Global Competition and we will be proceeding to the global accelerator. I have been head of Digital Marketing at Zimbabwe Yellow Pages for the past year and we have managed to achieve several milestones. my co-founder Ryan has been president of the Rotaract Club of NUST for a year. I was also Secretary General of the National University of Science and Technology. We have a big passion for farmers and have been working for the past year with no salaries or any external funding, we have been bootstrapping.We also are offering a product that is the first of it's kind.

The crowdfunding regulations in Zimbabwe are very strict and rigid especially in line with state land which most farmers possess.When we started we had easy with our way until we were approached and told that thee was now a requirement to have to deposit a certain amount of money into the Deposit Protection Scheme and also get in touch with a reinsurance firm and as a bootstrap startup the funds we'd raised from our traction could'nt meet the requirements of the deposit.We had to finish up on the current projects and shutdown the crowdfunding platform. This was a huge blow to everyone ad the crowdfunding platform had already gained popularity.We managed to start off the online market as something to just do in the interim.But who knew,it has opened up so much opportunities for us and now we're creating an online market place that is he first of its kind.So in situations of adversity I believe that being inclusive and making a decision based on the facts that make the people that we are hoping to impact happy.The Zimbabwean economy has also been one that has been trying to pull or project down,but we're thriving and helping more farmers everyday.

I got to Yellow Pages Zimbabwe in 2018 and they were doing print directory traditionally like other companies that were doing directories. When I arrived I fully believed that we should go digital completely and start using an online directory. The adoption of many people in Zimbabwe is very low and also the fear of technology is very high even in tech companies. My key responsibilities were to usher a smooth transition from print directory to becoming a-full digital media agency. The transition took a year but it was very successful now Yellow pages has changed their names to Yellow Pages Digital Media Agency.When I was enrolled at NUST in Bulawayo I was president of a student movement that was called One Nust Movement which was based upon the fundamentals of student inclusion irregardless of nationality or political affiliation. We managed to bring together over 2000 students in a movement that helped create over 30 SME's from students. Helped each and every member of the movement to appreciate and start working on at least one SDG.We were keen on bringing awareness and impact to the student environment which was noon existent in Zimbabwe.Our current team all rooted from the movement

Farmers can list and control their produce online

People can buy online and choose a delivery spot or pickup location

Our revenue sharing model on projects invested gives back the farmer 40% of revenue without any initial deposit

We have made sure that all delivery packaging is returned to make sure that we recycle

We have given rural Zimbabwe which has no access to the internet an opportunity to communicate with us using an SMS chatbot

We have cost effective plans for farmers with the most expensive plan coming at 60$ a year

We are providing a one stop shop for agriculture

We have given other stake holders in Agriculture an opportunity and a platform where they can find all the farmers in one place.

We have managed to help vendors that were once chsed off the street by police because they could not afford licensing and clean enviroments to sell produce to be able to sell thier produce without any diturbances

We also have managed to provide 

Our days are usually spent communicating with farmers,making sure that our Market Carts all over the city are clean, making sue that orders received are delivered, making sure that we inform farmers where produce is needed, consistently passing forward information to farmers on best methods of farming and how to monetize their projects.For us this means having people out in the field making deliveries and researching on how best we can improve the product.We also have people verifying farmers and registering new farmers every day as well as a logistics team that is on the move.The general outputs of our day to day work are 1.Farmers know where and when produce is needed. 2. We get to deliver produce across the cities within a day 3. We get to train farmers on better methods of farming 4. Farmers have access to funding since they are affiliated with a trusted brand.In the short term famers get to have real value for their products, they also get an opportunity to sell products from the comfort of their homes. In the medium term , with search results data and enquiry data being collected farmers can now easily tell which products are under demand and they can easily work on those products so as to maximise returns. Reviews of a farmer's produce will help him improve farming methods and produce more standard products.In the longterm we are raising funds to support farmers in their projects, helping us create sustainable communities. Continuous collection of data makes sure that theplatform is actually serving a purpose. Our vendors also benefit in the long term as they are now considered formally employed when they become Farmhut vendors, selling produce in a cleaner and safer way. We have noticed that with the 20 vendors placed all over Harare there has been a huge reception from the communities and also a thumbs up from local councils you were having a challenge with illegal vendors. At the end of the day Zimbabwe will again become the bread basket of Africa and help feed many other people and overally reduce poverty.

We are currently serving 600 farmers after 2 months of operation, we have 10 vendors that are selling produce across Harare. With these 600 farmers in Zimbabwe we have managed to help over 1000 people access produce easily.

In one year we will be serving over 5000 farmers across Zimbabwe with a minority of those farmers being in South Africa. We want to make sure that we have at least 10 vendors in every popular public market who are selling produce from a clean cart. This would mean that we have over 100 vendors in major cities.

In five years we would have registered over 60 percent of all farmers in Zimbabwe being able to deliver produce in one day across all cities, we would  have managed to have developed fresh produce storage across all cities in Zimbabwe. We also have to register over 2000 farmers in South Africa and have a full delivery service up and running.

From revenue collected across this ventures we expect to have funded over 200 farming projects in the 5 years

In the next year we want to have established a full delivery and collection service.We want to start development of storage services. We want to make sure that we reduce post harvest food losses in Zimbabwe by at least 30 percent. Our goal is to make sure that farmers understand which product is on demand, they also know where produce is needed so that they direct their resources there. We want to make sure that food is accessible for everyone across Zimbabwe regardless of you being close to a modern city or being remote, we want to make sure that Farmers can access funding despite them having a valid pay slip and title deeds. The end goal is to scale up all these initiatives in the next 5 years and be able to provide a full one stop shop for agricultural services. 1. Increasing productivity, employment and value additions in food systems, 2. Protecting and enhancing natural resources. 3. Improving livelihoods and fostering inclusive economic growth. 4. Enhancing the resilience of people ,communities and ecosystems

The barriers currently existing in order to establish an efficeint delivery and collection service as well as development of storage facilities is funding which will enable us to acquire necessary assets for these facilities. Lack of access to fast, affordable and reliable internet access especially in Zimbabwe is a barrier in order to achieve reduction of post harvest losses as there is not enough information going around on knowledge of the products on demand as well as how to effectively direct resources to that particular project. Low adoption of digital based services by the majority of our target market is a barrier in order for people to acces food especially in remote areas and modern cities such that one can travel a long distance without the realisation of the particular product nearby which they would have gotten to know by using our platform. Lack of adequate investors may cause farmers not access funding which will help them in carrying out their projects which can reduce hunger as well as unemployment in Zimbabwe and the coming years other African countries.

Currently we have a website which can monitor the delivery process from the time of ordering up to the time of collection. Delivery trucks and storage facilities are to be in the near future acquired as the entity grows.These will facilitate in Farmhut establishing a reliable and efficient delivery and collection system.Through provision of information through our platform and using SMSs by integrating with several databases from the government and the market itself, we are able to equip farmers with knowledge on product demand which will reduce post harvest losses in the case of overproduction. Through aggressive marketing on our website and social media platforms and emails and other media we are able to overcome the barrier of low adoption in the market which will catapult the adoption rate to a favourable percentage. Also by making use of social media influencers who will be able to access our platforms, will boost and have more early adopters. Accessing a larger pool of funding can be done through first starting with manageable and affordable projects which if successful will give investors confidence that funding will be used effectively and rake in returns for them.

Our business model is a B2B2C model. We serve both businesses and individual customers. In our model, we have the farmer who is our primary customer ad hybrid partner. We help them to access markets and  channels of funding for projects. This is made possible through our innovative and interactive website, mobile applications and sms chatbots that increases their reach to the market. This introduces the second types of our customers. Establish businesses and individuals can walk in on our platforms and order produce from the framer. All the happens in real-time. Delivery and logistics is an option the customers make  to either use our service or provide their own. Our services are delivered to anyone with a mobile device, with or without internet access and with or without data packages to access the internet as they are easily accessible online and offline. Currently, for a farmer to be able to sell their produce, they have to move with their products to markets that are at least 100km away. They do so without any certainty that their products will sell on that same day. If they fail to sell, they'll incur extra accommodation,storage and transport hire costs. Given the COVID19 pandemic, not many customers are enthusiastic about visiting markets to buy produce thus presenting a great challenge to the farmer. Our product is solving all these challenges and ensuring all transactions are done  in the comfort of their homes without risking any movement that could lead to contracting COVID19.

From the onset, we are more than certain that our social enterprise shall be getting revenue therefore we have mapped out both short-term and long-term channels of financing to sustain our projects. As we began, most of our money was from family and friends. This was also supported by 2 grants that we received. Our revenue streams had been frozen until June this year to allow for user adoption through our freemium model. However, we are now shifting from that as we now intend on having members pay for the service. Our sources of revenue are from subscriptions by individual farmers who list they produce on our platform, the commissions  from customer buyers whom we source products for, advertising from individuals and businesses that advertise their services or products via our platform. We also get commissions from the land leasing platform and from the project funding platform.

These are the streams that we shall be exploring both in the long and short term. In the longterm however, we shall be looking out for external investments, equity or otherwise. This shall be for the purposes of replicating the model and scaling operations in different locations. This shall formulate our growth strategy.

We project our revenue streams to expand  as we continue with the business as we open more and more services we are providing to the farmers.We hav

We have received  a $US5000 grant from the International Labour Organisation through its Green EnterPrize initiative. This was coupled with a Business and Development Support Service Package. We have received $US1200 through subscriptions and $US4000 through commissions since starting receiving payments in June.

We are on a drive to raise $100 000 over the next year for our local projects. We expect 20% of it to be from grants and 80% from an equity investment.

Rentals - $US2000

software - $US900

MarketIng - $1000

Administration -$US3000

OTHER - $US600

TOTAL - $US7500

We are entering into the Elevate prize because we believe that our business is one that is meant to drive social impact and change the lives of several people on the African continent, through women empowerment, employment creation and good usage of resources. The elevate prize fits the description of what we want to achieve , direct impact with every dollar earned, we need the funding to scale up operations, we neeed the partnerships so that we can build a sustainable business. We also need the exposure to be able to interact with other social entreprenuers and share expereinces on how to make the world a better place. I personally belive that it is only through collaboration and networking we can achieve the goal of feeding the millions who are affected by malnutrition. 

We need a partner that will help up source funding on each of the rounds of funding helping us valuate the startup and scale up financially.We also want to be able to create a sustainable financial plan.We also need board members that are experienced but are also not scared to make decisions that will make the company grow,we need board members that are knowledgeable in the scaling of tech startups and interacting with low end clients who do'nt have access to the privileges of internet.We need help in also making sure that we have a partner that can help us start exporting our amazing organic food to western markets so as to source foreign currency, and this means that all the legalities have to be put in place so as to access international markets.We also need an influential partner who'll help us penetrate the market through exposure and brand visibility

We want to be able to partner with FAO- they will help us unlock the true potential of farmers as they have been working with farmers for a very long time

We also want to partner with Tesla so that they can help us set up a reliable energy system for farmers.

We would also love to partner with local players like the Ministry of Agriculture, Established commercial farmers, Local retail shops.

We also want to partner with City Councils here in Zimbabwe as they will help us develop clean and easily accessible market carts that are not illegal.