Neruva

350,000 farmers in Kenya cannot access greenhouses because they are expensive, utilize large amount of pesticides and other chemicals, are not pre-assembled, and do not have supportive technology to allow them double their revenue. As a result of that, there is less attention on fighting climate change through agriculture, high cost of production, and less adoption of climate control technology. Our product is called an Ecocapsule which is capped at $1500. Apart from that, the system is pre-assembled which cuts down the time for cultivation, and comes with different supportive technologies. The technologies allow farmers to earn double revenue from fish and crop production in a 30msq space. Most importantly, it helps to fight climate change by utilizing zero pesticides and chemicals which raises awareness on the subject. In the long run, rural farmers will be able to supply the general population with organic food in mass scale.

For an average farmer, running a greenhouse is expensive due to its markup price and the need to utilize large amount of chemicals and pesticides. As a result of that, farmers incur high production costs which is not sustainable to improve their standards of living. Majority of the problem is attributed to the problem of farmers not being able to afford $4000 to buy a greenhouse and incur an additional $2000 to run the system every year. As a result of that, there is low adoption of greenhouse in the country. At least 350,000 farmers in Kenya cannot afford to buy or run greenhouses. This accounts for a total available market capped at $1.94B. Globally, the market is valued at $30B based on statistics for the year 2020. The market is forecasted to reach and be valued at $50B by the year 2025. The growing numbers can be attributed to the increased demand for food. 

Our product is called an Ecocapsule which is capped at $1500. The size of the each unit is 30msq which is slightly larger than a shipping container. Inside the system, a farmer is able to cultivate 2500 fish and 1,100 heads of organic crops. We use zero chemicals or soil to do the farming. As a result of that, each unit can be placed in the harshest climate since it is not dependent on the soil fertility. Some of the supportive technologies include vertical farming, aquaponics, clean room technology, IoT, and climate control technology. With each unit, a farmer is able to monitor and control the parameters of the system using a desktop and smartphone app. 

Based on our market research, we have developed a customer persona which is meant for the piloting stage of the product. In our initial roll-out, we will target 30-39yrs old male with a secondary or higher level education qualification. The customer‘s main source of income will be agriculture through their traditional system or medium tech greenhouse in a land where they own at least 3 acres of land. The customer should be accessing extension services, loans facilities, and be a member of an agricultural or business group. Lately, we have had interest from less intensive farmers who have ventured into motorcycle transportation since they did not have an alternative agricultural investment opportunities.  Our piloting strategy will help us roll out the product to the mass market.

Providing ordinary farmers with the possibility of earning double revenue organically is an economic opportunity like no other. With this solution, there will be an acceleration of adoption of climate control technology that completely eliminates pesticides and other chemicals. In the long run, it will help regenerate the agricultural lands that have been degraded as a result of continuous tillage and excessive use of chemicals. With that in mind, our partnership will eliminate lifetimes of poverty, exponentially improve economic empowerment, and help roll-out a data-driven solution that has real impact on fighting climate change from the agricultural front.

Our current stage of development is at the prototype stage. We recently received $9,000 grant from the World Bank to help us finalize in building the hardware component of the system. Initially, that was the most challenging part given the fact that it is expensive to develop hardware prototypes. With that in mind, we have finished up with developing the desktop and smartphone app which is critical in controlling all devices and monitoring of the core parameters through data. Apart from that, we are engaged with some local motorcycle transporters groups (Bodaboda) who have shown considerable interest in the units. 

The technology we are offering is new and innovative in a distinct manner. Here, for the first time in the history of farming, we will be able to witness a mass scale production of organic crops. At the moment, `there is no specific technology that eliminates pesticides and other chemicals in the food system through an affordable solution that can be owned by any ordinary farmer. The high markup price of organic crops is primarily due to very low production volumes for the market.  Instinctively, we are fusing a collection of technologies under a small system that is able to exceptionally perform well in any form of environment while at the same time be able to produce large volumes of organic crops. Our expectation is that our technology will reduce the world’s reliance on the level of fertility of land and the frequency of rainfall as a key factor of food production. On top of that, through our solution, we hope to see organic crops and chemically induced crops compete favorably in the market on the basis of its value and pricing point. 

Currently, we have 9 committed farmers who will buy the unit once we begin the piloting stage. Additionally, a company called Waridi farms has expressed its interest in buying our units since they also want to include fish as part of their portfolio. In Kenya alone, the system is expected to serve more than 70,000 farmers in 6 years. However, our sights are focused on ensuring that our technology is accessed by many people across the globe. On that note, our current target is to have at least 1,200,000 farmers use the system in Africa by the year 2031. 

Currently, we are focusing on SDG on zero hunger, affordable and clean energy, and climate action. Under zero hunger, we seek to help farmers double their income by earning from both the fish and crop while reducing overall cost of production by eliminating buying pesticides and other chemicals. The key indicator is farmer’s revenue increasing per year. The core activity is centered on supplying 70,000 units to farmers in 6 years. The projected data is that the gross yearly revenue of farmers will be $20,000 benefiting 70,000 farmers. Additionally, we expect to create at least 100,000 jobs. On the basis of affordable and clean energy, we seek to help farmers get free access to solar energy as it is the primary mode of running the Ecocapsule. A key indicator is farmers accessing free solar energy. The core activity is that the program will cover 70,000 farmers in 6 years. The main data will be that farmers will use zero costs on national grid electricity. On the basis of climate action, we seek to help farmers improve their education and awareness on issues of climate change mitigation through training them on how the system uses zero chemicals and pesticides. The key indicator is farmers being able to practice organic farming in mass scale. On the core activity, 70,000 units will utilize Aquaponics farming and other technologies to make organic farming easy. The projected data is that 70,000 farmers will use zero pesticides chemicals while they produce organic crops in mass scale. 

Full-time = 3 employees

Part-time = 4 employees

The co-founding team is made up of a financial engineer, electrical engineer, and a mechanical and process engineer. Put together, we have been able to leverage our skills in robotics, IoT, software engineering, climate control, aquaponics, and design to create a unique product that is unmatched. Previously, we had worked for different organization and as a result of that, we adopted some core experience that were critical for Neruva. Before founding the company, the co-founders were friends in the same university primarily brought together by a common goal on sustainable living on a global scale. It is through this friendship that led to the birth of Neruva. On another aspect, all the co-founders come from families of farmers. With that in mind, developing a product that brought value to farmers was an ideal area that we were meant to disrupt. Our operations, strategies, and ideas are driven by the first principle thinking. In this case, we have a saying that if an idea does not go against any scientific law then we are free to pursue it to the ends of the Earth.

Our team is a true definition of diversity, equity, and inclusion in a number of ways. First, we come from a country that is primarily divided through tribalism. We have gone against that norm and ensures that we have no dominant tribe in the team. For example, the co-founders come from three different tribes. On another note, our core culture is driven by respect rather than pulling ranks. In this case, no senior team member is allowed to pull ranks against junior members. Here, all team members are equal and we are only supposed to respect each other. Apart from that, we have put in place a process of recruiting female engineers primarily in the manufacturing side who will join the team. In Kenya, a core traditional idea is that women cannot be good engineers. However, we have a different opinion and strongly believe that they are going to be the single most important factor primarily in terms of bringing more innovation to the current product.  

For a while now, we have been exploring options on how to penetrate the global audience in terms of the funding opportunities, mentorship, and guidance. However, that task hasn’t been easily especially considering that we are based in Africa which is still developing primarily in the start-up ecosystem. The discovery of Solve was a perfect fit for us. In this case, we have a chance to pitch to a global audience, get feedback from different stakeholders, access funding, and meet likeminded people who will mentor us. However, that should not underscore the fact that our biggest challenge was accessing enough funding to drive us build a production facility and make access of our product to farmers as quickly as possible. Our hope is that we will get partners who believe in us and show that commitment by funding the production facility project.