Afriponics

Our solution tackles rampant food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa where communities are often at the mercy of the elements with limited humanitarian aid. The status quo has millions of Africans hungry and robbed agency in sustainable food production. Afriponics Changes that.

We reallocate the means and knowledge of sustainable food production back to the people. Using Aquaponics in a greenhouse setup, we exploit the advantageous symbiotic relationship between fish (aquaculture) and crops (horticulture) to alleviate hunger and governmental dependence in African communities. Next, we will conduct educational packets that equip Africans with the skills and knowledge to propagate the techniques back home, thus architects of their own Progress.

Our solution is targeted at Africans living under 2 dollars a day, with particular emphasis on Women who are historically marginalized from household expenditure decisions. Giving them adequate agency in such matters would funnel larger income portions towards domestic care of children.

To propagate economic prosperity in Sub-Saharan Africa, we need to target sectors with the highest employment rates. The general trend in this region has it that the majority of the population live in rural areas practicing sustenance agriculture with virtually no surplus for trade. In Lesotho, despite that agriculture provides 80% of employment, agricultural contribution to the national GDP has declined from 20% in 1983 to 5% in 2015. The decline in agricultural production is traced to multiple but remediable causes. Alas, conventional rain-fed agriculture is no longer a viable option as climatic changes trigger devastating floods and drought periods – both of which are inauspicious conditions for farming. Additionally, several factors limit access to arable land. About 89% of farmers cultivate land under one hectare because of inhibiting landscape structures, like steep mountain slopes prone to erosion, or rapidly rising costs of fertile lands. Lastly, for farming to be a viable source of income, a non-negligible monetary investment must be made to realize any profits. For most substance farmers, this investment is out of reach. If regions afflicted by such obstacles are to have a shot at economic growth for their most disfavored, innovations must address the aforementioned issues.

We will be working hand in hand with people living on the poverty line in Sub Saharan Africa. Our initial target group will need to have flexible land space (400m2) within the vicinity of the town of Maseru, Lesotho. Families with single mothers will be prioritized. The greenhouse setup will be developed into an Aquaponics training center, a sort of practical training ground for sustainable agricultural techniques. Families can then run Aquaponics systems from their own homes reaping the benefits from the newfound knowledge. These benefits include but are not limited to profits from selling produce, an improved protein diet (because fish and vegetables are symbiotically produced), agency over their own financial system and reduced dependence on conditional governmental or humanitarian inputs. These benefits are a direct result of a year-long crop and fish production system independent of changing weather patterns and soil infertility. From there we will engage with them again by buying their produce and facilitating connections with high-end buyers on a local and regional level. At every step we will engage in furthering dialogue through feedback surveys and interviews to constantly modify and improve our approach, honing in on the particular communities, prioritizing individual families’ needs.

We are servicing the population with two distinct services and one product.

Service one is a training of running an aquaponics farm. Aquaponics relies on three different classes of organisms – fish, bacteria, and plants – and their natural interactions. Fish excrete nutrients in the form of ammonium. Bacteria convert the ammonium into nitrate forms more usable by plants to grow. When plants absorb nitrates, they clean the water, making it habitable for the fish. Aquaponics creates a closed loop of water and nutrient circulation, and the trick to achieve this is the adherence to a range of parameters that maintain the optimum living conditions for each organism involved. As such trainings would be geared towards imbibing trainees with the knowledge of maintain the necessary equilibrium. We use tilapia because they grow faster and are more robust then other fish species, and plants will be popular vegetables since they occupy smaller space and are more valuable on the market.  To make the trainings more wholistic, we include dietary lessons on what a balanced diet is. Malnutrition is curbed when people know what constitutes a healthy balanced meal. We teach women the different food categories and their importance.  Naturally, trainings will be in local languages, accommodating different levels of education of farmers.

The product is small-scale and basic aquaponics system inside a simplistic greenhouse. The idea here is to break down existing aquaponics and greenhouse designs into their most rudimental functions, eliminating the necessity to import materials from outside a country when establishing the systems. Hence, we can minimize the set-up costs. There are three main aspects to the whole system. A greenhouse whose frame can either be made of wood or metal depending what the tradeoffs between sturdiness and price. The aquaponics has two other important aspects: the fish tank (made from normal water tanks of various sizes), and the beds for the plants to grow in that can be made out of wood.

Service two would be the market for their products, mainly the vegetables. Instead of farmers being obliged to take their herbs to the market, we would buy them of off their hands at the market price. We take on the responsibility of finding customers, creating a customer base of supermarkets, hotels, and restaurants in need of fresh, locally grown herbs. The promise of fresh products that are at a competitive price results in a great marketing advantage.

Our solution differs from other agricultural solutions in that it takes a fresh approach to aquaponics by combining modern agricultural practices with the practical African sensibilities needed to get a project off the ground in the sometimes-harsh conditions our region offers. The nexus of practicality and innovation will create a breeding ground for pushing agricultural practices in resource-starved rural Africa into the 21st century. Another novel aspect is our keen focus not just on the poor but the disenfranchised women of sub-Saharan Africa who often are bereft of a seat at the table. Aquaponics when implemented in our way will play a part in equalizing the long-since uneven playing field. A final source for innovation is the emphasis of education. Our solution is not only a practical means for producing cops for domestic use and sale, but it is also a framework for education and the propagation of knowledge and skills throughout African communities. The aquaponics system works hand-in-hand with a curriculum provided to give autonomy to owners of aquaponic units, giving them the power to become not just learners, but disseminators of knowledge in their own communities. This ensures that even after we are no longer involved the knowledge still spreads

Our solution exploits the symbiotic relationship that exists when aquaculture (fish husbandry) is joined with hydroponics (advanced irrigation techniques). What the solution does is create a loop between a fish tank and a hydroponics unit that uses principles of feedback to minimize waste. Physically this looks like a series of pipes interconnected between two units. A combination of metals would, and synthetic materials will be the bedrock of building materials. There will also be an electric pump used to move water with nutrients between units. The inputs will be fish and some nutrients to start the fish growing. Also, some fertilizers will be added to the soil in which crops/produce will grow. In addition to fish and crops, there is a significant role that will be played by both nitrifying and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The culture of bacteria will be useful in the flow of proteins between units. Our innovative strategy for our expansion is to design filtration systems made of locally available material. This step will be more efficient at a later stage when Basotho now have the necessary skills to operate and run an aquaponics farm. The environmental conditions in the greenhouses will be controlled using cellular devices connected to monitors in the greenhouse. Our model integrates existing technology into the African communities which currently lack the technical know-how. 

AfriPonics will use smart climate agriculture to implement a model that alleviates poverty and reduces unemployment and food insecurity while empowering women, and the youth. Encouraging the youth to adopt an entrepreneurial and innovative mindset when approaching problems through the Selibeng program ( an NGO which runs mentorship programs in schools. AfriPonics will invest in this initiative as part of the company giving back to community following the government policy for any company that operates in Lesotho). At the pivot of this model lies a farming method, aquaponics farms in greenhouses, that not only uses technology but is also environmentally friendly. Although we do not have a proof of concept of this method being used in commercial farming in Lesotho, Nalane, an NGO that runs aquaponics farms in primary schools to support after-school programs and provide food, serves as evidence for the success of an aquaponics farm in Lesotho.

With each and every single farm, we will directly impact at least five people: owners of the land, and four employees. Other parties which will indirectly benefit include transportation people and retailers. Lesotho has roughly 2 million people who eat food every day and therefore, a large proportion of them will be impacted when they buy cheaper but fresher food from restaurants and hotels. In the long-run, we will be able to produce enough to reduce 90% of the food imports and supply even retailers such as pick'n pay with fresh cheap vegetables which will evidently reduce the income spend on vegetables for Basotho.

As aforementioned, we wish to build at least 6 farms in Lesotho for the next five years which automatically addresses high unemployment and food insecurity. Among many of our expansion goals, we aim to build one farm in Rwanda in the fifth year of our operation. Setting up this farm will be quite easier for Djibril has already secured a form of partnership with some land owners in Rwanda. Moreover, we will have the experience and expertise to run the operations of this solution. Some of our employees will strictly be graduating youth from the agricultural schools with the specific target being females. Evidently, we will also be tackling the issue of innovation among youth while reduce youth unemployment.

Currently, our greatest barrier are financial and legal barriers. We are looking for legal advice on how to best step up the partnership between AfriPonics and land owners. We also desperately seeking funding to take this solution to Lesotho.

Financial barrier - we are applying for grants and donations as soon as the opportunities present themselves. We will also use some of our personal savings as evidence of our willingness to implement this solution. 

Legal barrier - We are using mentors from the Harvard Business schools and also in the process of getting mentors in the business and legal industry in Lesotho.

Three co-founders: Djibril Rushingabigwi, Lerato Takana, Mpho Lethoba 

Full-time staff: Jordan Mubako

Mpho Lethoba - was born and raised in The Kingdom of Lesotho. At 16 years old, she started her first business providing ‘social spaces’ for the youth. In May 2018, she graduated Summa Cum Laude with a 4.0 GPA. She is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science in Business Analytics at Bentley University.

Djibril Rushingabigwi - was born in Rwanda where he spent most of his life, except for five years that his family lived in Germany. He worked at Kivubelt coffee in Rwanda where he was farming coffee. He is a rising sophomore at Harvard University. He is currently working in an aquaponics farm in the US for the entirety of summer.

Lerato Takana - was born and raised in a single-headed family at Upper Thamae, a ghetto community in Maseru Lesotho. Lerato owned a plot in his high school planting vegetables to sell to the school dining hall. He is also a rising sophomore at Harvard college. He is currently working at the Nalane farm in Lesotho for a duration of four weeks.   

Jordan Mubako - is a Zimbabwean rising sophomore at Harvard with a passion in computer science and economics. He has been involved with numerous NGOs in Zimbabwe that help orphaned children. He is currently helping with the design of the solution's website, company logo and social media accounts. Although technical, he thrives in the fields of marketing and relations as he is community oriented. 

We are yet to partner with a Lesotho-based NGO, Nalane (an NGO that supports after-school programs by running aquaponics farms in schools). Nalane is the first and only organization that runs aquaponics farms in Lesotho. Our partnership will involve Nalane offering training to our farmers for free for the first two years of our operation and in return, we run our training center together for Nalane is concerned with advancing technological smart-climate agriculture among the youth

AfriPonics reduces food insecurity in Lesotho through formation of partnerships with Basotho who are offered the chance to own equity through their buy-in with their land. The target population is women. We will provide our partners with farm inputs necessary to build an aquaponics farm in a greenhouse and trained labor. The partners, while owning a share of the farm, will serve as the team leaders for the farms. The fresh produce from all the farms will be bought and sold to immediate customers, restaurants and hotels. Currently, Lesotho imports over 90% of their food consumption and our target customers are forced to buy vegetables and herbs at higher prices. Therefore, our products (vegetables, fish and herbs) will be sold at cheaper prices and they will be fresher as they are delivered to the customers immediately after Harvest. Our farms are going to be located in the cities or close to the cities. Our proximity to the customers ensures efficient delivery with reduced transport costs. In case of an unexpected increase in demand from hotels, we can easily harvest surplus and quickly deliver. 

For the first year or two, we will apply for donations and grants to help set up the first three farms. One of the farms will mainly be a training center. From our projected financial statements, it will only take 2 years for each farm to generate enough money for an investment in a whole new farm. Therefore, two years after receiving grants and donations for three farms, we will build three more extra farms from the income generated from the three initial farms. To enable rapid expansion, we will continue to apply for more grants which will be much more easier for we will have proof of concept. Additionally, as soon as we have a proof of concept generating sufficient profits as anticipated, we will raise investment capital. We are basically going to employ a combination of all within the first five years of our operation. 

AfriPonics is an early stage solution composed of a team of innovative students with expertise in farming, accounting and some degree of management. However, the team is inexperienced in running a business or project of this magnitude which therefore means that Solve's mentorship programs will greatly benefit AfriPonics. The solution that we offer involves farmers and community members buying-in into the business with their land. As such, it is imperative to know the specific type of business, either cooporative or limited liability company, to ensure smooth operation of the business and great rewards for the community. To help make this decision, AfriPonics will need business and legal advice which Solve’s connections can easily render. Additionally, AfriPonics is going to need a huge amount of investment to start. Through Solve, we will have access to about $1.6 million in funding and therefore, ensuring that capital for AfriPonics is not a hurdle to our success. The strategic advice from Solve will also help address the issue of management: would it best to have the current team hold managerial positions even though they are currently at school out of Africa or would it best to have locally based managers? 

Most farmers especially in Southern Africa know of or at least have heard of aquaponics farming. However, they are unable to implement this efficient method of farming in small communities such as Lesotho because of lack of expertise to operate this type of farming and lack of capital. Our business-model addresses the issue of lack of capital and other challenges. Therefore, to address the issue of lack of expertise, we have approached a potential partner, Nalane (an NGO that supports after-school programs by running aquaponics farms in schools). Nalane is the first and only organization that runs aquaponics farms in Lesotho. Our partnership will involve Nalane offering training to our farmers for free for the first two years of our operation and in return, we run our training center together for Nalane is concerned with advancing technological smart-climate agriculture among the youth.  In the early stages of our operations, we want to partner with some US companies that are running aquaponics farmers to enhance the diversity of our connections because the US is one the countries with great expertise and experience in aquaponics farming. These companies will serve as our consultants. When we start to expand, it will be more efficient and cheaper obtaining technological equipment from China. Thus, we hope to partner with a company in China that can provide the necessary equipment we need. 

For decades, there has existed women cooperations in South Africa and Lesotho popularly known as Stokvels. This organizations are targeted at improving the lives of women who live below and/or slightly above the poverty line. The women pull together their limited resources to help each other one at a time. However, the benefits of these projects are limited due to lack of knowledge in areas such as technology. As AfriPonics, we are targeting these Stokvels to be our partners through their buy-in with land. Women will receive training on how to run an aquaponics farm in an automated greenhouse farm. They will be taught how to use softwares connected to their cellular devices to control temperature and heat in the farms, and how to install and regulate solar panels. With ownership of the business, we empower women with not only a stable source of income but also ownership power which has being lacking among women since the beginning of time. No one is a stranger to the fact that women are the linchpins of their families as they educate their children and feed their families. As such, our partnership with them also ensures that children receive good education and families proper diet.   

Our solution holds a promise to transform Lesotho's ancient farming into 21st century technology-driven farming and ensure quality food production by eliminating lack of capital, lack of access to farm inputs, limited land, and global warming. We can however only address Lesotho's farming problems by rapidly expanding to reach a wider Lesotho population. We will therefore utilize the Morgridge Family Foundation Community-Driven Innovation Prize, to implement our solution at a greater scale to ensure rapid expansion.