Vertical Farming

Ecolife foods has designed inclusive vertical farms for urban and peri-urban areas to grow a diversity of organic high value vegetables throughout the year. The farms use less water, soil, and fertilizers for efficient production.

Vertical farms for  urban and peri-urban areas to grow a diversity of organic high value  vegetables throughout the year using much less space, water and fertilizers than the traditional farms.  We use local available materials like wood, organic humus, and poly-bags to stack vertical. The women/youth in city are able to feed their families on health fresh foods and make money from sale of excess veggies.

If scaled, we shall produce and partner with more farms enabling them to produce traceable, high quality organic fruits and vegetables which can be sold to national and international buyers. In the end, our Eco inclusive businesses will benefit but the farmers in East Africa will win.

Since 2012, we have been growing vegetables and our difficulty was irrigation and fertilizer application on flat beds. The amount of water required to sufficiently wet the soil is enormous, yet the fertilizer is washed away when it rains. In addition the application of fertilizer encourages the growth of more weeds. Weeding alone requires hiring of labor several times before harvesting. When drought strikes, fetching enough water to irrigate the vegetables is cumbersome.

In addition, there are increased weather-related crop failures due to recent droughts and floods. Floods wash away flatbed especially in wetlands where most vegetables are cultivated. 

The resiliency of food in African urban communities will be strengthened by leveraging on new modern farming technologies and reducing post harvest loses. EcoLife Foods  is using these technologies to improve production efficiency, reduce food loses and innovate products that help to empower small holder farmers in the region.".

• We have installed 3 vertical farms in homestead and 1 demonstration farm in the city. We have sold 150 Eco gardens each at US$1.5 in a period of 3 months. During the installation of the vertical farms we employed 2 causal labourers paid at US$ 5.5 @day. However, the project is run by 5 individuals and two volunteers.   
• Community engagement: we installed a vertical garden at a community church in Kawempe a Kampala suburb. This has been used to train teachers, medical workers. We will reach out to more households, schools and churches 

Track all installed vertical farms - 100 women/youths will adopt Vertical farming

Data collection through impact measurement program - Reduced agricultural input ]resources (water for irrigation) with increased quality produce.

Count number of veggie boxes/Kilograms sold per day - Increase client base through office and home deliveries

Vertical farming is a low cost inclusive technology that promotes growing high value vegetables for both health and wealth. The farms increase productivity per unit area by stacking plants on rails above each other. The rails are made from locally available material. The incorporation of quality soil management techniques, reuse of waste materials such as - polybags, and sub marginal production areas—is encouraged in sustainable systems and lowers cost of production.   

It is a clean and effective sustainable technology for urban communities without waiting for rains. Communities increase their access to sustainable and resilient food thought the year. 

1. For us the business has been a huge game change. We don’t buy Vegetables from the market. Currently, we sell the excess to our neighbors and workmates. 
2. For our home and office customers, they tell us how it’s like to taste delicious spinach in the middle of June when it is so dry. 
3. Victoria (in black) is a CEO at a city coffee shop in Ntinda. Through our initiative Victoria grows spinach, broccoli and green pepper on 15 feet piece of land. Besides the good scenery, she created more activities for the gate keeper. 

1. Direct Trade: EcoLife Foods will establish direct relationship with these urban farmers. This will enable us to trace high quality vegetables to individual farmers and sell them in bulk to hotels and corporate working mothers.

2. Direct customer engagement. We will engage directly with the target audience. Apart from use word of mouth propaganda, we concentrate on social media, seminars and  farms visits to spread our story.

3. Empowerment of women group. EcolIfe foods will integrate women living in city suburbs, who would otherwise not find any employment due to family responsibility. the enterprise will expect high quality vegetables every Friday.
   

1. Seedling / garden sales. We currently sell seedlings at $0.4 and Eco gardens at $1.5.

2. Sales of high quality fresh produce through office and home deliveries. As we get more farmers, we intend to collect the excess produce after home consumption and sale it in bulk to hotels and to individuals through special orders.

3. Training charges. We will train vertical farming enterprises at a subsidized fee.

We have limited experience in market dynamics, customer engagement
strategies and how to increase presence to impact customers. We have limited resources to invest in advertising for city wide awareness of our solution.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5VpIQiCNFQ8

https://www.facebook.com/ecolifefoodsuganda/

https://ecolifefoodsuganda.wixsite.com/ecolife-foods

EcoLife foods will build a long term sustainable business relationship with Solve. Through linkages to technology, knowledge and markets, our Eco-inclusive initiative will increase access to sustainable and resilient food in urban communities.  Furthermore, through online meetings, training and site tours, the change-makers will share their experience on market dynamics, customer engagement strategies and how to increase presence and impact among urban communities.

We expect to receive mentoring and coaching in data collection through impact measurement program. In the end, our Eco inclusive businesses will benefit but the urban communities in East Africa will win.

Resilient African Network (RAN)
School of public health
Makerere University.

AgriProFocus Uganda
SNV office
Bugolobi, Kampala
Uganda.

ICCO Foundation
Kironde Road, Muyenga
Kampala, Uganda.

other farmers who carry out rain based vegetable farming