What is the name of your organization?
Alabaster International
What is the name of your solution?
EnsetAI Carbon Agroforestry
Provide a one-line summary or tagline for your solution.
Empowering Ethiopian farmers through AI-powered Enset cultivation and regenerative agroforestry financed by sustainable carbon credits.
In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?
Burbank, California, USA
In what country is your solution team headquartered?
Ethiopia
What type of organization is your solution team?
Nonprofit
Film your elevator pitch.
What specific problem are you solving?
Ethiopia is grappling with a critical food insecurity crisis, placing over 20 million people at risk due to worsening droughts, unpredictable rainfall patterns, and agricultural practices that degrade the land. Many Ethiopian farmers, heavily reliant on vulnerable monoculture cereal farming, face ongoing hardship as their crops frequently fail amidst harsh climate conditions. Economic pressures compound this struggle, compelling rural communities to abandon traditional, resilient farming methods in favor of short-term cash crops, further deteriorating soil health and stability.
On a global scale, millions of smallholder farmers, especially women, bear the brunt of climate-driven agricultural disruptions, exacerbating hunger and poverty. Historically, Enset, a drought-resistant perennial native to Ethiopia, provided a reliable food source, animal fodder, construction materials, and ecological benefits such as soil stabilization and water retention. However, its cultivation has significantly diminished, leaving families vulnerable to famine and ecological decline.
Our solution addresses these urgent challenges by revitalizing Enset farming through regenerative agroforestry practices. By harnessing the power of carbon financing and advanced AI technology, we empower Ethiopian farmers, particularly women, to cultivate Enset sustainably, strengthening food security, fostering economic viability, and restoring environmental health across Ethiopia at a significant scale.
What is your solution?
Our solution, EnsetAI Carbon Agroforestry, revitalizes Ethiopian agriculture by combining regenerative Enset farming with innovative AI technology and sustainable carbon financing. We introduce Ethiopian smallholder farmers, particularly women, to a climate-resilient agroforestry model, where traditional Enset trees are intercropped with fruit and coffee trees. This diversified system significantly improves soil fertility, conserves water, enhances biodiversity, and ensures consistent food production even during drought conditions.
The EnsetAI mobile app plays a pivotal role by providing personalized, AI-driven guidance to farmers. It translates traditional farming knowledge into easy-to-use digital formats accessible through multilingual audio and visual support. Predictive analytics within the app help farmers select optimal planting methods, predict yields, and maximize carbon sequestration. This boosts productivity, food security, and economic viability for rural families.
Simultaneously, our carbon financing model generates continuous revenue streams by producing high-integrity carbon credits. These credits incentivize farmers to maintain regenerative farming practices long-term, securing ongoing financial and technical support. The combination of agroforestry, carbon finance, and AI technology ensures lasting impacts, improving food security, generating sustainable income for rural households, restoring ecological health, and scaling climate resilience across Ethiopia.
Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?
Our solution directly serves rural Ethiopian smallholder farmers, particularly women, who are disproportionately impacted by climate-induced food insecurity, poverty, and limited economic opportunities.
These communities face significant barriers, including insufficient access to climate-resilient agricultural practices, financial resources, and technological tools necessary for sustainable farming. Women farmers, in particular, are often underserved, facing additional barriers such as limited land rights, lower economic participation, and reduced access to critical agricultural knowledge and resources.
Our EnsetAI Carbon Agroforestry solution empowers these underserved communities by providing an accessible, AI-driven mobile application that bridges traditional knowledge and advanced agricultural technology. The app offers tailored farming guidance, predictive analytics, and multilingual audio support, allowing women farmers of varying literacy levels to effectively adopt regenerative practices. Furthermore, sustainable carbon financing generates consistent economic incentives, motivating farmers to adopt and maintain climate-resilient agroforestry practices for long-term financial stability.
By revitalizing traditional Enset cultivation, our solution meets the immediate needs of food security, economic empowerment, and climate resilience for up to three million rural Ethiopian farming households, dramatically improving their quality of life and addressing systemic barriers they face.
