Speke Farming Solutions

Today a major part of internet consumption is increasing not only in town but also in rural areas. People have access to small phone or smart phone even computer . The demand and supply of commodities are possible through internet especially in agriculture sector. Farmers need access to  agricultural input, market for their products, investment  as well as learning good agricultural practice. Unemployed youth ,women need access to jobs so that the unemployment rate would decrease especially in creating their own job.

The solution is  Speke E-farming Solutions, a global online platform which provide market for agricultural inputs and outputs ,  supplying crops to consumers , learning through extension and entrepreneurship as well as providing network for farmers to investors in agricultural sector.

If it scared globally, it would cut cost between distribution, wholesaler and retailers of agricultural inputs/outputs as well as provision of knowledge and networking to investment.

According to Food and Agriculture Organization of United Nation “ Africa’s population  are projected to more than double by the middle in 2050 and GDP per capita on the continent expected to continue raising”(FAO,2017). This will put pressure to farmers because food will be required to increase in order to be affordable to arising population. Estimate of food consumption will continue to increase more than 100% to be enough in feeding population. We need technology that connect farmers to market for their inputs and outputs/supplying crops to consumers ,equipping them with knowledge for good agriculture practice for feeding the arising population as well as connecting them to investors to reduce the problem of capital in agribusiness sectors by helping farmers  access to finance.  We need technology that will reduce poverty, unemployment and boosting income of smallholder and other farmers through reducing for of farmers by cutting the cost between farmers ,distributors, wholesaler and retailers of Agri-inputs and outputs. We need to equip farmers with skills necessary to turn agriculture practice in profitable business with interest in women, unemployed youth as well as disabled people.

In developing countries including Rwanda there are more than 200 million small holder farmers and other farmers who live under $2/day (World Bank,2019). Most farmers are poor because they lack access to good market for their produce as well as market of agricultural input  and this cause loss of harvests. Some of them get market from local distributors who gave them small amount of money  that are less than their investment. Those buyers get profit in only distribution while farmers get loss while there were the one who struggled with growing crop and taking care of them from seedling to harvests! Farmers lack learning and skills that are needed to do good agriculture practice that will be turned into profit the reason why they got poor quality of harvest. This put agricultural sector neglected by investors and youth so many of them still become unemployed. Speke E-farming Solution seeks to increase connection between farmers to market for their inputs and outputs/supplying food to consumers, equipping them with knowledge for good agriculture practice as well as connecting them to investors to reduce the problem of capital in agribusiness sectors by helping farmers  access to finance. To turn agriculture into profitable business. 

According to World Bank “above five hundred million small holder farmers from developing countries want to access to affordable and high-quality farm input, markets and service”(World Bank,2018) .

Speke E-farming Solution target farmers especially youth, women and disabled people  who need access to good market for their inputs and their output(produce), knowledge  which are needed to transform agriculture into profitable business as well as connecting them to investors for better accessing to finance . We will sell the harvests of farmers to consumers to reduce the gap in supply chain.

Our platform will be composed of  four main components

• Selling of agriculture inputs such as fertilizers ,pesticides ,seeds etc. to farmers as well as selling of crops to consumers.
• Buying of agriculture outputs where farmers will sell their produce on our online platform
• E-learning part where farmers and other people who are interested in farming activities will get access to lessons on good agriculture practice as well as business and leadership skills that are needed to turn agriculture into profitable business
• Investment part where farmers will get full information about all opportunities available for their business to increase their chance for development such as training, investment ,grants and other service

Our solution will be the inter-connection between with farmers, women, unemployed youth  and disabled people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,  Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors, higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders. This will create huge number of employment opportunities generating multiple income to all stakeholders especially those who were neglected in getting funds for their agribusiness venture . It will reduce gap in supply chain, connecting farmers to investors increasing  standard of living of farmers through living from under $2/day to above $5/day 

Our innovative platform has the potential of being the right one that others in addressing the challenges of farmers, women, disabled people to reduce poverty through  providing  market for agricultural inputs and outputs ,  supplying crops to consumers , learning through extension and entrepreneurship as well as providing network for farmers to investors in agricultural sector.

Our solution will provide the inter-connection between with farmers, women, unemployed youth  and disabled people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,  Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors, higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders. This will create huge number of employment opportunities  than other business in generating multiple income to all stakeholders especially those who were neglected in getting funds for their agribusiness venture

Our platform will be composed of  four main components

• Selling of agriculture inputs such as fertilizers ,pesticides ,seeds etc. to farmers as well as selling of crops to consumers.
• Buying of agriculture outputs where farmers will sell their produce on our online platform
• E-learning part where farmers and other people who are interested in farming activities will get access to lessons on good agriculture practice as well as business and leadership skills that are needed to turn agriculture into profitable business
• Investment part where farmers will get full information about all opportunities available for their business to increase their chance for development such as training, investment ,grants and other service.

Speke E-farming Solutions platform  will build and rely on software technology where it composed the e-commerce services, education services and provision of opportunities through connection with investors. It will have social media service for provision of update about all information needed by stakeholders. The stakeholders will also be able to use mobile phones for paying or receiving their money as well as using ATM cards. We will take advantage of Artificial Intelligence to provide users with the most relevant opportunities for success rate. We will use voice-controlled virtual assistants to help our farmers to make better experience of their learning. We will have mobile application that will increase our interaction with our stakeholders to fulfill the services that would be needed in any time.

The  proposed technologies are widely used and accepted technology across the world  because e-commerce have become one of the main sales and purchase channel for our target since they have smart phone, banking system, and telephone network allowed users to save their money and withdraw them. Mobile application in another hand have proved to increase users interaction over long period of time

Connecting farmers, women, unemployed youth  and disabled people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,  Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors, higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders will increase demand and supply chain of agriculture inputs and outputs, increasing knowledge sharing and investment in agricultural sectors. It will allow us to create more job opportunities especially for women, unemployed youth  and disabled people. If we can create jobs for disadvantageous people, there is no doubt that we can increase their quality of life and unlock the potential of most downgraded population group in the globe.

Currently

• The current system is in development and does not server the public in any current manor.

One-year projection

• One-year projection would be approx. 20,0000  beneficiaries and stakeholders

Five-year projection

• Five-year projection would be  above 1000,000 beneficiaries and  stakeholders across Africa, China ,England ,Holland and USA.

Our 1-year goals are the following

1. Having designed platform secured with only  selling and  buying  components   and launching our service and e-commerce in English, Kinyarwanda, French and Kiswahili language to reach maximum people with technology
2. Finding and intensification of partnership with farmers, women, unemployed youth  and disabled people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,  Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors, higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders to help us to start our business venture.
3. Addition of Investment and Learning component of platform with contents for users and mentors.
4. Growing to impact 20,000 users on our platform.

Five years goals are the following

1.  Creating  huge number of employment opportunities   in generating multiple income to all stakeholders especially those who were neglected in getting funds for their agribusiness venture across Africa and other continents.
2.      Expanding our service to more than  1000,000 beneficiaries and  stakeholders across Africa, China ,England ,Holland and USA

We have the barriers of farmer's ignorance in using technology for good agriculture practice  because they are not familiar with its benefits.  Unexpected price fluctuation of crops become challenges but most of the crops are of low quality. Low capital from our project and  and inability to attract any grants because as small holder farmers are unnoticed in the eyes of donors and banks consider them as people who are not bankable so that to get loan become more problems. Technical assistance from experts are still low and there is need of support from them to develop strong and secured  platform . Marketing is challenging such as to advertise our service to other part of the country. Competition with other solution become also challenge. Lack of access to enough finance; we are lacking sufficient amount of money to develop the implementation of our solution which is very helpful to  farmers boosting their yields and increase their income resulting to higher living standard of life shifting from living under $ 2 to more than $ 5 as their income per day.

Training  farmers  about how to use internet and other payment service that are necessary to implement e-commerce and other related service with provision of technical support. We will request advocacy from government agencies  in finding out markets for  produce both nationally and international in order to help our farmers to gain income. We will also build strong good partnership with micro finance, government agencies to help farmers to get both capital(loan)/grants and other assistance. We also planned to show aptitude and impacts of our innovation as strategies of finding funds from other stakeholders. 

4

Founder

Highest level of Education :Undergraduate

Degree                             : B.Sc.  of Conservation Agriculture

Specialization                 :Irrigation and Mechanized agriculture

Minority                          :Communication, leadership ,Agripreneurship

Certification                   : Starting and Running Online Business from qualified higher learning institutions.

Other skills:                    Fundamental of starting and running  business, extension and other Skills

Number of other  Team member :5

Highest level of Education :Undergraduate

Degree                             : B.Sc.  of Conservation Agriculture

Minority                          :Communication, leadership ,Agripreneurship

Other skills                        :Fundamental of starting and running business, extension and other skills

Rwanda Institute for Conservation Agriculture

• They provide us technical assistance  agribusiness skills and other support

Business model

Our value

• Reducing poverty to  farmers through getting access to markets and investors
• Equipping farmers with required knowledge  good agriculture practices.
• Becoming the top suppliers of agricultural inputs to farmers as well as output to consumers
• Cost reduction of unnecessary expenses through cutting  cost between distributors, retailers, etc

In order to perform well our business, we plan various ways for resources mobilization and funding acquisition as follows; donations and grants, selling products or services, raising investment capital, or a combination of all.  Also Raising grants from stakeholders would be  part of funding program . Once we get registered from government licensing and raising investment capital will be needed to implement our solution.

We believe that MIT could
be the perfect partner in order to have achieved our mission of Connecting farmers,
women, unemployed youth  and disabled
people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,
 Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local
deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors,
higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders to  increase demand and supply chain of
agriculture inputs and outputs, increasing knowledge sharing and investment in
agricultural sectors so that we can create more job opportunities especially
for women, unemployed youth  and disabled
people. MIT   can provide us  technical assistance as well as  innovation skills. MIT could help us to get
funding by levering financing partnership with MIT SOLVE donor fund , directing
us to right film where we can get funding as well as providing networking
because there are many institutions that can help us.

We need to build  partnership with farmers, women, unemployed youth  and disabled people in agribusiness sectors with supermarkets, Agri-processing industries, consumers,  Agri-input industries, truck drivers, local deliverers, government agencies ,financial institutions, private investors, higher learning institution(land-grant institutions) and other stakeholders to help us to start our business venture with technology based solution. We need technical assistance and consultation to advance. We need access to US based impacts investors, exposed to marketing media outlet of USwe are looking for joint venture or equity partnerships or just mere grants or donation partners for both cash and various required business technologies i.e.; for internet of things ; laptops, desktops, all related tools to help us to achieve our mission

We are in process of finding partnership

All available support shall be dedicated to impact women and unemployed youth(girls) in agricultural sectors and agribusiness as well as helping them to learn how to step forward in agribusiness

Solutions is supporting and promoting good jobs and inclusive entrepreneurship and to also enable all people who want to learn to build the skills and resources they need to access well-paying jobs in a changing marketplace especially agriculture sectors.

We qualify as this initiative also fits well with the Award in many ways as because our solutions  increase literacy rates  through digital learning among adults(women, unemployed youth and disabled people)  and that advance inclusive economic growth through greater digital literacy in agribusiness skills

We also qualify for the AI for Humanity Prize to support our Internet of things and the machine learning for adding value chain to crops through learning on our platform which will become good initiatives for economic development.