MIT Solve

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

Cassava Cultivation & Processing

One-line solution summary:

Using Cassava Tubers to Process Cassava Grits & Flours with improved nutrients & neatly packaged suitable for rural dwellers and urban poor

Pitch your solution.

Our firm process Cassava tubers into Cassava grit and flour. As well as use the peels to process livestock feeds for Poultry, Cattle and Pigs. The idea came as a result of obsolete means of processing and packaging of Cassava grit and flour which poses a health risk to the consumers.

We are trying to solve the problem associated with commonly consumed staple foods such as Cassava grit & flour by making use of high tech processing equipment from start to finish, add nutrients and package it in different sizes such as 1kg, 10kg, 5kg and 25kg. We will also ferment the Cassava grit & flour during processing to remove poisonous substances. This will solve the problem of poor packaging and under processed staple foods.

We want to revolutionize commonly consumed staple food by improving on its quality, guarantee food security and improve the well being of smallholder farmers.

What specific problem are you solving?

We are currently working on successful ecosystem management by making available improved Cassava stems for smallholder farmers for cultivation then buy back the cultivated crops for processing into cassava Grits & flour. This will help to reduce post harvest losses by smallholder farmers and as well enhance food security and improved food processing.

Poor harvest, under processed staple food and poor crop yield have been one of the challenges facing food production in Sub Sahara Africa. for Instance, in Nigeria, over seventy percent of her population are living in Urban poor and rural communities majority of whom are smallholder farmers that rely on these for livelihood. Besides, majority of middle class and low income earners in Nigeria, eats cassava grits & flour on daily basis.

That is why our solution is focusing on how best to make available Cassava stems for smallholder farmers to ensure bumper harvest and as well process it for consumption for both rural dwellers and urban poor with an improvement on packaging and processing by fortifying it with nutrients and vitamins.

What is your solution?

Our solution in simple terms is "food security and creating scalable economic opportunities for smallholder farmers". This we do by providing high yield Cassava stems including pesticides and fertilizers for smallholder farmers. We therefore buy back cultivated cassava tubers from them and process it using ultra modern cassava processing equipment in our processing plant.

We improve in our processing by fermenting the Cassava for three days to remove high Carbohydrate content and poisonous substances. And also fortify our products with vitamins and nutrients.

We ensure from start to finish the processing is done through the use of machine except in peeling process which is done manually, this we do in order to use the peels for the production of livestock feeds, which can be used to feed cattle, goats, pigs and poultry. This process is done by employing the use of high tech processing equipment of which we have been in consultation with our clients for training and installation.

Summary of our business models: 1. Provision of Cassava stems for smallholder farmers whom will be formed into cooperatives. 2. Processing of Cassava Grits 3. Processing of Cassava flour 4. Processing of livestock feeds from Cassava peels.

Who does your solution serve, and in what ways will the solution impact their lives?

We are primarily targeting: (a) The rural dwellers (b) The urban Poor (c) The smallholder farmers all these constitutes about seventy percent population of Nigeria. But fore the main time we are currently working with residents of Abuja before spreading to other parts of the country.

The rural dwellers and urban poor have been under served as majority still consume locally processed cassava grits that is poorly processed and even pay as high as $1 for 1kg of cassava grit. even when most of them are living less than $1 per day.

That is why our solution is working to provide higher quality cassava grit with less than $1 per 1kg. And as well empower smallholder farmers by providing high yield Cassava stems for optimum yield and as well buy back the product from them.

Our livestock feeds that will be processed from Cassava peels will serve as an aid to ranching in Nigeria where itinerant pasturing is still being practiced.

Which dimension of the Challenge does your solution most closely address?

Create scalable economic opportunities for local communities, including fishing, timber, tourism, and regenerative agriculture, that are aligned with thriving and biodiverse ecosystems

Explain how the problem you are addressing, the solution you have designed, and the population you are serving align with the Challenge.

Our solution align with with "creating scalable economic opportunities for local communities" as it creates economic opportunities for smallholder farmers residents in local communities. This we do by providing high yield Cassava stems, fertilizers & Pesticides for them and in turn buy back cultivated Cassava tubers from them for processing.

With this economic opportunities are being created for them. We also make an impact in rural and urban dwellers through processing of high quality Cassava grits & flour which creates direct and indirect employment.

In what city, town, or region is your solution team headquartered?

Abuja, Nigeria

What is your solution’s stage of development?

Pilot: An organization deploying a tested product, service, or business model in at least one community.

Explain why you selected this stage of development for your solution.

We are at Pilot stage in order to test run the product before embarking on large scale production. We want to see its acceptance before spreading to other parts of the city.

Currently we are test running our product at Ijayapi Community in Bwari Area Council Abuja. That is the community we are using as pilot scheme. The community have a population of 500,000 to 800,000 inhabitants

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Ani Johnson .N