Locally made& access to Bio-Fertilizer

Team Leader

Frederic TURINZWENAYO

Solution Overview

Solution Name:

One-line solution summary:

Locally made technology to produce environmental friendly bio-fertilizer, and seedlings to boost soil health& avail nutrients to crop

Pitch your solution.

Smallholder farmers are facing challenge of land degradation, that lead to poor yields resulting from high cost of fertilizer and lack access to technology, farmers need to reverse the trend by catalyzing the soil and enable it to release nutrients to the crop.

Enabled locally, an inoculation of a spectrum of beneficial microorganisms and organic of macro and trace nutrient elements as well as disease suppressing antibiotic substances with acidity Buffer and enable soil nutrient solubility.

The Bio-fertilizer will provide a balance nutrients and increase the quality and shelf life of the crops. we expect decrease in the need for further conventional fertilization on the long term. More so, we plan to employ entrepreneurship approach where not only we will create jobs for young people but also upskill annually at least 2500 smallholder farmers and adapt to weather uncertainty by doubling carbon stock-agroforestry and create village nurseries of leguminous trees.

What specific problem are you solving?

The agro-ecosystems in the Rwanda are facing increasing pressures as a result of rapid population growth, agricultural and livestock intensification characterized by progressive reduction in farm sizes, and unsustainable land use and management practices. Vulnerable smallholder farmers whose livelihoods and food security depend on those resources, are threatened by land degradation. More so, climate change and variability aggravates these threats as highlighted recently by Food Agriculture Organization.

Field research stations report soil losses 35 to 246 tons ha/yr, and farmers report declining productivity of their fields. Land degradation is most severe in the Southwest of the country. In these areas, the soil is ferrallitic and the

slopes of the hillsides are often very steep. After many years of intensive seasonal cropping, the soils have become highly acidic (less than 4.5), are deficient in P and N, and suffer from aluminum toxicity.

According to National Institute of Statistics Rwanda, in season A of 2021, 67 percent of farmers applied organic fertilizer in their farms. According to

farmer type, 66.8 percent of small-scale farmers and 74.8 percent of Large-scale farmers applied organic fertilizer, however only 40.9 percent of famers applied inorganic fertilizer. The remaining 60% percent need to be assisted with Bio-fertilizer.

What is your solution?

Biofertilizers are biologically active formulations comprising beneficial live microbes in economical carrier materials, which when applied to the soil, plant, and seed improve plant growth and development by enhancing the supply of plant growth-promoting substances or nutrients.

The Unit of bio-fertilizer production need 30 Square meter space, One Operator, an energy of 11KW monthly with 15 cubic meter of water monthly, 15 microbial inoculations monthly, 15000 liter of fertilizer produced monthly enough for 600 hectare.

After engaging youth and smallholder farmers into field schools, we will mobilizer units, and develop a curriculum. We plan to operate in mostly affrected Districts: Karongi, Nyaruguru and Bugersera, Youth will operate the unity and be able to produce biofertilizer for distribution. We will offer seeds and seedlings so that each farmer field school group produce nursery of indiginous and nitrogen fixing trees with aim of doubling carbon stock on their farm.

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

Rwanda farmers who are a major economic factor in food productivity have been encouraged to increase production, however, the poor soil, harsh climatic conditions, including high temperature and drought, the poor economic situation, lack of technological development and inefficient farming practices have significantly affected their crop productivity.

Currently, organic and chemical fertilizers are the major nutrient management methods for increasing crop productivity. Organic fertilizers, which are made from plant and animal materials, have been used for centuries for improving plant productivity. However, challenges bordering on availability, cost, and management have limited the use of organic fertilizers amongst African farmers.

Chemical fertilizers are costly, unsustainable and contribute to environmental pollution and soil structure degradation. The several ecological damages caused by the overuse of chemical fertilizers have become increasingly uncontrollable and most times, irreversible, causing significant nutrient loss to African soils. Moreover, the demand for green agriculture and high-quality food supply has suggested a reduction in the application of agrochemical inputs. Consequently, the search for an economical, ecofriendly, and sustainable solution for improving plant growth and yield has led to the discovery and use of biofertilizers as a solution. By doing so, 3District- 9villages of Rwanda will be considered with at east 1000ha assuming 2500 smallholder farmers reached for the 1st year.

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.

The economical challenges of smallholder farmers is mainly lack access to a quality fertilizers and pesticides, the increasing cost of importing mineral and chemical fertilizers and technology associated to food production, the damaging effect of conventional fertilizers on the soil fertility, the inconsistent availability of a quality organic, fertilizers and the high cost of transport. The overall low productivity per hater and its negative effect on the food security situation in Rwanda. Being non-poisonous and harmless, a microbial fertilizer beneficial microbe strain. These particular microorganisms improve the growth of plants, and cut the costs of chemical fertilizers by 50-70%.

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

Kigali, Rwanda

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.

Recently, biofertilizer technology is gaining attention amongst the agronomists and soil scientists because of its considerable benefits, especially in sustainable agriculture. The global biofertilizer market is currently growing, and countries such as Argentina, Canada, China, Europe, India and the United States are the drivers . These countries have realized

the enormous benefits of biofertilizers and are making substantial efforts to promote its adoption, as evidenced by their well-developed biofertilizer market. Moreover, these countries have strategies in place to support biofertilizer development.

Locally, we plan to reach 2500 annually, A network of 500 fermentation unit distributed across Rwanda in the first year of operation. Each Unit Will Be producing various Bio - Fertilizers and The Network Daily Production Capacity to apply for 1000 hectares. The Network Units Will be Operated in partnership with Local Youth whom will be organized in Farmer Fields Schools.

Who is the Team Lead for your solution?

Mostafa Ahmed Metwally,