A Closed Loop Sustainable Farming System

Malaysia faces a significant dual challenge encompassing Food Waste and Food Security. The issue of food waste has escalated to a critical juncture, with Solid Waste Management and Public Cleansing Corporation (SWCorp) revealing that a staggering 55% of landfill-bound solid waste comprises discarded food. Daily, Malaysians dispose of a substantial 3,000 metric tonnes of still-edible food, a figure that surges during festive periods. Research by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) unveils the disheartening reality that between 20% to 50% of fruits and vegetables meet a premature demise as waste. The gravity of this issue is highlighted by the fact that the discarded food could nourish 12 million individuals three times daily.

 Adding to the complexity, Malaysia confronts the unsettling prospect of importing more food than it produces, leaving the nation susceptible to potential food scarcity over the next two decades. Malaysia is at a crossroads marked by critical food waste issues and growing concerns about food security, both nationally and globally. The Ukrainian-Russian conflict has illuminated the fragility of our interconnected systems, while the spectre of increasing food imports raises questions about the nation's self-reliance.

In this landscape, QuinTerra is actively combating food waste and enhancing food security through innovative methods, combining Black Soldier Fly Farming and Aquaponics. A positive by-product of these endeavors is the reduction of carbon footprint, aligning with the broader concerns of climate governance. The imperative for collective action and proactive measures is now more pressing than ever to ensure a resilient and sustainable food future for Malaysia.

QuinTerra leverages the unique capabilities of black soldier fly cultivation and aquaponics to effectively reduce the environmental impact of food waste while simultaneously cultivating nutritious food. QuinTerra effectively reduces fish feed costs in our aquaponics system by integrating black soldier fly cultivation. This innovative approach optimizes resource utilization within the aquaponic ecosystem. The black soldier fly larvae, which also consume food waste, serve as an alternative feed source for the fish, significantly lowering operational expenses while maintaining high-quality nutrition for the fish. By harnessing the synergies between black soldier fly cultivation and aquaponics, QuinTerra achieves a more cost-effective and environmentally sustainable food production system, demonstrating our commitment to innovation and efficiency in addressing food security and environmental challenges.

Our solution addresses the challenges faced by Malaysian’s nationwide, which is grappling with escalating living costs and food security concerns exacerbated by climate change and global supply chain disruptions. By offering stable prices for nutritious fish and vegetables, our solution mitigates the impact of factors like overfishing, extreme weather events, and land limitations. Additionally, we contribute to carbon mitigation efforts by preventing food waste from ending up in landfills, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Moreover, the scalability of our solution is evident in our plans to franchise it to pilot farmers across the country, enabling widespread adoption and impact, as well as improving the income levels of small holder farmers.

In urban areas, the volume of discarded food surpasses that of rural areas. Recognizing this, Quinterra strategically situates itself within urban centers to optimize the efficient collection of food waste and expedite delivery to nearby beneficiaries. This approach not only minimizes carbon emissions associated with transportation but also ensures the availability of fresh, nutritious food within a localized radius, thereby mitigating urban food waste.

Our overarching objective is twofold: to provide readily accessible, nourishing food to communities (food security) while concurrently curbing urban food waste. This transformative impact is scalable nationwide through the replication of our model in satellite farms.

Furthermore, Quinterra’s focus on addressing both food security and food waste aligns with the Malaysian Government’s 12th Malaysia Plan of 2024. This strategic alignment underscores a concerted effort to transition towards a circular economy model, aimed at effectively managing solid waste and diminishing reliance on landfills.

Choosing the prototype stage was a strategic decision based on our current progress and future plans. At this stage, we have successfully developed and implemented a proof of concept (POC) system, which includes two ponds equipped with aquaponic systems and a black soldier fly (BSF) farm. Additionally, we have established partnerships with three restaurants who serve as beneficiaries in our cycle, purchasing our products and providing us with waste in return.

While we have been able to complete this cycle and generate some revenue, we recognize that we are not yet at the stage of commercialization. Instead, we view ourselves as still in the prototype phase. This decision is grounded in the understanding that there are further refinements and optimizations needed before we can fully scale our operations. 

Despite being in the prototype stage, we are confident in our progress and readiness to move forward. We consider ourselves to be at the final stages of the prototype, having validated our concept and demonstrated its feasibility. With this solid foundation in place, we are now prepared to transition to the next phase of our journey: scaling up our operations for wider impact and commercial success.

We are applying to Solve because we believe in its mission to connect Solver teams with partners who can provide both monetary and non-monetary support to advance innovative solutions. While funding is important, our motivation extends beyond financial support. We seek a platform that can address a range of barriers  our project may face, such as technical, legal, and market-related challenges.

Our project does require technical expertise and resources beyond our individual capacity and Solve's network will grant access to specialized knowledge crucial in this area. Additionally, navigating legal landscapes, especially regarding intellectual property rights and regulatory compliance within this green space, poses a significant challenge. Solve's legal expertise can provide valuable guidance.

Solve's emphasis on collaboration aligns well with our project's values, making it an ideal partner in navigating these nuances of operating within complex cultural and market contexts which requires trust building. 

In terms of financial barriers, although our project would greatly benefit from low-interest loans or green financing to support its implementation, we are specifically looking at guidance in the areas of accreditation and certification to enhance our credibility and access new markets.

Specifically, we aim to address R&D challenges such as improving fish nutrition and yield by feeding BSF (Black Soldier Fly) larvae in a more efficient manner and the use of cultivated bacteria in our natural ecosystem. Solve's network can potentially connect us with partners who specialize in such areas. 

In summary, while funding is beneficial, our decision to apply with Solve is driven by a broader need for comprehensive support across various dimensions such as the collaboration with Solve and its partners to overcome barriers and bring our solution to fruition.

What makes our solution truly innovative is its holistic approach to addressing multiple challenges in food waste management and sustainable food production. Unlike traditional methods such as landfill disposal, composting, and biogas generation, our integrated closed-loop system leverages natural processes within mother nature to achieve superior results

At the core of our innovation is the integration of the black soldier fly (BSF) - aquaponics method. This method not only diverts food waste from landfills but also utilizes it to produce valuable resources. By feeding food waste to black soldier fly larvae, we reduce fish feed costs for aquaponic systems while simultaneously mitigating methane emissions from food waste decomposition. This closed-loop system maximizes resource efficiency and minimizes environmental impact.

Moreover, we harness the power of biotechnology by employing friendly cultivated bacteria to assist in our integrated cycle. These bacteria play a crucial role in enhancing nutrient cycling and waste decomposition, optimizing the efficiency of our system and promoting environmental sustainability.

By combining innovative technologies with principles of natural sciences, our solution represents a breakthrough in sustainable food production and waste management. It offers cost-effectiveness, efficiency, and environmental sustainability, making it a promising solution to the complex challenges facing our food system.

Our solution is all about making a big impact through simple actions. We start by collecting food waste from restaurants and grocery stores before it ends up in landfills. This waste, if left to rot, can release harmful gases into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change. Instead of letting that happen, we use a special process involving our bioconversion agents to transform this waste into valuable resources.

Through our unique method, we turn food waste into useful products like fish food or fertilizer. Which then serves as alternative fish feed into our Aquaponics system, reducing our reliance on commercial feed which is fully imported. This helps us stabilize our operational costs and produce a consistent supply of protein and vegetables to restaurants and the serving community within the vicinity without the worry of impacts from weather elements or space constraints.

But our impact doesn't stop there. We also help businesses save money by showing them how much food they're wasting and helping them manage their stock and planning more efficiently. By cutting down on waste, businesses can lower their costs and improve their overall bottom line. We're not just helping individual businesses; we're also contributing to the fight against climate change and keeping our air cleaner and healthier for everyone.

In essence, our solution has a twofold impact: it helps businesses save money while also reducing their environmental footprint. By transforming food waste into useful products, not only benefiting the economy but also making a positive difference for the planet.

Our solution aims to tackle the pressing issues of food waste, carbon emissions, business efficiency, and sustainable food production through a multifaceted approach. At the core of our goals is the mitigation of food waste, wherein we strive to divert a significant amount of food waste from landfills. By doing so, we directly contribute to reducing the emission of greenhouse gases into the environment, through the tracking of the weight of food waste collected at our hubs. 

In addition to environmental benefits, our solution offers economic advantages to businesses through our subscription model for businesses that send us food waste. By providing insights into waste generation patterns and aiding in inventory management, we empower businesses to minimize waste, optimize operations, and reduce costs. This not only improves business efficiency but also promotes sustainable practices by reducing unnecessary resource consumption.

Moreover, our focus on bioconversion methods and Aquaponics system enables us to convert food waste into edible food source - Fish and vegetables. By promoting sustainable food production practices, we aim to innovate the methods on traditional farming methods which are detrimental to the environment. This holistic approach addresses both environmental sustainability and economic efficiency, demonstrating our commitment to creating tangible and measurable impacts on the food system.

Our solution relies on the use of biology methods with the application of natural science. We utilize microorganisms, such as bacteria, to break down organic matter like food waste into simpler compounds. These effective microorganisms are utilized in various ways, such as: 

1. To treat the odour from food waste.
2. To act as an effective microorganism for our larvae’s general health and to encourage strong reproduction.
3. To improve fish health and growth and reduce mortality and sickness without the use of antibiotics.
4. To break down fish waste into smaller compounds for effective absorption and uptake of nutrients by the vegetables, thereby omitting the use of synthetic fertilizer.

From a technological perspective, we intend to incorporate artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytic tools to optimize our waste collection, processing and resource allocation. These technologies can help identify patterns in waste generation, predict future trends and streamline operations for maximum effectiveness and efficiency. 

Overall, we are harnessing what mother nature has to offer us by combining the use of bioconversion agents the Black Soldier Fly with effective micro-organisms to convert food waste into valuable resources, contributing to sustainability and environmental stewardship while addressing our pressing challenges of waste management and food security.

3 Full time, 1 Part time, 2 Contractors/ casual workers, 1 Independent advisor

2 years

In Malaysia, diversity thrives, shaping teams with a vibrant mix of races and genders. Malay, Chinese, Indian, and indigenous communities unite, each bringing unique perspectives and talents. Women play integral roles, ensuring balanced representation. This is reflected in the team at QuinTerra, which is composed of a balanced mix of genders and races. We do not discriminate but instead encourage a company culture of diverse backgrounds, as it is crucial for fostering creativity, innovation, and collaboration. 

Jing Chen, one of our founders comes from a background of events and entrepreneurship while Nicole, the other founder has spent her time living abroad in New Zealand and loves nature, prior to this she had been doing some volunteer work with the indigenous people of Malaysia. Faris, our team member, has an established track record of running multiple social enterprises helping the marginalized community and Fahira, a recent graduate, comes from a small town south of Malaysia and has a bachelors in agriculture.

Our business model is built on sustainability and innovation. 

1. We begin by partnering with restaurants, grocery stores, and other food establishments to collect their food waste. This waste serves as the raw material for our bioconversion process, where it is transformed into valuable products like fish food for our Aquaponics system and fertilizer for our soil crops.

2. The end products from our Aquaponics system are then sold to various customers, including F&B outlets, restaurants, and individual consumers. 

3. Additionally, we plan to implement a subscription model for businesses that wish to ethically dispose of their food waste with us. This approach allows us to generate revenue while simultaneously addressing environmental concerns and promoting sustainable practices in the food industry.

Our strategy for achieving financial sustainability revolves around multiple avenues, blending sales revenue, grant funding, and a forthcoming subscription model. 

In our preliminary phase, we've already begun generating revenue through sales, selling 200kg of vegetables to four restaurants and 300kg of fish to wholesale buyers, all of whom provided positive feedback. These initial sales underscore the market's appetite for our produce, signaling a promising start. 

Concurrently, we're actively pursuing grant opportunities to bolster our operations and facilitate expansion. Our focus is on establishing our inaugural commercial farm in an urban locale, which will serve as a pivotal hub for scaling production to meet increasing demand. Additionally, we're planning to introduce a subscription model, enabling businesses such as shopping malls, FMCG companies, and grocery chains to ethically dispose of their food waste with us. 

This multi-faceted approach not only diversifies our revenue streams but also positions us for sustainable growth in the burgeoning market for fresh, ethically sourced produce. With the success of these phases, we anticipate attracting investor funding to further propel our growth trajectory and to venture into different revenue generating streams such as poultry and egg farming.