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Phase: Community Review

Accelerating Collaborative Business Models for Small Holder Farmers

We create impact by accelerating and scaling small holder farmer businesses in subsaharan Africa to reduce poverty and increase productivity

Photo of Eddie Sembatya
10 12

Written by

I confirm that I am fully aware of the eligibility criteria, and based on its description, I am eligible to apply to the CSV Prize 2017.

  • Yes, I'm eligible

Preferred language

  • English

Organization name

Finding XY

Year founded

2017

Initiative stage

  • Growth (the pilot has already launched and is starting to expand)

Annual budget in 2017 (USD)

  • $250k - $500k

Number of beneficiaries impacted so far

  • 500 - 1,000

Organization type

  • Social enterprise

Secondary Focus Area

  • Rural development

Headquarters location: Country

  • Uganda

Headquarters location: City

Kampala

Location(s) of impact

Uganda: Kampala, Jinja, Mbarara, Kasese, kisoro, Arua, Gulu, Mbale, Soroti Rwanda: Kigali USA: California

Website

http://www.findingxy.com/

Facebook URL

https://www.facebook.com/Finding-XY-1424618404278606/

Twitter URL

https://twitter.com/Finding_XY

Problem: What problem is this initiative trying to address?

Smallholder farmers are often marginalised, and lack sophisticated farming practices and sustainable income sources yet they are the backbone of economies in subsaharan Africa. The challenges they face include poor pricing, unstable markets, low productivity, lack of value addition services, absence of mechanised farming, climate change, reducing soil fertility, poor land use and distribution.

Solution Summary: What is the proposed solution? What do you see as its most promising aspects for creating shared value?

Accelerating and providing long term support to social enterprises working with small holder farmers in order to increase efficient land use and productivity. This a program in which we identify entrepreneurs working with small holder famers and support them to develop their capacity, build their network and raise finances. The entrepreneurs we support cover crop farming, animal farming and forestry. Through their operations they recruit small land holders with less than an acre of land to over 3 acres. They train the land owners on how to grow particular crops or rare particular animals which they in turn buy from them at the right time . The entrepreneur will issue the farmers contracts specifying that they will be providing them with seeds and collect the farm produce at the expected harvest season.

Impact: What is the impact of the work to date? Specify both the social and the environmental impact of your work

Our model has increasesed access to business opportunities to women and youths along the value chain as intermediaries or small holder farmers or suppliers. Through the program we have trained over 500 entreprenuers and 70% of these were women. We are enabling entrepreneurs to run businesses as small holder farmer intermediaries and train the farmers in adopting other ecofriendly business lines that include producing ecofriendly cook stoves, briquettes, biomass to biogas and other eco inclusive business opportunities. By doing this, we are protecting the environment and keeping farmes away from economic activities that are more disastrous to the environment like tree cutting to make charcoal. An example is an entrepreneur we have trainined and is now providing ICT in agriculture services to groups of rural farmers.

Financial sustainability plan: How is this initiative financially supported? How will you ensure its financial sustainability long-term?

Our main souce of revenue are contracts to implement impact programs. these contribute 50% Other source of income are Earned Income we charge when training the entrepreneurs on skills based services. These contribute 20%. We are working to raise more funds through Grants which will contribute 30%

Unique value proposition: What makes your initiative innovative? How does your project differ from other organizations working in the same field?

We create small holder farmer networks, regional markets and enable value addition to agro produce.

Founding story: Share a story about the "Aha!" moment that sparked the beginning of this initiative.

Uganda and other subsaharan countries are very fertile but the levels of agro productivity are very low. While attending a conference, a German colleague mentioned to me that, "In Germany when you wake up in the morning and go to the garden you will die but in Uganda if you go to the garden, you will eat!" This funny moment made me realise how possible it is for small holder farmers to supply global markets if their collective efforts are harnessed through intermediary social enterpreneurs. Such intermediary service providers would have to support them in overcoming the barriers to large scale productivity and make them the best offers.

Where did you hear about the Nestlé Creating Shared Value Prize?

  • Social media

Evaluation results

1 evaluation so far

1. Overall evaluation

5 - This idea rocked my world. It’s awesome! - 0%

4 - This idea seems really exciting. With a little more polishing, it’d be among my favorites. - 0%

3 - I think the idea is great, but it needs some work before it moves onto the next round. - 0%

2 - I liked it fine but preferred others. - 100%

1 - It didn’t make my heart beat faster. Needs significant revisions. - 0%

2. Innovation

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 0%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 100%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

3. Social and/or Environmental Impact

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 100%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 0%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

4. Financial sustainability

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 0%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 100%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

Nothing stands out! I thought it was great. - 0%

5. Potential to Scale / Replicability

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 0%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 100%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

6. Organizational Leadership

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 100%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 0%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

7. Potential for Creating Shared Value

5 - Absolutely, 100%! - 0%

4 - I feel really good about this - very promising - 0%

3 - This has some good elements and some areas for development - 100%

2 - This doesn’t inspire me so much - 0%

1 - This entry is weak here - 0%

Attachments (1)

ESAF.pdf

This inspired (1)

Making Distributed Nitrogen Fertilizer at the Point of Consumption
Making Distributed Nitrogen Fertilizer at the Point of Consumption

10 comments

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Photo of Mouhamadou Moustapha Seck

What are the conditions for the sustainability of small-scale agriculture?

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Photo of Eddie Sembatya

Sustainability is archived around getting industrial action to enable small holder farmers overcome the barriers to increased productivity. By creating better conditions for small scale farmers, they are able to transform to a larger scale farming. These barriers include low prices on farm produce, poor farming methods, poor seeds, lack of access to bigger markets, absence of mechanized farming, lack of finances/loans/credit facilities, lack of skills in better farming methods, land disputes, poor infrastructure, lack of facilities to predict weather, limited irrigation capacity, poor personal financial management, lack of education, and others. Through intermediary organizations that empower small scale farmers to over come these challenges, production can become sustainable.

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Photo of Mouhamadou Moustapha Seck

Thank you for the explanation. I understood your program of accompaniment to farmers. More than the sale of products, fair trade causes a transformation in the quality of life of those involved. This is an international movement that establishes fair prices, operates respecting social and environmental issues, and encourages responsible production and ethical consumption. Respect for labor legislation, sustainability, gender equality, combating child labor, reduction of cross-border, entrepreneurship with ties in the community, safety in the professional environment and organic production make up the set of practices of this way of thinking market relations. A regime that has strong roots in the culture of cooperation and associativism, when entrepreneurs unite and strengthen themselves to act in a competitive way. That is, to create sustainable economic activities, managed on the basis of cooperation between their workers, in a perspective of local development and the construction of other social relations, emancipating and equitable.

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Photo of Eddie Sembatya

Thank you Moustapha. I cant help but appreciate your understanding of the value proposition here and what it would take to improve the well being of ordinary people in Africa.

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Photo of Mouhamadou Moustapha Seck

You are welcome and good luck. We have everything to change this reality.

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Photo of Eddie Sembatya

Thanks

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