Ghana - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Verbinden is an agricultural technology idea which seeks to connect farmers to farming produce as well as both local and global market for their commodities with much interest in the sweet potato industry.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Verbinden is an agricultural technology business idea which seeks to connect farmers to farming supplies as well as connecting them to local and commercial markets to increase using technology where we build a robust infrastructure which will allow us to get agricultural produce or seeds for farmers during the farming season, monitor through the process and finally harvest them and sell to ready market as fast as possible.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

Farmers in the sweet potato industry always have less exposure and attention to get capital the form of sweet potato slips as well as how to get education on sweet potato farming, difficulty in accessing local and commercial markets and finally lack of technology to streamline operations.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your project intends to provide (at least 3).

A comprehensive digital platform that bridges the gap between farmers,investors and ,markets, Access to capital; we will be connecting farmers with various sources of funding including microloans,grants and investments opportunities as well as providing financial literacy resources to help farmers manage and optimise their finances 3. Market access; we will facilitate direct connections between farmers and local as well as global markets 4. logistics and distribution; we will offer logistics and distribution support to streamline the supply chain from farm to market 5. sustainability focus; promote sustainable farming practisesto ensure long-term agricultural productivity and environmental conservation as well as offer incentives for farmers who adopt eco-friendly practices.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your project is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our target market consist of; 1. smallholder farmers; farmers with small plots of land or family owned lands, will need access to affordable credit, market connection as wellas modern farming techniques and financial management tools which we will be available to help. 2. Medium and large scale farmers, they need efficient logistics, access to market and substantial funding for expansion which we will be available to help 3. Agricultural cooperatives; group of farmers who pool their resources to achieve better access to markets and inputs needs bulk purchasing of inputs, access to capital and access to market information to thrive which we will be available to help 4, investors and financial institutions; entities looking to invest in agricultural projects or offer financial services to farmers needs a reliable platform with vetted farmers which our platform will be available for that. 5. Agribusiness and food processing companies, they need reliable supply and quality materials

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-06-05

01.06 How many other partners are associated with your business venture?

1

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

0

01.08 Please describe the profile of each of the other partners (skills, experience, etc.)

Dramani Kizito is a fullstack software engineer with close to a decade of experience in technology and a computer science degree background.

01.09 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link here:

01.10 Which industry best describes your project?

l) Agriculture

02.01.01 My project contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification

By connecting farmers to capital and commodity markets,we will help increase their income and economic stability

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

As we provide farmers with better access to markets and resources, which enhances their productivity and reducing food waste through efficient logistics which intern increase food production, improve food security and reduce hunger in rural and urban areas

02.03.01 My project contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

2

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Women often face more significant barriers than men in accessing financial services, through our intend to partner with financial institutions for microloans and grants which are specifically designed to support women farmers enabling them to invest in their farms and businesses.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

2

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

5

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Through partnership with clean energy providers and also NGO's in educating as well as building irrigation systems in their farming journey.

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

7 - Strongly Agree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

We will create opportunities for decent work by empowering farmers with the tools and resources they need to grow their businesses.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

6

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

We will aid in the advancing of the agricultural sector fostering innovation and sustainable industrial growth through the leveraging of technology to improve agricultural practices, supply chain logistics and market access.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

we will focus on providing marginalized and smallholder farmers with equal access to financial services,markets and technology

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

6

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

We will use our platform to promote rural-urban linkage by facilitating direct connections between urban markets and rural farmers through our market platform

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

By optimizing supply chains and reducing food waste through better logistics we will promote sustainable consumption and production patterns.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

6

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

we will integrate sustainable farming practices and provide data-driven insights to help farmers adapt to climate change

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

3

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

We will encourage sustainable land management practices and support biodiversity by promoting eco-friendly farming techniques.

02.16.01 My project contributes to the Peace justice and strong institutions goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

we will ensure fair trade practices by connecting farmers directly with buyers eliminating middlemen and promoting ethical sourcing .

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

Our mission of linking farmers to capital and markets for sustainable agriculture relies heavily on partnerships. our intend to collaborate with governments ,NGO's ,businesses and communities are essential for scaling impact and long-term sustainability

05.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

3

05.02 The product/service we envision creating represents an entirely new type of product/service.

4

05.03 The product/service we envision creating could be described as a new technology.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.04 The product/service we envision creating is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.05 The product/service we envision creating could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

2

05.06 The product/service we envision creating responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

7 - Strongly Agree

05.07 The product/service we envision creating is a new version of an old product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

05.08 Justification

05.09 Who are your main potential competitors and what makes you stand out from them?

My main competitors are farmerline and complete farmer, I stand out because apart from connecting their goods to global market with my project I seek to utilise agroprocessing too which will create more jobs.

10.06 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes, I share opportunities which they want to train female entrepreneurs with the women in the Community