Ghana - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

Verte Tower is an agritech project transforming farming in Ghana while meeting local energy demands using vertical farming systems on solar farms.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Verte Tower establishes solar energy generating vegetable production centers where produce, mainly, greens, tomatoes and onions are cultivated in vertical systems using hydroponics in open fields. Nutrient and water are supplied with precision through IoT monitoring to the crops. The entire production center is shaded by solar houses for generating solar energy, collecting and recycling rainwater and attached to an outhouse energy station. These production centers can be replicated in diferent communities to grow crops. Verte Tower provides a holistic approach to maximizing the vegetables value chains in Ghana. What we are offering is yield improved 3-4 times to make available to mainstream markets, robust farming technology for smallholder farmers and energy supply to rural and urban homes. From farmer to consumer, our production centers ensure crop yield increase, food quality improved, communities are powered by renewable energy production with year-round employment for farmers.

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

Verte Tower seeks to tackle food insecurity, unemployment and climate change while providing smallholder farmers the capacity to meet local demand to reduce Ghana's dependence on imported fresh produce. Extreme poverty and climate change makes every farming season a nightmare for smallholder farmers across various rural communities in Ghana. Farmers largely depend on aid from the government, social enterprises as well as on rainfall to cultivate their farms. These factors result in high unpredictability of yields from season to season. As a country, Ghana depends heavily on imports of fresh produce from neighbouring and Western countries due to the lack of capacity of local producers to meet nationwide demand. This worsens the threat of food insecurity and economic instability, especially in farming communities.

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

Benefits of Verte Tower cultivation leads to: 1. Increased yield of high quality fresh vegetables 2. Reduced carbon footprints from utilization of renewable energy and 3. Job security

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

Verte Tower targets smallholder farmers, agric-focused organizations and social enterprises, as well as households. Production and sale of fresh produce to mainstream markets and households is the target for every production center. The Verte Tower systems can be sold and maintained for smallholder farmer associations with payment made in installments. Assets owned by the associations make it easier to access credit for various business needs and improve the livelihoods of association members. Organizations looking to make impact on the lives of smallholder farmers are also targeted. The energy stations serve the needs of users of electronic devices in the general public such as mobile phones and potentially electric vehicles in both urban and rural settings.

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2023-02-09

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

5

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

3

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

The team at Verte Tower consists of vibrant youth with cumulatively 20 years working experience in various aspects of social entrepreneurship, business development & finance and engineering; Chief Executive Officer who leads the vision and general operations with a track record of leading project teams for 6 years and fundraised close to $ 30,000 from funders such as the Ford Fund Chief Business Strategy Officer who lives and breathes numbers, worked in social enterprise and a multinational business strategy firm Chief Sustainability Officer is an environmentalist championing climate-friendly solutions with government agencies and startups. She ensures sustainable practices and compliance with environmental regulations. Chief Accounting Officer handles financial records, budgeting, financial planning and reporting Agriculture Engineer experienced in designing bio and mechano-engineering agric systems Administrator manages logistical operations to ensure smooth supply chain management

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

Verte tower increases income by up to 4 times enabling customers and beneficiaries to fend for their families and improve their livelihoods. For youth and smallholder farmers, Verte Tower ensures a sustainable means of cultivating various crops without dependence on unpredictable climatic conditions. This reduces the seasonality involved with farming as we see in Ghana. Also, with robust farming systems, yield of crops is 3-4 times higher with the integrity of crops maintained raking in higher revenue for the growers. One production center at a time, Verte Tower boosts local economies and drastically reduces poverty.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

Food security lies at the core of the work at Verte Tower. The most consumed vegetables in Ghana are tomatoes and onions and with increasing decline in supply of these commodities locally, the risk of complete scarcity is high. Over 13 million people in Ghana were recorded to be affected by food insecurity in 2022 with an expected steady increase based on widespread shortage experienced in the past two years. Verte Tower tackles this by providing robust farming systems to ensure maximum yield per every acre of land cultivated, increasing volume of produce by 4 times. This ensure availability of agricultural commodities, especially vegetables which are required to supplement the already highly carbohydrate based meals consumed. These ensure food security and improved nutrition, translating into better brain development, able-bodied manpower, improved productivity and economic development

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

4

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

02.04.01 My project contributes to the Quality education goal

4

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification

02.05.01 My project contributes to the Gender equality goal

6

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

Some studies show an average of 40% women to 60% men involved in agriculture in Ghana. Verte tower targets a 50:50 ratio of female to male smallholder farmers employed at every production center owned and managed by the company. In the management team as well, capable individuals with a ratio of 2:1 female to male, strategically brought together to meet ambitious business and agriculture goals is a huge contribution to female empowerment and gender equality. At Verte we increase female representation not only in entrepreneurship but in agriculture and supply chain management, which are fairly male-dominated in Ghana.

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

4

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

Generation and use of renewable energy is the sole purpose of the solar farms at Verte Tower production centers. These houses are tent structures decked entirely of solar panels to harvest solar energy to be utilized in two ways: 1. Power the equipments for cultivation and processing at a production center and 2. Service stations for charging electronic devices such as the mobile devices of the locals and potentially, electric cars. These technologies make clean energy available and affordable in urban and especially rural areas, where there is little access to electricity.

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

Close to 70% of farmers in Ghana are smallholder farmers, cultivating less than 3 hectares of land. Overdependence on weather and external support only worsens the already devastating seasonality of income with smallholder farming. Majority of farmers live on under $ 2 a day and can only fend for their survival. Verte Tower production centers enable all year-round cultivation and as such all year-round revenue generation. This improves livelihoods of the beneficiaries and increases economic evelopment.

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

5

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

In the agricultural industry, Verte Tower revolutionizes vegetable production with the incorporation of robust and innovative vertical farming systems that are not the usual in-door utilized. Right in the open field, farmers can increase their yield by up to 4 times whilst providing the needed protection for farm beds during extreme heat conditions.

02.10.01 My project contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

4

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification

02.11.01 My project contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification

Verte Tower provides a holistic step-wise approach to bountiful production of crops with the aim of improving livelihoods of smallholder farmers. The incorporation of energy stations which provide clean and affordable energy improves standards of living in every beneficiary host community. Sustainable farming and energy generation ensures continuity of improvement in livelihoods and provides an uphill trajectory of development in communities.

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

Verte Tower ensures that resources put into cultivation are used efficiently. Our vertical farming systems make use of IoT to recycle water, majorly harvested from rains, throughout the system ensuring precise nourishing of the crops. Food produced from our centers are carefully managed with produce immediately dried, chilled or packaged wthin stipulated times post-harvest. This ensure that production takes place responsible, food reaches final consumers in highest quality and shelf-life is prolonged.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

By reducing post-harvest losses through the efficient and sustainable production and processing of high quality vegetables, emissions associated with spoilage is drastically cut down. The vertical farming systems make use of recyclable plastic in some of its component and this helps to rid the environment of plastic and other waste. Verte Tower reduces post harvest losses and the resultant carbon footprints. We also champion the utlization and harvesting of renewable energy sources making every farmer utilizing our technology, every consumer of our produce and every customer at our energy stations a contributor to climate action.

02.14.01 My project contributes to the Life below water goal

4

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification

02.15.01 My project contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

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

4

02.16.02 Peace justice and strong institutions - Justification

02.17.01 My project contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification

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

6

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

5

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

7 - Strongly Agree

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.

5

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.

4

05.08 Justification

Our mainstream value from all production centers is high quality food crops which are widely consumed by majority of the Ghanaian market. Verte Tower is innovating when it comes to existing systems of cultivation and production and further makes use of the production time to generate and make renewable energy available for use by the public. Our solar houses and harvesters as well as energy stations at rural levels are going to be new to the market. For the first time, the existing problems of yield and food insecurity in farming communities in the Eastern and Ashanti regions is being addressed by solutions from Verte Tower .

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

Existing farming practices and post harvest management companies may serve as competitors. Verte Tower makes use of a holistic sustainable approach to farming and so we manage majority of the levels in the supply chain of vegetable production

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

Yes, this business venture