Tanzania - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

YAKWETU BIOTECH empowers small-holder farmers to produce food profitably and eco-sustainably with low-cost and eco-friendly fertilizer supplements, Climate Smart Plant Enhancers (CSPEs).

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

Yakwetu Biotech transforms sustainable agriculture for small-holder farmers with our affordable, innovative, and eco-friendly fertilizer supplements known as Climate Smart Plant Enhancers (CSPEs). These fertilizer supplements empower farmers to improve productivity and environmental sustainability while enhancing resilience to climate change and reducing reliance on chemical fertilizers. Crafted from organic city waste collected from selected small businessess and indigenous plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB), our solutions holistically improve crop quality, boost yields by 15-30%, and revitalize soil health. Our solution not only mitigates waste-induced methane emissions through a biotech-powered waste valorization technology, but also strengthens the food supply and builds climate resilience for small-holder farmers in Tanzania. By driving sustainability for farmers, the environment, and future generations, Yakwetu Biotech is paving the way for a greener, more prosperous future.

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

In Tanzania, where around 10 million small-holder farmers produce over 70% of the nation’s food, a crisis threatens their livelihoods and food security. These farmers face soil degradation due to the overuse of chemical fertilizers, which initially boost yields but ultimately deplete nutrients and harm vital microbial communities, leading to reduced productivity and profitability. Climate change exacerbates these issues with increased temperature, water stress, and disease, causing crop losses of up to 25% in some regions. Lacking resources to adapt, farmers suffer significant impacts on their food production and economic stability. Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is also a challenge, as urban green waste decomposes in landfills, emitting methane and missing the opportunity to recycle organic matter that could improve soil health and fertility. Yakwetu Biotech's Climate Smart Plant Enhancers address these challenges by transforming MSWs into eco-friendly fertilizer supplements.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

YAKWETU BIOTECH's Climate Smart Plant Enhancers (CSPEs) offer significant benefits to farmers. Firstly, they enhance plant stress tolerance by incorporating plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB), which biologically boost plants' resilience to heat and water scarcity. This reduces risks of poor produce or low yields, ensuring more stable crop output. Secondly, our CSPEs naturally fortify plants' defenses against pathogens, reducing the likelihood of disease infestations. This leads to healthier crops and less reliance on chemical treatments, ensuring more reliable harvests and lowering risks for farmers during the growing season. Additionally, CSPEs elevate the nutritional and flavor quality of harvests by providing essential nutrients, leading to higher levels of vitamins, proteins, and minerals in crops. They also demonstrate yield improvements of 15-30%, significantly boosting productivity and potential income for farmers.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Our solution is dedicated to small and medium-scale farmers, primarily engaged in food crop production in peri-urban and rural regions. Climate change and rising input costs have left these farmers vulnerable to low productivity. Tanzania, home to 10 million such farmers, faces challenges like economic losses due to low yields, diminished produce quality, and high input costs. We target three primary segments: 1. Individual Small and Medium-Scale Farmers: We offer cost-effective, tailored eco-bundles designed to meet their specific needs. 2. Farmer Groups and Associations: Through our Kijani Plan, we provide specialized support tailored to the unique needs of these groups. 3. Special Private Sector and Government Projects: We collaborate with stakeholders, including the government and farmer-supporting Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), on projects aimed at enhancing agricultural productivity and soil sustainability.

01.05 When was your company established?

2024-02-05

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

3

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

0

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

Anold Crispin Ndaro, holds a BS in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, he has experience in working industries as quality control personel. At Yakwetu he brongs his experience and academic background to lead research, manufacturing, cordinates field trials and university partnerships via projects. Jackson Steven Mluge, holds a degree in Botany, he has over 3 years experience in sales and marketing, and a winner of several innovation competitions in Tanzania. AT Yakwetu he brings his sales and marketing experience to build our Go-To-Market plant and lead it. Our Team generally knew each from the University of Dar es Salaam, were all founders our startup srtudied. We are bond together not only by our deep mission to drive sustainably agrioculture tansition in Tanzania with low-cost Biotech products, but also our 6 year long friendship.

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

https://www.linkedin.com/company/yakwetu

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

b) Materials (agriculture, fishing, chemical products, construction materials, containers and packaging, metals and mining, paper and forest products)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

4

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

Our Climate Smart Plant Enhancers (CSPEs) address key issues faced by small and medium-scale farmers in Tanzania. By enhancing plant stress tolerance, boosting natural disease defense, and improving the nutritional quality of crops, our CSPEs help increase agricultural productivity by 15-30%, ensuring more food is available locally. Our affordable, accessible solutions allow farmers to adopt advanced agricultural practices without financial strain. Targeting individual farmers, farmer groups, and collaborating with private sector and government projects, we ensure a broad impact. These efforts support farmers in producing higher-quality, more abundant crops, directly contributing to improved food security, reduced hunger, and sustainable economic development in Tanzania and beyond.

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

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

3

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

Our solution strong aligns itself with Climate Mitigation and Climate Adaptation objectives of the SDG13: Climate Action. With respect to climate mitigation, our fertilizer supplements are composed of 70% nutrients and organic matter from recycled wastes. These wastes are collected from small business in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Normal route of these wastes would be to be dumped inlandfills, and release methane, a greenhouse gas 25 times more potent than carbondioxide. Currently we harness 100 tons of potato peels from business helping to mitigate significant amounts of methane emissions. With resoect to climate resilience and adapation, our products help farmers to grow crops productively amidsts the effects of a climate change affected soils, as our proiducts enhance water retention, heat and disease stress tolerance.

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

5

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

4

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

3

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

4

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

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

5

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

4

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

4

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

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

7 - Strongly Agree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.08 Justification for my startup

Our low-cost and eco-friendly fertilizer supplements, branded as Climate Smart Plant Enhancers (CSPEs) are innovatively utilize a nutrient recycling approach by fermentation, but enhancing the products there of with our innovative bio-formulation strategy; This further integrates plant growth promoting bacteria (PGPB) and organic standards approved plant nutrients additive for improved product perfomance in yield, crop quality and climate stress resilience. It is this innovative bio-formulation startegy used in manufacturing our products that gives them a competitive edge in perfomance, pricing and eco-sustainability.

06.09 Competitive Analysis

The market landscape for organic inputs in Tanzania is made of local composting companies, local green inputs, biollogfical inputs company and imported organic inputs. YaKwetu Biotech differentiates from these players in two aspects, firstly we harness both powers of tradational organic waste recycling fortifying them with innovative biological formulations, providing products with better perfomance but are affordable, Secondly anaother aspects that play role in the affordability of our products is our innovative product bundling strategy. We have combined our solid and liquid formulas into cost-effective effective bundles, making sure that small-holder farmers can easily access them in a finacial sttand-point. This is what mainly set us apart with most of existing solutions in the market being very expesnive, posing a hurdle to farmers' green tarnsition journey.

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