Kenya - Business creation project

Describe your project or startup in a few words

We want to automate Hydroponics and Aquaculture, the rapidly growing technologies in Kenya, in order to increase access to these technologies, provide clean, better nutrition and medicinal value, and to expand and stabilize household incomes in Kenya.

01.01 Describe your project in more detail

Hydroponics, popular for fruits and vegetables, and aquaculture, fish production in tanks, is now a popular endeavour in Kenya. However, most practitioners have adopted it at the basic level without automation. I see this as one of the most viable practices for automation, especially with the increasing accessibility of IoT. There are three ways in which I want to improve this production: 1. to help adopters to take up Aquaponics, which is to put together both fish and vegetables production in small spaces where the water will be circulated between the two units, thus take advantage of nutrients from fish to crops, and vice-versa; 2. develop calibration and data of types vegetables and fish which can be produced through Aquaponics. 3. Use the available data, and new data from this project, to automate the manual processes like provision of nutrients, sunlight and aeration. This will expand nutrition and incomes and bring on board non-specialist producers of all types

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

Kenya has a host of problems around food security and production: Kenya is food insecure due to a) periodic droughts, b) most farmers rely on the unreliable, rain-fed agriculture, c) and the fact that food production is mainly in the hands of traditional farmers. While hydroponics is rapidly being adoped, it is practiced at the basic level, without automation. Therefore, a) there is manual labour and inputs, which is subject to errors and sometimes unpredictable results. b) it has not expanded to include lay people because it is seen as a practice that requires knowledge and hard labour c) it is only not integrated with aquaculture, which then misses the advantages of broader nutritional value and stabilized revenue It is also apparent that vegetables produced around Nairobi is grown along sewer lines or watered from the sewers

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

Automated Aquaponics allows any person to be able to take up the production of their own vegetables and fish. Our proposed automation is aimed at taking away the need for technical knowledge, eg, when to water, how much nutrient to supply and the variety of crops/fish to produce. We intend to develop scientific level database of each feasible variety for aquaponics and automate the manual processes so that anybody can buy and operate their own units at home. iTec Aquaponics will a) enable lay-people to setup up food production within small spaces, even in the siting rooms, roof tops and behind restaurants, b) expand household nutrition through clean, better quality and expanded options. c) expand growing of medicinal foods, and enable remote control of production even when in transit d) stabilize and expand household incomes by providing at least 2 channels via vegetables and fish, e) reduce expenditure on external and imported food sources

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

We target the following main groups: 1. Practitioners who have already set up hydro-, aqua- or aeroponics. Most of the setups, from the several farm visits that I have made, are not automated. This means they still have to use manual ways to monitor and manage the production, which is not optimal. 2. Lay-people (teachers, clerks, doctors, lawyers, stay-home parents, etc), who are not in the loop of producing their own foods. These people are either locked out because they don't have the knowledge of the production processes, or are not away they can produce their own food in the smallest of available spaces, like a 10x10 foot backyard or roof tops of their residents 3. Restaurants, Hospitals and Care homes where quality and freshness of food, variety and cost may be difficult to manage when they have to rely on external deliveries of food for their sensitive clientele 4. Schools and learning institutions. These will make huge savings by local food production and expand their options

01.05 When did you start working on your project?

2024-01-01

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

2

01.07 Among the other partners, how many are female?

1

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

Hannington Mambo, 49, male, is a seasoned software developer who has won several awards in Kenya and globally for his innovative and development skills. He advises and customizes for me solutions for the proposed automation of the aquaponics. He is also a trained Agricultural Economist with practical skills on optimisation agricultural processes. Viola Onyango, 35, female, has a wealth of knowledge in design and execution of projects. She is trained in project management and has years of experience working as an M&E consultant with International NGOs. She is widely traveled and exposed to many different systems of production.

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

Through automation, we will enable lay-people to take up food production. This will free up incomes that would have been used to buy food for other uses like education and investment, thus ultimately contribute towards eliminating poverty.

02.02.01 My project contributes to the Zero hunger goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification

FAO projects that hydroponics is one of the major methodologies that will help achieve food security by 2030. Our contribution to the aquaponics is a means to end hunger by providing clean, nutritious and readily available food to the households. By automating the process, we make it possible to more people to engage in producing their own foods, thus significantly contribute towards zero hunger.

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

7 - Strongly Agree

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification

By helping people to take control of their food production, we will be helping them to choose and control their own nutritional options. It is also a common knowledge that vegetables from around Nairobi are grown along sewer lines or watered by sewer waters. We will be able to reduce consumption of such sources of food.

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

4

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification

02.06.01 My project contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification

The closed and polyculture nature of aquaponics has water purification (bio-processor) and maximizes water usage through circulation between the two systems. It is documented that disposed (waste water) from aquaponics can be as little as 10%

02.07.01 My project contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

4

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification

02.08.01 My project contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

5

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification

By bringing on board lay people into production through automated processes, new job will be created for those who will take up this for commercial trade

02.09.01 My project contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

4

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification

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

Our goal is that urban dwellers will be able to use the smallest of spaces to produce their own foods, thus improve food security at the household and community levels

02.12.01 My project contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification

When households produce food that they consume, they will control their nutrition and medicinal values by selecting what they grow and eat. They will always have access to fresh food, thus reduce carbon footprint of food transported or imported from long distances.

02.13.01 My project contributes to the Climate action goal

5

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification

We will reduce carbon foot print by reducing distances food has to be transported, stored in fridge emitting gases, and reduce the need to warm up food with microwaves and gas cookers. Where plastics will be required for the components used in our systems, we will use recycled plastics. Examples would be in the growth towers, growth beds and packaging of our automation components.

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

7 - Strongly Agree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification

Aquaponics is a soilless production, therefore more food will be grown, and more fish will be harvested from tanks, which will leave aside more land for other uses. Use of chemical on lands and pollution by fishing boats will be reduced

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.

2

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

6

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.

6

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.

5

05.08 Justification

Hydroponics, aquaculture and aeroponics are practices that are now getting adopted widely in Kenya. However, the practioners have not automated them. We want to provide automation to improve quality production and help to bring on board lay people into the food production circle.

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

Other IT experts developing Internet of Things (IoT) that may be used for climate and weather measurements or automation of crop and fish production. Existing control/automation equipment providers for the agricultural sector

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

Yes. We will pursue recruitment and training of female id development of our products, sales and distribution. Since we are targeting household levels, we believe more of our clients / adopters will also be majority female